What are you most excited about for 2021 in terms of novelties?
This year the leitmotif is subtle differences because we are all about subtle differences. You know, it is always the smallest details that make all the difference. For example, if it takes a perpetual calendar’s owner an hour and a half to set the correct time and date, or it happens in a heartbeat, then technically it is leap years apart. So, this year it is all about these subtle differences.
People will surely look at our new perpetual calendar and say, they forgot the day/night indication, because you can’t see it on the dial. But then you realize that we used the Lange One moon phase indication, which gives a nice change to the dial throughout the day. In daytime the sky behind the moon is light blue, and when it gets dark it becomes dark blue. I would say that the Lange 1 epitomizes what we stand for. And if you then go into the more complicated watches, it is even more so, because then it becomes a real challenge to have that clear recognizable face, but at the same time, you have to build in all the different indications that you need. The leap year indication, the monthly peripheral ring, the days, etc. You know that’s all you need to adjust the perpetual calendar, but how do you maintain that and keep the integrity of the Lange 1 design perfectly in shape. I think they did a great job on it. It’s a pretty wearable watch on top of that, a little bit like the time zone, dimensionally, it is great with the subtle differences.
For the Little Lange 1, I think even my team can’t take proper photos of it. No photo can do it justice. If you see it in the flesh, it is such a pretty watch that I am sure this will be an absolute hit. Not everyone can spend 100,000 on a perpetual calendar, or even 160,000 for a triple split. The Little Lange 1 is still an expensive watch, but it is more in reach for a lot of people. I am curious to see their reaction, but I am sure many people will choose it as their favourite.
You mentioned the triple split, can you tell us a little more about this timepiece?
We launched the original version of the triple split in 2018. If I ask most of our watchmakers today “Do you want to work on a perpetual calendar, a tourbillon, or a triple split?” they will always say the first two as the triple split is a monster to work on. It is a very delicate movement. As you can see if you look at the case back. And once a watchmaker is trained on that movement, we just need to give them work.
The first triple split has completely sold out so now we are coming with a new iteration that is totally different. The first was white and grey, and this one is pink and blue. This is also a combination that we have never used before, that’s quite different. If you put the two watches next to each other, they are quite different. So, it is great for people who didn’t like the gray, or weren’t quick enough to order the watch too, which also happens!
Do you get nervous about how the world will react to a new piece or a new collection before the big launch?
Always. And that is the one thing that I really miss about the physical show. You know that on Monday morning you have your first interviews and by the afternoon you usually know whether you have a good one or not. This year, as I had a few interviews already, I feel pretty confident, but you don’t have that feeling immediately and I am missing the body language and the eyes and all that. I don’t have that this year and I really miss the feeling.
