At Watches and Wonders, you are presenting your first self-winding chronograph, which equips the Odysseus collection. What are your favourite features?
Let's start by saying that we have been working on this calibre L156.1 for six years and it will only be used on this model. It was designed specifically for the Odysseus and its dial design. Our manufactory has therefore developed a customized calibre with the two chronograph hands in the centre, eliminating the usual totalizers at 3 and 9 o'clock to reaffirm the stylistic choice of the outsize date and day of the week. Our watchmakers have also innovated with the dynamic reset-to-zero function: the push-button at 4 o'clock triggers the return of the seconds hand, which in the blink of an eye flies over the entire distance travelled beforehand, a full revolution for every minute measured. It is spectacular! These buttons also benefit from a dual function – in the normal position of the screw-down crown, they operate the chronograph functions (start, stop and reset to zero), but by pulling the crown they correct the date and the day. The architecture of the calibre and the dial, all in-depth, makes it unique.
Why only 100 pieces?
This is our first self-winding chronograph. It is a very complicated and time-consuming calibre to manufacture, and our production capacity is already under strain. It will require more than two years to produce this limited series; it would be unfair to commit to larger quantities for our customers and make them wait even longer.
Should we expect gold versions in the future?
For the time being, we are concentrating on the 100 steel models. Nothing is ruled out for the future, now that this calibre has been designed.
What other novelties are you presenting at Watches and Wonders?
This year is very special because the Odysseus Chronograph is the only new product we are unveiling at Watches and Wonders, although other releases are planned for the rest of the year - naturally. As we have worked for six years in a row to see it come to life, we want to reserve a special place for it. Furthermore, as the pandemic has prevented us from holding a real show with an international audience for the last three years (to a lesser extent last year), we are putting on a real show at Watches and Wonders with all the new products of the last three years, 24 references! I don't think anyone has seen them all together until now, so it will be a great moment.
What are the challenges and highlights of 2023 for A. Lange & Söhne?
We are so happy to be able to travel again and meet our customers and colleagues from the subsidiaries, it is a real pleasure to organise physical events again, even if it requires a lot of energy. I have just returned from the USA, and after Watches and Wonders, we plan to bring A. Lange & Söhne back into the mix, with the automobile event Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy, the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court in England, certainly a new partnership in the USA, and Watches and Wonders in Shanghai, to name a few.
CPO is a major issue for many brands. Are you thinking about another approach than the Watchfinder solution of the Richemont group?
You know, we find very few of our watches second-hand. Our customers buy them for themselves, because they like them, not to resell them. In addition, we offer them exceptional after-sales service, with customised repair possibilities. They can choose to replace certain components with new parts, to have their watch polished, to have it almost as good as new or just functionally restored. If we were to further expand the use of our workshops for pre-owned watches, it would be to the detriment of our ability to manufacture new ones. I don't really see the benefit, neither for the brand nor for our customers.
On the Swiss market, you have closed all your shops and kept only two lounges. Does this reflect the direction the brand is taking in the world?
Yes, it does. There is no point in frustrating customers with boutiques that are devoid of our watches. In addition, they demand advice and explanations about our products and their history, specifics and quality. This is rarely possible with multi-brand retailers, who are overloaded with all sorts of new products by different brands all the time. Thus, we are concentrating on our own network of boutiques and salons.
Therefore, is it still useful to exhibit at Watches and Wonders?
Yes, because it is a kind of elegance contest that brings together the watchmaking community. All the brands are making themselves look good and it is the only place where we can compete with them. This way, we keep in touch with this industry that is important to be part of.
Compared to 2000, there are now many high-end niche brands. What do collectors find at Lange that isn't available elsewhere?
It is always a combination of factors that make it possible to reach this or that type of customer, or not. A. Lange & Söhne already has a unique history, with a family business that was mobilised during the war, closed and later revived. Furthermore, our timepieces are distinguished by a very high degree of craftsmanship as well as a typical German, authentic and aesthetic rigour, true to its origins. You can recognize a Zeitwerk immediately, and the design of the Lange 1 has remained the same for almost 30 years!
