A. Lange & Söhne

Greetings to all!  Let's say that you're sitting there, as one does, with a sizable wad of cash in your pocket (here is where I depart from your participation in the narrative) and a healthy supply of good taste (which I am sure that you have in abundance!).

"Ah," you say to yourself (but not aloud, because that would be a bit odd) "I think I'd like to pick up one of the Lange PLM Tourbillons -- not the recent one with that snappy dial thingy, even though the Handskunstwerk version isn't so bad, but the original."

Great idea!  But which one?  There was one of the rare WG/blue dial watches up for auction today, but that went to someone else and it might be a while until another appears.  The fabled Stainless Steel unique piece is out there, but then again precious metal is both lovely and more available when it comes to this watch.

The two practical choices are the YG (as worn by Herr Lange himself) and the PT (of which only 50 were made).  "Gee," you say to yourself "before I place that WTB ad, I'd certainly like to see these two pieces side by side!  But what are the odds?"

Happily, thanks to the good offices of two of my close friends and gentleman PuristS via recent short-term loans, I am able to defy the odds and help you out as you ponder your choice:

 

Personally I love this piece in YG, but having seen the PT version in the metal for the first time I am absolutely blown away.  Unlike the RL PLM (in my opinion) in this case the white metal works really well with the silvered dial and is not too austere.  If I were buying a RL PLM I'd go for the RG, but if I ever had the good fortune to own one of these babies I might find myself leaning toward the PT -- although the YG is a delight as well, and over time might wear more easily due to its visual warmth.  It's also great to see a YG watch that very much holds its own -- would be very cool to see a re-edition of this watch in Honey Gold, but perhaps that's too much to hope for...

So let's say you're leaning toward PT -- you might ask "Gary, by any chance do you have another few shots of that beauty?"  Happily enough:

 

Hope you enjoyed!  It was a wonderful treat for me to be able to photograph these lovely watches, and I will hope to see them on my friends' wrists when we meet again sometime soon.

Best,

Gary G

To have not one but two sitting side by side.

Thanks a lot for these superb pics! I am very happy to see these two versions on same pics, I tend to prefer the warmer side of the YG version.

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I have a very poor snapshot of this one with a black dial which was made available at another auction.

Nice pics. of two of the most desirable Lange pieces Gary.

cheers

fernando

Normally when it comes to the 1815 the arabic numerals and the train track dial is a must, BUT it looks quite full on the dial.

Same with the Emil moonphase: a bit too much on it.

This RG PLM looks truely timeless with the original Saxonia indices.

 

Best

Moritz

Especially the last two pictures are outstanding. Thanks!

Gary, for now you covered two versions of the (rare) Toubillon PLM. Which one is next? RG, WG, PT with bracelet, Steel ...

Oliver

And many thanks Gary for these beautiful shots of a rare to catch in the wild beauty!

In appreciation especially of the Pt version!

Tschuss

Stephen

I am sure you know this one too and for all who missed that post from SJX: type 36 mm PLM in Forum search and click images.

That is the most desirable one, imho.

On a side note: I also would be "much" happier with a Handwerkskunst .

 

Many thanks for the lovely pictures.

Moritz

... is that a recently polished YG watch looks VASTLY different from one that has been allowed to develop a patina over the years. A few weeks ago, I saw two YG Lange deployant buckles sitting side by side. One had been recently polished, while the other (about 10 years old) had never been polished. They looked like two completely different metals. The older one had a much deeper yellow/green/orange hue. It was unmistakably YELLOW. The newer one looked similar to newly polished rose gold or honey gold -- its hue was much lighter -- and you might have to look twice just to reassure yourself that it's really YG (vs. RG, etc.). I could be wrong, but the YG PLM Tourbillon in your photo looks like it has been allowed to age gracefully without being polished -- at least, the caseback photo appears that way (deep, rich yellow/orange/green) to me.

For me, this choice -- YG vs. PT Tourbillon PLM -- is a total crapshoot. It reminds me of the Emil Lange 1815 Moonphase "RG vs. PT" choice. With the 1815 Moonphase models, one day PT looks best, while another day RG looks best. It's about as arbitrary as it can get, and in the end, it's just really gratifying to have SOMETHING!

I think the PLM Tourbillon looks beautiful in both PT and YG, but you're making me choose (grrrrr) .... So in that case, I'd give a VERY slight edge to YG. That's because (1) the overall style of the PLM Tourbillon is reminiscent of a pocketwatch, and to me, a proper pocketwatch is YG (not white metal); and (2) YG was Walter Lange's choice, so YG feels more historically important or accurate (or at least more historic, if that makes sense). I feel the same way about the 1815 series in general -- the older versions, as well as the newly released/updated 1815 Up/Down -- that YG has a slight edge over white metal.

[BTW, I think the nicest PT variation that I saw had the salmon-colored dial. I believe that was a unique piece, though. I'd love to see that salmon-colored dial piece in person someday!]

Bottom line for me is that this particular model looks phenomenal in either PT or YG.

Thanks for the great post and pics, too -- both owners are fortunate to have scored these keepers!

The patina on this particular YG piece is fantastic -- the owner is thinking of having it serviced, but perhaps leaving the case alone.  Personally I love the look of this more "aged" YG.

... to indicate in MANY places that he doesn't want anyone to touch/polish the case! I'd even put (removable) tape on the dial and/or caseback saying "DO NOT POLISH CASE" when sending it in. Trust me, writing "please do not polish the case" somewhere on an instruction sheet isn't always memorable enough:  Once upon a time, a beautiful, deep orange Lange 1A was polished during servicing despite instructions to the contrary. I still patiently await the day when it looks like the setting sun once again. It's slowly happening, though!

I always thought the YG would be the one but with those pictures I lean towards to PT too. Slim chance either way for me!

Greetings once again!  The owner of the YG PLM asked whether I might give equal time by posting a few more images of that piece, and I am of course happy to do so...

Next, more of a standard "beauty" shot using a white background -- managed to pick up the way the light plays on the grooved subdials:

Finally, a shot more in my traditional style -- tighter crop, radical viewing angle, relatively high contrast:

Please click through to see these in larger (and somewhat clearer) form -- it is frustrating that what looks crystal clear as a 20 to 30 MB file on my computer loses a fair amount of clarity and sharpness in the process of uploading...

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...that both of these are treated with AR.  I can't say with certainty, but my experience of Lange watches is that they do have AR (often on both the interior and exterior of the crystal, if I understand correctly) and it does help when doing photography!

One of the best parts of photographing your friends' watches is that if you have very, very good friends (which I do!) they will allow you to put on the watches -- or more often, encourage you to wear them for a while!

Even the completely gratuitous "hey, look at me, I'm wearing two PLM Tourbillons!" shot turned out well:

That's it!  Many thanks once again to the two Gentleman PuristS who were kind enough to lend me these gorgeous pieces for some photographic fun.  No watches were harmed in the making of this post -- unless the owner of the YG PLM has dropped my DS (which I gave him to wear for the week) in the interim!

a simple P&S can produce remarkably good photos with good lighting. That last photo takes the cake!

Thanks for sharing these Gary.

Cheers

Fernando

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It's always a pleasure to the eyes to see your photographs

That I can only satisfy due to the generosity of my collector friends in lending me these splendid pieces!