A. Lange & Söhne

Hello all,

I have been following the activity here daily for more than three years now; usually quiet but occasionally posting. My passion for Lange has grown more and more over the past few years as I've heard the differing tastes each Purist, and developed my own personal repertoire of favourites. Over the past months, I've decided the time is right to make my first move..

A major question I had been facing was, what will be my own first foray into the Lange universe?

This question poses such a dilemma as I know it will not be my only Lange (not by a long shot), but will be my only for the next couple years. I had initially thought a RL in RG or PT would be the right move, however after wearing it in the AD on separate occasions I do not think it is appropriate to act as my only Lange for now. The RL to me is a great complementary piece which can accompany another, but as a standalone I might regret it as my first.

I have decided my first should be the iconic Lange 1. The question now is, which reference?

I am drawn most strongly to the 101.033 (RG/Anthracite) and the 101.025 (Stealth). These two Langes are quite different in feel and evoke differing emotions due to the stark difference in Rosegold and Platinum casing. It was Blunottes love of platinum, and AllThingsWatches beautiful photos of his RG TZ and Saxonia that pulled me to these models initially.

Many people post questions regarding This or That, and the common response is 'go with what feels right'.. but I would like honest personal opinions! Is the Stealth too somber? Is the RG too eye catching? Which has the staying power?

If these wonderful Lange 1's were in front of you on a table, which would you prefer (removing the premium price of platinum)? Also, is there another reference in the Lange 1 family you feel strongly about that I should consider?

I appreciate all opinions, it is the strong community here which keeps me coming back every morning.

Best,

Colton

A strong personality, with elegance.

That would be my choice, without any hesitation.

Best,

Nicolas

Hello Nicolas,

I have considered the Pt/black dial L1 and find it very attractive both in appearance and appropriateness in office/casual setting. My only drawback on this piece would be its spot in my collection and my plan to add a Dato in the future. I feel there is enough variety in the Lange 1 family to have something which does not share the Pt/black dial of the dato.

Still though, you have me reconsidering this idea.. which is exactly the reasoning behind my post; to gain new perspective on this choice.

Thank you for your insight,

Colton

And you will have a killing black trio.

There is one big difference between the Dato and the Lange One, which justifies getting them both ( even with the black dial ) : The movement.

The movement is my main criteria, when it comes to Lange ( and Patek, too, by the way ) : One watch, one movement.

Best,

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2013-06-03 21:54:17

With Lange, each individual watch is unique.. every movement hand assembled twice and finished to perfection.

The black is quite appealing I agree, and your perspective is very welcomed. I wish I could appreciate other brands more as you do with JLC, Lange and Patek; however I have been captivated by Lange since the beginning.

Best,

Colton

Looking for my first. Personally, I think you should stick with your initial feelings and go with the RL, or even a RG Saxonia Thin that is pure elegance. 

My AD has yet to have a Saxonia Thin in stock, I have only seen it in pictures before. I like the simplicity of the Saxonia, however I find the dial to be almost too empty.
The dato is undoubtedly high on my list, however I plan to make the purchase of that watch coincide with a major life milestone... to me, a Lange is forever and the purchase itself of each piece will be uniquely memorable.

I will have to revisit the RL, the secretive complexity is a big draw indeed.

Best, and good luck on your search as well

Colton

At the office - Stealth.
Off-time - RG/Anthracite.

...meaning, which situation do you spend more time, is the question.  To me personally, anyway.

Good hunting!

Ken

Hello Ken,

You make a good point; I am in the office more than anything.. in that sense the Stealth would be the best option. I wear mainly a Reverso GMT, vintage Calatrava and Speedmaster while working, so was hoping the Lange 1 could serve as both office and casual.

I guess the next question, is which of the two Langes is versatile enough to play both scenarios?

