Hausmann is not a mere watch dealer in Rome: it is an institution founded at the end of the 18th century. One of my pleasures when I'm in the Eternal City is to visit one of the Hausmann boutiques and it depends on my mood. To feel the roots of the Hausmann company, I visit the Via del Corso boutique. When I want to be very close to the luxury fashion boutiques, I visit the Via dei Condotti one. And when my aim is to discover the new ambition of the dealer, I visit the new boutique located via del Babuino.
Actually, I had an idea in my mind: to take advantage of my visit to put some Lange watches on the wrist. Because I was a very bad boy: I traveled to Rome without any of my Lange watches. Honestly, I don't know why and it is something I used to do ten years ago. Then, I started to make my stays in Rome longer during the summer and I preferred to wear more "all-around" watches. Maybe next year, it will be the come-back in Rome of one Lange watch of my collection. I need to take fresh pics with the beautiful scenery of the city!
I knew that with Hausmann, I would be in the position to see a large range of the current collection without forgetting the possible surprise to see some pieces out of the catalogue. Because I remember that several years ago, maybe in 2012, I could see an Arkade and a Grand Arkade at the Corso Boutique.
This year, the appointment took place at the Condotti boutique. This boutique has a quite discreet entrance since you need to take a lift to discover all the displays and the numerous brands available. Window shopping is not enough in this case!
My wish was to see several key pieces of the current collection in order to get a good overview of the catalogue. So please find below the pictures I took during my visit. All these watches are well known and I already wrote about them a lot of articles. But it is always good to have such wrap-up!
I have to be frank with you. When there is a
Double-Split in a boutique, I never forget to ask to see it... and to put it on my wrist!
I don't need to give you the reasons why... the Double-Split is for me the ultimate handwind chronograph. It is powerful and delicate at the same time. Powerful due to its size, weight and thickness. Delicate due to its incredible movement and the feeling of depth it causes.
My regret about this piece is that it is available only in PG now. I believe it is a good news for the happy owners of the platinum version!
I didn't start the chronograph so the two rattrapante hands (minutes and seconds) are hidden by the chronograph hands.
The awesome beauty of the Double-Split movement. I remind you that since it is a rattrapante movement, its frequency is 3hz and not 2,5hz like with the other Lange chronographs. I could spend the full afternoon watching it despite the appealing activities of Rome outside the boutique!
The beauty on the wrist:
It is not easy to choose another watch just after the Double-Split. So I decided to use the soft-landing method with the
Datograph up&down.
Do you notice that the design of the power reserve is different from the Double-Split one?
I also appreciated that the date was on the 29th... like my anniversary I celebrated a few days later.
Aesthetically speaking, I still prefer the original Datograph and I miss the roman numerals. But what a successful way to enlarge the watch. The overall balance is preserved, even the date window is bigger and we find again the perfect triangle created by the window and the two subdials.
The Datograph movement is obviously a visual masterpiece.
The Datograph up & down on the wrist. Due to its enlarged size (41mm vs 39mm), it offers a more slender style than the original piece.
This WG
Langematik Perpetual with black dial is one of the nicest perpetual calendar watches of the high end segment.
The black dial creates a new atmosphere for this watch and works very well with the blue disk of the moonphase display. I love this very refined design.
The focus is put on the large date what is a good news. After all, the date is the key display for a perpetual calendar! To be honest, I have never found the other displays very legible (except the moonphase) but I don't really care. They are here to display the right date!
The watch is powered by the Sax-O-Mat movement only available in the current collection with the calendar watches (Langematik Perpetual and Saxonia Annual Calendar) what is a pity.
This Langematik Perpetual is a true beauty... and it was difficult for me to give it back!
You recognize the movement of the new Grand Lange One... but which watch are we talking about?
It is the
Grand Lange One Moonphase with its impressive disk located inside the time display.
I tend to prefer the classic lay-out of the Lange One Moonphase which is for me a bit more balanced.
But on the other hand, this one is quite original.
I respect a lot the simple Saxonia watches and they respect the Lange quality despite their role of entry-level watches. But I still believe that the
1815 is the best way to enter the Lange collection. This watch has more character due to its typical dial. I love the peripheral railroad, the subtle indexes and the arabic numerals.
The lovely movement of the 1815 offers a power reserve of 55 hours which is a bit larger than the movement of the handwind Saxonia and of the former 1815, the caliber L941.1 (45 hours).
The perfect balance of the 1815 on the wrist. I know that some are not happy with the 6-eater but as an 1815 owner, I have never been disturbed by it!
The
Zeitwerk is mandatory in this selection. It gathers all what I love at Lange: a superb movement, a strong and solid watchmaking content and a flawless design.
We can't imagine the impact of this watch on Lange during these last years. It really brought a new dynamic to the brand and it is maybe currently its last icon.
The movement is beautiful but its main interest is the control of the huge energy it delivers. The minutes and hours jump but it offers a constant behaviour. We don't have to forget that this watch finds its roots in the Lange 31 days in the way the later helped a lot the Lange team to improve the constant force approach.
The WG Zeitwerk on the wrist. I don't have any doubt. This version is my fav one.
And here comes the surprise. Hausmann had two Langematik available! And for my deepest pleasure, they were a
Grand and a "classic" Langematik!
It is very easy to recognize the Grand Langematik with the typical indexes which are not located at the same position on the upper or lower parts of the dial.
The lovely and charming Sax-O-Mat movement powers both watches.
This is my main question mark about the current Lange catalogue: why Lange doesn't use anymore the Sax-O-Mat movement in simple watches? I can understand the arguments, the need to increase the power reserve etc... but the Lange catalogue NEEDS a simple watch with the Sax-o-Mat which is a symbol of the ability of the manufacture to develop great movements.
The Grand Langematik in platinum on my wrist. It features a 40mm case:
The "classic" Langematik has a 37mm case. I like its large 12 and I find it very elegant in YG.
The caliber name is proudly displayed on the dial. We don't have to forget that this caliber has the zero-resert function. Pull the crown and the second hand automatically goes to zero.
These 2 watches remind me another period of the Lange contemporary history. We may find them more attractive than the current models... or not... but there is something which never changes: the quality of the execution. I can feel it in the 1815 or in the Double-Split. This homogeneous care to details is the biggest asset of the Lange manufacture.
I would like to thank a lot the Hausmann staff for the warm welcome and the team of Lange Italy.
Fx
This message has been edited by foversta on 2016-08-21 01:51:34
