GaryG’s first rule when it comes to collecting is to avoid setting too many exclusionary rules. With watches, he believes that it’s the passion that separates collectors from investors and accumulators. Which brings him to another rule: deriving the full enjoyment from the things you own.
The ninth edition of Poland’s Watch of the Year by CH24.PL included all timepieces introduced in 2018 competing across six categories. Elizabeth Doerr shares the night’s big winners here.
Martin Green (and many others) considers the regular version of the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down to already be one of the best and most beautiful current-production chronographs money can buy. Martin is however sure that the Lumen element only adds to its charm – by day and by night!
Why is the A. Lange & Söhne Tourbillon Pour Le Mérite important from a holistic view of horological history? Elizabeth thinks that the reasons are manifold and include the unheard-of technology nestled within its movement, the audacity of a German newcomer in challenging Swiss status quo, and the symbolic value for A. Lange & Söhne’s rebirth as well as the golden age of mechanical timepieces.
Here Gary, Elizabeth, and Ian compare and discuss six areas of the Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece 8 and A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, two rare and very technical timepieces. And there’s a video so you can see and hear both decimal repeaters to make your own comparison.
The jump hour has a long history, but first things first, it can’t technically be called a complication since the accepted definition of complication is a mechanism that provides information other than the time. However, anyone who gives a hoot will say in the same breath that there are many complications that don’t fit that definition and Joshua couldn’t agree more.
If there were a watch enthusiasts’ encyclopedia, under “embarrassment of riches” the image might just be a side-by-side shot two of contemporary watchmaking’s great complicated pieces: the “mighty” A. Lange & Söhne Double Split and Patek Philippe’s Reference 5370P split-second chronograph.
GaryG provides us with a look at why he bought the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split even though he already owned the brand’s Datograph. The Double Split watch is the world’s only double rattrapante capable of both split-second and split-minute interval timing.
What happens when you take eight watchmaking students, a photographer, a plucky PR manager, and yours truly and send them on an international mission of espionage and intrigue? Joshua has no idea, but he does know that that same cast of characters came together to participate in quite possibly the most prestigious watchmaking competition in the world: the Walter Lange Watchmaking Excellence Award presented by A. Lange & Söhne.
Many of you are likely to have come across at least a few heated discussions of “finishing,” a topic that seems to fascinate, and divide, watch enthusiasts. Like many people, GaryG’s starting point for serious watches was with a well-priced brand long known for its expertise in developing movements, justly viewed as offering good value for money – but not necessarily for the refinement of its movement finishing, at least on its less expensive pieces. Read on to discover what he has learned since then?