A. Lange & Söhne

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While last year was incredible, and these year is admittedly much less so, it's still amazing to think that a company that only produces 4,000 - 5,000 watches per year can come up with much at all.  For a relatively small company, I think they have done very well with their innovation over the years.  Just my opinion.

Debethune makes 200 watches a year and.......always amazing!

Not our fault if Lange position itself at the top of the industry...hard to keep up there I think...

Mo

I am not disappointed....

I rather see the glass half full...

No interesting new models, banker happy or divert to so ethnic else...



Cheers

I thought a new Zw will change my mind...but my target is even more in focus now......I am happy like that,,,

Mo

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It is not easy to maintain good performance for 20 years or so.

On a different note, Lange gives you breathing space to recoup your resources.

Regards

Ling

I still wish there will be a WG Zeitwerk Luminous for us who aren't the lucky 100. Maybe I'll look for a dato instead.

Best
Tyler

the luminous.....There must e 1 or 2 knocking about somewere.......my ultimate Lange.

Mo

Mo, I think our expectations are too high, considering last year was the 165th anniversary year and they launched some interesting pieces last year. All I need is one piece that I like from Lange and I think I found 1.5 pieces that I like.

This year, the Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour Le Merite is definitely interesting, however, my favorite is still the Richard Lange Pour Le Merite. I did find it gimmicky at first, but now I find it to be "fantastic" but not the normal definition of fantastic, the "of fantasy" definition of fantastic.

I completely agree with you, the new Saxonia line is not particularly inspiring, and personally, I like the 1815 more. I also agree with you that the Lange 1 Automatic is a bit of a surprise.

The Sonnerie Zeitwerk in my opinion is actually pretty interesting. It is my favorite of this show. I am very curious to see it in person and to hear it as well. What confuses me is the press release doesn't mention explicitly if it is a grand sonnerie or a petit sonnerie. This is confusing to say the least. However, I will say it is indeed a very interesting piece that I am very keen to know more about!

Overall, I'm quite pleased with Lange's new offerings this year. Besides, I'm still waiting to see the watches from last year's offerings... So my mind isn't off those yet.

in adding a striker to the Zeitwerk. The famous clock in the Semper Opera House, and source of inspiration for the Lange calendar and now the Zw, was installed for the express purpose of showing the time during a performance without it being disturbed by repeaters or whatever else in the hands and pockets of the audience sounding off. Think of what a bunch of "sonnerie en passantes" more or less synchronized would do!

The modern-day equivalent is the cell phone. This is the worst thing that can happen at a snooker match except for a camera flash direct in the eyeball.

amerix

I like the evolution of the ZW as it was clear that this will be a new line and not only a one off.

Also: we always speculated that there will be a acustic Lange with a special mechanism: there it is!

And as mentioned: the price tag for an instantly changing watch with an accustic signal is "fair".

 

Have to see it in metal though as I am not sure about the size.

 

Regards

 

Moritz

This message has been edited by COUNT DE MONET on 2011-01-20 05:23:13

My nerves are getting jangled.

Regards,

amerix
This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 06:21:08

What is the connection between Lange, Vianney Halter and Dufour?

Could not find anything about that.

Regards

De Moooonet

but the sound quality from the videos on Internet ???

Ah - the connections!

Vianney was sponsored and taken under the wing of Philippe Dufour for his admission into the AHCI. Philippe has also called him "a very great artist", which he also (!!!) is, besides being one of the greatest masters of watchmaking today.

Ph. Dufour became disenchanted with PP and others because they "cut corners" and therefore diluted their own quality standards - in the world of wine there is this great German word: Gepanscht! - - - and for a whisky lover such as myself - "blended", very close to "blinded" if you drink methanol or stuff concocted from potato peelings or newspaper clippings.

Dufour bought a watch for the first time of his life: a Datograph Perpetual with his own choice of dial face - and what he could personally afford.

ALS at the time under the direction of Fabian Krone, whom we all know or even greatly miss, stated that a grand aspiration of theirs was to near with factory methods as closely as possible the finishing of a Philippe Dufour.

However, it is not all about finishing.

