A. Lange & Söhne

Hi guys. I need a bit of help concerning my next purchase. 

I have had a PP5396R and I personally prefer its dial to both PP5205 and PP5146, why? Well in my opinion the dial of the 5146 is not well balanced, the subdials at 9 something and 2 something are too close to the centre and the little date at 6 is odd....that is my own opinion, I like the hands and case though. On the 5205 I find the dauphine hands (which I generally don't care much for anyway)  are not in proportion with the rest of the dial, too big or fat or something, also I don't like the position of the moon/24h dial. Ok, now, as said I HAD a PP5396 which I traded for a Lange & Sohne Datograph, so now I am biased but to me as an AC the Lange is far nicer, the dial is so clean, easy to read, well proportioned, open, the shape of the blued hand, the big date etc. So, for me there wouldn't be a second of hesitation if I were to go for an AC between these 3, as one says, y a pas photo! I'll go for Lange!!

Cheers. Francois

 

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and never will. The Saxonia Annual Calendar is nice - nothing more, nothing less. I just miss some spice and it leaves me cold at the end.

The PP 5205G with grey dial sings loud to me. I liked it from the first day when it was introduced in 2010 and not only because of the very special lugs ...





Don´t have a wrist shot, but when I tried it the first time I was more than tempted

Would recommend to try the version with grey dial, before taking further decisions.

Oliver

Saw the grey one. Personally, I think it's more legible than the dark dial version. It's a tough but the Lange has the stronger pull factor for me at the moment. I need more time to ponder.

Regards,

iAn
This message has been edited by ianny on 2012-12-02 09:23:54

The Pateks are a bit simpler in construction: only wheels based.

The Lange uses also bars or pins in theire movement.

As a rule: the simpler the better?

You decide as both will be pretty reliable.

Second technical advise: the Lange has much, much more potential.

 

From the looks point of view: the RG Lange IS THE CHOICE, if coloured metal is o.k. for you.

If WG: a bit bland, yes, but still a nice, small and thin watch.

Here the 5146 is a contender as also relatively thin and small.

All 5205 are more sporty, casual watches, nice, but not as versatile as the Lange or the 5146 are.

 

My personal choice: I simply flip a coin for either 5146 RG slate dial or Lange AC RG.

Best and let us please know what you went for.

Moritz

 

 

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I own a 5205G and I think it is the most beautiful Annual Calendar from Patek.



The Saxonia Annual Calendar has for me several assets:

- a very readable big date which is after all what we read the most on the calendar
- a balanced dial
- the sax-o-mat movement!




So i will not help you here... listen to your heart!

Fx

Could you share with me why you chose the Patek 5205 over the Lange AC? Thanks.

Regards,

iAn

Hi Ianny,

Personally I think it is tough call choosing between the Lange Saxonia AC and the Patek 5146.  I have both, in white gold; some wrist shots are below.

The Lange is an exceptionally legible watch in WG which is something I value a lot for certain occasions.  The movement is nearly identical to that of the Langematik Perpetual, but the price is considerably less! I personally prefer the design to that of the Perpetual which I find too busy for my taste.  That being said, I agree with the critics who feel the AC does not have as unique a design as some of the iconic Langes (the Lange 1, Dato, etc.) and I would not choose the AC if it was to be my only Lange.

The Patek 5146 is a really beautiful piece, with a very different personality from the Lange AC.  To me, comparing them is like comparing apples and oranges.

Hope this helps a little,

RLD

This won't be my first Lange. I own a couple of others... As for Patek, I've only got a 5712 and was thinking that the 5205 could beef up my Patek collection.
But I also like the idea that this is the first Lange AC, whereas the 5205 is one of the many Patek AC's.
Anyways...


Regards,

iAn

For me the Lange far surpasses the PP.  To begin with it has a large date, which is a significant added complication.  Its presentation is clean and classic.  Indeed I prefer the crispness of its layouts to the more complicated perpetual.  It's micro rotor movement is hugely over engineered and wondrous.  As for the two Pateks they don't speak as loudly to me on their aesthetics and lack both the addition of a large date and the sophistication of the Lange movement.

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I loved the look of the 5205 as soon as I saw it, and was more recently introduced to the Saxonia and found it stunning.  Those big, deep blue hands and the big date make for a wonderful presentation!

I agree with Oliver that you should definitely look at the lighter dialed 5205 before making any choice.  My experience was that the black/anthracite dialed watch looked more striking in the display, but that the lighter dial looked much better on my wrist.  If I were going to go for the 5205, it would definitely be the light dial (my taste only, of course).

That said, the Saxonia would be very hard to resist!  A lot of watch for the money...

Enjoy making your choice!

Best,

Gary G

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in the order of preference. elaborate when i see you at the lange boutique tomorrow. coincidentally, i just bought a 5205, but can't bring it to Lange boutique. 

Was nice speaking with you again. I learned heaps during our "short" conversation. Think it was 3 hours plus this time.

See you again soon mate.

Regards,

iAn

1. Big Date - incredible for legibility

2. SAX-0-MAT - the only Annual Calendar watch with Zero Reset of seconds. Incredibly useful when setting the time.

3. Hands - Heat  Blued steel

4. Cenrifugal Mass - Platinum. ( I think the 5146 does not have a platinum mass for the rotor)

5. Dial - Solid Silver.

In my view the Lange is much better finished than the Patek. The only drawback I see is that the Lange AC comes with the pin-buckle instead of the folding clasp.

 

 

regds

chintu

 

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1) I would consider a pre-owned Langematik Perpetual over a new Annual, as you may be able to get it for around the same price and you get much more for your money. I have a YG Perpetual and absolutely love it!

No message body This message has been edited by ianny on 2012-12-10 03:21:43

What kinds of problems did you have with the Patek AC's? Would you be able to share? Thanks.

Regards,

iAn

With the Patek Philippe ACs.  Mostly date problems if I recall (I've seen four with major problems); sometimes the date wouldn't turn properly, get stuck on certain dates, and also the annual calendar wouldn't work, on months with less than 30 days I've seen a watch consistently go 31 days.  The funny thing is that when you would wind the watch manually, the date would progress correctly, but if you left it on a watch winder the date would not progress correctly.  That watch was sent back and upon return it still wasn't rectified, and I did tell them not to wind the watch, but to leave it on the winder.    

Am I right stating that? 

motor isn't the most efficient way of powering the watch.

In terms of aesthetics, I am leaning towards the Lange though.

Regards,

iAn

In the end I got the pp 5146R (rose gold) instead as I love the cream lacquered dial and classical looks.

And thanks for sharing your experience.

Regards,

iAn

Thank you Ian for the welcome!