I appreciate your comments,

Colton

.. in financial sector, no customer like "color" watches.  You don't want to let the customers' eyes glued to your wrist.  So, go for Stealth in such case.
If you work for more luxury type (don't know exactly), then RG case MAY be okay.  I wouldn't trust doctors/ lawyers/ accountants with PG/YG/RG watches, personally.  If you are the founder and the owner of the company, then you MAY be entitled to wear such "fancy looking" watch.

It depends on what type of people you deal with most - internal and external.

Ken

Is public sector accounting/finance, dealing primarily with internal groups (consulting). I have tried to be cognizant in the past about wearing appropriate watches, and I wouldn't want to raise any eyebrows.

This would also lead towards the Stealth. This is something I had not considered before, but an important factor.

Best,

Colton

Guten tag Colton,

It is very pleasing for me to hear that you are taking the step into purchasing your very 1st Lange! Congratulations!

Well, i would have preferred that you go ahead with the RL, as per originally planned. I do not find that it is as you put it to  be a "complimentary" piece, but in many ways it can and should be the CENTERPIECE of your collection. Remember that the RL's beauty is truly on the inside, and only those who can appreciate what it stands for will drop their jaws at it. It may look simple, but far from it. Dont forget that it is virtually one of Lange's MOST Chronometrically correct timepiece. And this is VERY IMPORTANT for me. If you need more detailings on this i'll be more than glad to have a PM session with you.

But, with your choices of the L1, without a doubt, the Darth for me. Even though it does NOT fit my size requirement.

You should take your time to consider this, as it is a very emotional and important decision. YOUR FIRST Lange mein Freund!

I hope that i may tempt you more into this world of the world's BEST watch manufacturer

Tschuss and just remember, you will NEVER go wrong with whatever model you end up with, JUST follow your heart's calling!

Stephen

 P.S. Apologies i do not have even a shot of the Twirling Meister on this HD!

 

The Court Jester

The Perpetual Timekeeper

The messenger

AND OF COURSE, THE KING!

Guten Abend Mein Freund. Ich hoffe, Sie sind gut

I appreciate your kind words, too many sleepless nights spent thinking of the masterpieces being crafted in that beautiful saxon town and mornings spent drooling over the beautiful pictures posted here... enough time has passed and I'm ready to join the club.

I do not disagree that a Pt RL is indeed deserving to be the centerpiece of my collection; however is it right to begin my Lange purchases with it? Would I get as much daily joy of watching the majestic sweeping seconds of the RL as I would observing the perfect harmony of the Lange 1? Such a tough question to answer..

The main reason I was so drawn to the RL initially (and still am) is because of the inner complexity that is known only to a select few. On this point I could not agree more.

Another point for the Darth L1 as well, I may have to go back and reconsider my choices again.

Your opinion means a lot to me Stephen, I would appreciate some additional technical details regarding the RL if you do have the time for a PM in the next few weeks. My understanding of it is limited to what has been posted here, as well as conversations at my AD.

Wonderful pictures as always, the King can never be overtaken; although the twirling meister is certainly a site to behold when it makes an appearance

I look forward to speaking with you soon,

Colton

Guten abend!

I can totally relate to the feeling, as i had such feelings too back in the days when i was yet to acquire my very 1st Lange! If you'are asking me, i would biasly say that what mistake can there be in order to not justify the RL as your very 1st masterpiece from our most beloved Saxon Master watch marque? NOTHING! You should go with it with alll your passionate zeal the way i did when i acquired it as my 2nd. And it's not because i did not want it as a 1st, it simply didnt existed back then when i was introduced to the world of Lange!

 

I will try to PM you as soon as i can, in the next 2 weeks i will be travelling though, and sometimes email access may be hard to get. For a starter, i wonder if you read my long post on the review of the RL that i reposted about a month or so ago? If not, i will try to PM you that post 1st, and do read it carefully. It is long, so be warned! BUT if you do take the patience and time to read through it all at least once, then i'm sure we can start off from there, although many people have often told me that that is the start, and the end for them!

