The Concours showcases 60 of the rarest cars in the world, such as this year’s Best in Show winner, a 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Convertible by coachbuilder Inskip. A completely one-off car, its exclusive, beautifully crafted vehicles like this that makes the Concours right up A. Lange & Söhne’s street.
“If you like watches and cars; you love a bit of England; you like old castles – I don’t think there's a better place to be this weekend than right here,” said Wilhelm Schmid, CEO A. Lange & Söhne, as he welcomed press and VIP guests on the Concours’ opening day.
In recent years, the Glashütte manufacture has been partnering with the finest vintage car events, from Lake Como’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este to, more recently, the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance in the East Coast of the US. At London’s Concours of Elegance, it truly felt like the watchmaker had hit its stride this year: for the first time, A. Lange & Söhne unveiled two watches at the event, which mark 25 years of its iconic Datograph. A new Datograph Handwerkskunst Ref. 405.048F is limited to only 25 pieces, while the new Datograph Up/Down Hampton Court Edition is a super rare, one-off piece that will be auctioned in November for the Prince’s Trust, a UK youth charity.
Launched in 2011, the house’s prestigious Handwerkskunst line is reserved for A. Lange & Söhne’s most exclusive, limited-edition watches that feature, as the name suggests, the most meticulous handcrafted decoration. To date, there are only eight A. Lange & Söhne Handwerkskunst models across all collections. This new piece features a black-rhodiumed and tremblage-engraved dial, and was a true labour of love, set with a four-piece dial crafted from 18-carat yellow gold. Painstaking engraving, milling and hand hammering brought out the beauty of the dial, creating a subtle grained effect and a wonderful play of light. Collectors will further revel in mindboggling detail like the milling around the individual letters and numerals, or the bevelling of each hour marker, which can really only be seen and appreciated via loupe (“We went to the extreme,” said Anthony de Haas, director of product development, during the watch’s unveiling at the Concours).
Another revelation is the yellow gold case. A. Lange & Söhne feels more synonymous with white gold or platinum, and only has one other yellow gold watch currently in its collection (the Lange 1). This makes the new Datograph Handwerkskunst especially eye-catching and unusual. “We were quite thrilled when we made the first dummies – with the brown strap, yellow gold case and grey dial. It’s quite a cool combination,” recalled de Haas. And for purist Lange fans who may feel the look is a departure from the brand’s more understated, discreet style, Schmid says: “Handwerkskunst is the pride of the company. You cannot showcase all your capability and still fly under the radar,” he explained. “But it's only 25 watches…It’s not meant to form the brand other than to show what is possible – just with hands.”
Also channelling the weekend’s theme of rarity and handcraftsmanship was the new unique piece Datograph Up/Down Hampton Court Edition. The watch features a one-of-a-kind colour combination, headlined by a grey dial with black subsidiary dials – “What we internally call inverted panda,” said de Haas – set on a white gold case. Meanwhile, an anodized aluminium red-coloured stop second hand – which is famously produced in-house because no other supplier would create it – is a first for the Datograph Up/Down. Gold hands also match the case, while the hinged cuvette caseback is engraved with the Concours of Elegance name and logo.
The polished metal link bracelet is also noteworthy – and vintage: it is one of the last Wellendorff designs from the 1990s and early 2000s, when the German jeweller supplied the bracelets for A. Lange & Söhne.
“The team pulled together a combination we never did and which we will never do again – it really is a unique watch,” said Mr Schmid, adding that it’s a “fitting conclusion to the anniversary year.” It’s also very fitting for its upcoming auction in Geneva in November, and won’t be the first A. Lange & Söhne Hampton Court Edition to hammer down for charity either. The last one – a one-of-a-kind 1815 Chronograph – was auctioned for the same Prince’s Trust charity in 2022, achieving a record breaking CHF1,058,500. This November’s Phillips sale should be just as dramatic and exciting. Dig deep.
