AHCI - Lang & Heyne Comes to SoCal

Lang & Heyne Comes to SoCal

On a bright sunny November day that was "too warm for comfort", a group of watch collectors gathered to meet up with Marco Lang, Nique Wer and Alex Klar. You saw them just a few days ago in London. Thanks Foversta for the group photo because I failed to get one here in Southern California. They were in their beach clothing anyway ...

While waiting for the team to set up, we compared notes while enjoying food and drink provided by Passion Jewelers and Sbicca Catering.

Tim Jackson introduced Marco, whom he has known for 10 years.

I took advantage of the time to catch a few of the timepieces on other visitors' wrists:

1. Matching tie and Bulova Accutron Spaceview movement, even down to the copper wiring threads in the tie!

2. Irish Tourbillon

3. Richard Paige Pocket-Wrist Watch with vintage dial and movement in modern case

Waltham movement

Your correspondent's watch.

Personal Watch made by Alex Klar, about 4-5 years ago. I saw this watch back in 2011 and was amazed then (as now)! It's a double GMT plus Home Time.

Obviously he learned from a master and was able to recreate a similar look and feel in a watch of his own design and manufacture.

Now let's get onto the Lang & Heyne watches. We talked in generalities, and I must confess the watches were captivating but the details got omitted in the conversation.

So I must share photos, not details. First, the watch with plates made from the tusk of an extinct wooly mammoth!

Normal on the front; Unique on the back. We asked why he didn't put a mammoth on the dial, to mark the unusual watch.

In typical German engineering fashion, Marco answered: "The front is for telling you the time! Not marketing!"

Apparently the ivory has hardened in the few thousand years since the mammoth died, and is very stable dimensionally - between organic and mineral in its composition.

Marco only bought part of one tusk - so this special edition is limited to 20 pieces.

Marco got involved in explaining his company strategy:

"Make watches that I think up, and I like, then try to find clients to buy the watches" vs the typical corporate strategy of surveying customers and making what they want.

He also explained some of the technicalities of the movements.

Marco explained that they have sold about 350 watches in 14 years, so you are essentially buying a unique piece each time.

Each a beautifully-finished piece!

Notice the central lug that is a signature feature of his cases.

and the German finish on the plates. I believe the colors vary because of the lighting.

Marco brought 10 watches with him - the largest group of his pieces that have ever assembled at one time. Normally they are shipped out the door as soon as they are completed.