A. Lange & Sohne is a watch company, but unlike most of watch companies who moved into the Swiss mountains to make “hand built” wristwatches steeped in years and years of Swiss watchmaking heritage, A. Lange & Sohne is actually German.  What’s more is that they are considered by most enthusiasts to be the second best watchmaker in the world, after Patek Philippe of course.

The most notable of the all of A. Lange & Sohne’s timepieces?

The Lange 1 of course:

A. Lange & Sohne – Lange 1 – 101.035 Gents Watch

Now my boss, who happens to be a man of more than adequate means, loves this watch, and he says that as soon as he can comforfortably afford it, he will get it, and kudos to him for doing so.  I, however, never really got this watch.  I’m not going to bore you with the history of the company, mostly because I don’t know what that history may be, but I’m just going to say, I don’t get it!

I don’t get why they cost so much, I don’t get why they are regarded so highly, and I think they are overpriced, overrated, and unnecessarily complicated.

For example, just look at the dial, you have the time on one subdial, the seconds on another, and a big date occupying the top-right of the dial.  Why?

Why are they in three separate areas, why can’t they be in ONE area?

The power reserve thingy, furthermore, looks like it is just lost in space.  I think it’s silly and watch design gone terribly wrong.  It’s function following form and that’s no good in a watch, at least not in my book.  It reminds me of those silly Japanese watches that tells time by having you count a bunch of silly dots.

You see a typical day a Patek Philippe would be a watchmaker looking out at the sky and saying, “hmm… I wonder what it would be like to make a watch that tracked how the sky looks like over Geneva at any given point,” and then he would go out and do it!  That is what makes Patek Philippe such an excellent watchmaker.  They think of the most ridiculous watchmaking challenges in the world and then go out and make them.

Has A. Lange &Sohne done such a thing?  Not that i can see…

I’m being somewhat unfair, you see watches in this category are about passion.  You don’t buy them with your head, you buy them with your heart, and if you love this German pig than why not go out and buy it?  I don’t like it, but if it floats our boat, than go out and buy the watch of your dreams.  Remember, you only live once!