 

I wish you all the best, and do hope that you acquire the piece that I personally hope you WILL get!

Tschuss

Stephen

P.S. As the post is very long, i am not sure if the PM system will accept it, just in case though would you mind telling me your email add via PM so that i can email it to you as well? Danke!

Leben ist gud mein fruend (my Rosetta Stone teachings are working!)

I have indeed read that lengthy post from a little while ago, however I will revisit it later today when I have some time.

I appreciate your time, and I look forward to speaking with you soon. All the best on your travels, and no worries if you have trouble connecting to email.

Best,

Colton

I have loved it the first time I tried it 4 years ago and the love seems to grow with time passing unfortunately it is not in my collection...yet

Cheers

Francois

 

My AD has never had one in stock unfortunately, although I have seen pictures of them here more than once.. the moonphase is beautiful and so expertly done.

It has been a few years since the Lange 1 MP has seen an update.. would you be tempted to make a move if the new Grande Lange 1 received the MP complication?

Best,

Colton

Cheers
Francois

Silver or slate dial, it is a superb watch, the colour of the case material enhances its beauty.

Good luck for your choice and listen to your heart, only your heart.

Fx

is a very conflicted muscle at the moment, Lange overload it seems.

I appreciate your words Fx, your insight into the Lange world is a very valued view to me. (apologies for the poor alliteration haha)

From the responses I've received, I have decided that there is no clear answer as of yet. Rather than make a hasty decision I will continue researching and speaking with owners. i need a visit to a larger AD to get more than one or two on my wrist.

The right Lange will emerge, and it will be a great day when I finally take ownership.

Best,

Colton

I went with the WG silver dial - reason - representative of Saxon/German styling

Thank you for all the opinions and insight, I have taken all views into consideration and greatly appreciate the feedback from owners and future owners (like myself )

I will post any updates as they occur, hopefully some nice wristshots as well.

Best,

Colton

I am a huge fun of L1s and own 3 of them.
WG blue dial
PT silver dial
RG moonphase.
Additionally I also like WG grey dial and Pt black dial but cannot justify owning them considering what I already have.
While everyone's favorite seems to be the Darth I didn't like it more than my blue dial when comparing 1-to-1.
The one that I am still considering but haven't made my mind yet is 38.5mm Luminous. It is very interesting, although I see both pros and cons of having it within my particular little collection.
Anyway, they are all fantastic watches you can't go wrong, I would just be definitely sticking to the 38.5mm size.
SM

From what i gather, the OP ended up getting the Pt black face "Darth" and what they thought might be a steel L1 (but was instead a white gold with blued hands).
I prefer (and own) stealth > darth. Maybe i'm weird, but i can't bring myself to own more than one watch in the L1 family. (If i did, i would have likely followed your lead with stealth + RG moonphase). I'm curious if you own anything else in the AL&S family other than your 3 L1 variants? And if others are like me in leaning towards not owning multiple L1s.

I don't see what else to buy... I find other model lines to be either too big or too small for me. 1815 Chronos are fantastic but having it AND my Dato doesn't make sense to me. If only Zeitwerk was 39mm that would be an absolute steal!
At the same time, otiginal L1 38.5mm, I believe, is just perfect from every angle and the only thing I would ask from it is a more open movement.

large on the wrist, and you are not sure about the L1, then perhaps a Lange perpetual or RL jumping second?

Ultimately, I chose the OG perpetual to match my OG Dato.

i also added langematik perpetual. hoping for next year they might revert back to <=40mm sizes for dato and others.

My first Lange back in 2008 or 2009 was the stealth with a moon... (and I still have it!)



Tony

The RG/anthracite would be my pick. It's a striking combination, and I first noticed it with the Lange 1 Timezone in this combination. But really all Lange models with RG/anthracite are amazing and striking. No one at work will care what you wear, get what you think looks the best.