A. Lange & Söhne

Hi all,

For those of you who have seen my thread in the HoMe forum, I was deciding between a Lange 1 Moonphase in Rose Gold vs a Patek 5146.. Eventually after some consideration I decided on the Lange 1, but unfortunately my AD has not brought in stock for quite some time, and I have yet to see that exact watch in the metal. Only have seen the piece in platinum before..

While awaiting it to arrive though I have been tempted by pictures of the 1815 Chrono.. Slightly more expensive (OK, maybe not exactly slightly) and also a little bit of overlap with the collection as I have a white dial IWC Portuguese and a Patek Calatrava 5119 which arguably look a little similar from a distance, but it just looks so wondrous in some of the wristshots I've seen.. Unfortunately my AD hasn't had a piece for me to try on either..

Wonder what are the purists' thoughts then, about these 2 pieces.. The iconic Lange 1 with a playfully added moonphase complication, or the more sporty yet still versatile 1815 Chrono?

Appreciate your thoughts!

Have a good weekend and happy hols!

The movement of the 1815 chrono is virtually unparalleled perhaps only rivalled by the Patek 5070. It is basically the Datograph without the date and is extremely good value for money relatively to the Datograph and Patek. However, it is quite a heavy watch which may not suit some people. I had mine for 3 weeks and sold it as the weight really bothered me. I have since opted for the new 1815 up and down, a different proposition altogether but a more wearable watch.

The Lange 1 moonphase is a nice watch if you must have a Lange 1 but if the accuracy of the moonphase is important, please note that the moonphase is accurate to one day every 122 years compared to the 1815 limited edition moonphases (both Emil Lange and the more recent honey gold version) which are accurate to one day every 1,058 years ie 9 times more accurate than the Lange 1 moonphase. Arguably, it would be difficult to tell the difference and if accuracy was that important, then, the Christian Van de Klaaw moonphase watches are among the most accurate.

I love Pateks but Lange's finishing is arguably second to none among the big brands. The 1815 chrono has such a beautiful movement that no one would hold it against you if you wore the watch on its reverse side!

Good luck with your purchase!

Sham

.. for your response!

I am for Lange 1, but not MP and regular Lange 1.  That would be the nice addition and "must have"....  1815 Chrono movement is of course one of, if not THE, best chrono movement out there today, and if you love it, then go for it.  Lange 1 MP dial seems a bit "empty" and "plain" to me and the lumi hands don't appeal to me......
Up to you, my friend.  Try it on your wrist and which one speaks to you......?

Best,
Ken

.. Ken for your response..

.. Lange 1 is a simple 3 hands + PR watch which can be with simple dial, while L1 MP has MP and that "accent" put the emphasis on the emptiness of the rest of the plain dial....  you know what I am getting at?  The same goes to (to me anyway) RL Tourbillon PLM....   but that's another story....

Ken

sooner.  between your choices, I would choose the 1815 chorono. aesthetically its beautiful, movemnt wise its the best. and have you seen the ,movement? you can wear it upside down and people wont look at you funny but with awe.

The movement is really an astounding work of art. Took my breath away. I love the wearability of the 1815 chrono too.. However can't help feeling that the subdials are a little too low on the dial, understandably because it's using the datograph's movement.. Also from a distance it -slightly- resembles my IWC portuguese with the blued hands, whitish-silver dial and 2 subdials...

I would go for the 1815 Chrono. As already mentioned here, the difference between the Datograph and the 1815 Chrono is the big date. Both come with 60 hour power reserves. Considering the amount of work they put into the movement, it's good value for money in my book.