Without divulging too much, Vianney was recently approached by ALS for materials about the EOT, the Equation of Time - for material that could be used for their own instructional purposes. One of their apprentices, a young guy of 20, won an internal prize for his interpretation of the EOT! Vianney's own interpretation, based on a classic clock by Antide Janvier, will be soon in my hands - and on my wrist.

Vianney will be actually be dropping by to my place Saturday (Übermorgen), so if there is anything you would like to ask him?

However we are personal friends, and so goodbye to the rest of the world - who needs it anyway, except to keep on living - for watches?

Best regards to you, Moritz, and remember "for whom the bell tolls" - it has to sound good!

Amery
This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:27:41 This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:32:20 This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:32:54 This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:33:58 This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:43:02 This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:47:38 This message has been edited by amerix on 2011-01-20 10:50:11

and lock me in the broom closet, I would want to hear a complete Grande & Petite Sonnerie - until the oxygen runs out.



amerix - who else?

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Many, many thanks for the infos about ALS, Dufour and Halter!

It is always great to learn about Halter and Dufour.

I found a connection in Dufour's and Halter's fate:

Both in theire early years had to raise fundings and worked also for Audemars Piguet.

Dufour build an exclusive pocket watch Grande and Petite Sonnerie Rep. Minutes for AP under theire name on the dial, without any mentioning of himself! A painful experience, I can imagine.

Halter did a piece unique for AP, and here it comes: a EOT based on an old Zenith pocket watch with an pp calendar, EOT, sunrise and sunset display,

moonphase and power reserve.

The clue is: AP has got the Jules Audermas EOT in theire line up and I wonder if this was a creation of Halter!

BTW: that AP is one of the most interesting ones, IMHO and a great, great watch to own!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My question is therefore to Halter: Is this his creation??? If the answer is to be kept secret, than PM me the answer, PLEASE!

I would love to know this!!!

Second one to Halter: Did he know or even considered the Antigua's look in the rotating winder, when he designed her?
                                       Did he knew it will look like this?

I can not tell you how much I anticipate now your response!!!

And what a coincidence that AP's ETO is one of my favorites and possibly linked to Halter.


I am lost for words to quote from a German poet or any other great bonmot, as I am really excited to ask both questions.

Hochachtungsvoll

Moritz

Not a Datograph Perpetual. He also say something like he wasn't ready to pay for it in platinum so he opt for rose gold instead but with black dial. I think Lange specially make one for Mr. Dufour as the black dial is only reserve for Platinum.

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What do you/we prefer?

To unable the hour gongs only or the quarter gongs only is to ask for a bit too much, IMO, haha! Me, i just wish the Striking Time was 2mm smaller. Then it would be the perfect discrete companion to contemplate the passing of Time.

Honestly, i am scared somehow when i read certain comments here and elsewhere asking for innovation all the time... Come on! We all love Lange for one thing: its PERFECTION. Other prestigious brands feel the urge to come with something revolutionalry each year and they end up loosing their roots and their classicism. The effort and investment needed to develop a new movement and a new model is huge at this level of quality. It must be very very very well thought of. Diverting the efforts towards more and more NOVELTY all the time would be extremely dangerous for the Brand. So we Lange lovers and collectors let's not put too much pressure on the guys... PLEASE.

I much prefer to be able to pick on the existing models trusting that i will always find the BEST quality in the entire world (as i have so far...) rather than hope for revolutionary innovations all the time. Some innovations that are truly unique like the PLM fusee & chain system are fascinating and wonderful because they are classic and NOT FLASHY, but others look too much daringly oriented towards catching newer segments of the public, and that, honestly, SCARES ME TO DEATH.

We don't need another Zenith, or Blancpain, or even Patek...

Lange should remain "Innovation within Tradition". Full stop. More so than the other way around (the "Tradition of Innovation").

I really hope they don't loose this track, which is what most of the other great brands have been doing lately. Examples come to the mind by the dozens. I have abandonned those brands and refugiated in Glashütte hoping to be able to stay there safely protected against the fashion winds, and free to enjoy truly "TIMELESS timepieces" and pass them to the next generation (not a Patek idea, an enduring reality)...

BW,

Fred