A. Lange & Söhne

Hi everyone. Thanks for the wonderful info and photos over the last few months. (Hope nobody minds that I also posted this on TimeZone.)

As a huge fan of the 1815 series, I'm considering buying one of the (very few) 1815 Automatiks that occasionally come on the market (303.021, 303.025, 303.032), made from 2004-2008. 

I'm only very familiar with more recent Langes. Besides the smaller case sizes, what's different between then and now? Are there any surprises, gotchas, or things to watch out for when buying one from that period? And why did Lange make so few of these? 

Thanks in advance for any help.

Not that I criticize the newer Lange, but that I just feel "more Lange-ish" from the older, smaller ones. When serviced, it will be as good or sometimes better than the "modern" Lange in terms of accuracy, reliability, and aesthetic department. Just my 2 yen humble opinion and I am sure lots will disagree

Good hunting!
Ken

I hope all is well.
Tony

Hope all is well with you, too!
Ken

Let me know next time you visit NYC again.
Tony

With an 1815 automatic and he has no problems with the watch for years now.

Langes of those years are imho very charming in their small cases. Some of them have become increasingly collectible as they get more difficult to hunt

Good luck and keep us updated!

Cheers
Robin

The 1815 Saxomat is a beautiful watch, only a very few were made and it took me a long time to find one to add in my 1815 collection.

If you can get it, don't hesitate for one minute.

First, I think that the "3/4 gold rotor" and it's relief engraving is a work of art. That's the best part over the full automatic rotors on entry level modern Lange watches like the Saxonia automatic or moonphase.

However, something feels missing. Perhaps I'm biased, but the movement itself doesn't feel very "Lange"-like. It appears as if it's a more utilitarian movement than a crafted ornament or jewelry that you feel from most Lange watches.

Take for instance, the rotor plate in the photo here. It is much more plain and feels more machine-made than the more organic feeling top plates from eg 3/4 plates, or the Lange 1 plates. The plates for these sax-o-mats are very geometrically simple and have large haphazard gaps in them, which feels more utilitarian and industrial. This is further accentuated by the visible winding gears cutout under the rotor, with some of them peeking through the tiny edges. The tiny triangular plate on the left side which encompass the bridge surrounding the rotor and drops under the rotor is clearly a very geometrically angular CNC made part. Also, we have no screwed gold chatons on this movement understandably as the rotor takes up all the space, but I believe is an iconic charm of Lange watches (despite being purely aesthetic and nonfunctional chatons). In this movement, we only have direct pressed in chatons mixed with pure friction fit rubies into the rotor plate.

EDIT: ALL that being said, I'll honestly take this anyday over newer say, a Saxonia automatic with the full "gold plated" rotor..

Regards,
skyeriding This message has been edited by skyeriding on 2016-05-02 03:26:18

Thanks, all very fair points, and some that I hadn't noticed.

...if that is your thing. My old Lange Moonphase in YG 

...by Lange (or Alkis) for a relatively reasonable price?
How does platinum patina over time? The color is fairly stable, right? This message has been edited by bluehands on 2016-05-02 08:01:42

Having AR-coated crystals (at least on the dial side) makes a huge positive difference on any Lange.


Personally, I haven't noticed any significant changes in Lange's dial colors. I'm not saying they don't change a bit over time -- just that I never noticed any changes. Also keep in mind that Lange orders dials in batches, and one batch may be slightly different from the next.


Platinum can get a bit dull, but a polishing cloth can shine it up as long as it's not scratched or dented. Also keep in mind that Alkis/Lange can make any case look like new if/when you should ever want Lange to do that. This message has been edited by CR on 2016-05-02 17:13:46

The 1815 Automatik is a beautiful watch. No doubt.

It gives the opportunity to enjoy the Sax-o-Mat caliber.

But for me, there is a little problem: I consider the 1815 as a handwind watch... don't ask me why but I prefer to see this caliber with a Langematik...

Anyway... it remains a great watch as I said.

Its 37mm size makes me very elegant on the wrist.

Fx

At 37mm the size is just big enough. Moving from 37mm to 36mm makes a big difference in my opinion so I think going with an automatic version from that time period is key. For a dress watch I always felt 40mm was a little to big unless you have a big wrist. I know Lange reduced the 1815's case down to 38.5 which is a better size (maybe the perfect size) but the fact that you get a movement only found now within Lange's higher end pieces is a huge plus if you buy one of the older 1815's. I like looking at the 3/4 sax-o-mat movement just as much as the Dato movement believe it or not. The platinum 1815 sax-o-mat is a stunning watch, good luck with your decision. Let us know how it turns out.

Tony

This message has been edited by TonyR on 2016-05-03 12:30:03

The 40 mm 1815 is a bit too big for me. The newer 38.5 version is a better size, but only comes in gold... This one is in platinum! Nothing like the weight of a platinum watch on the wrist. The inclusion of the wonderful Sax-0-mat movement is icing on the cake.