Lange’s design odyssey

In the 25 years since its relaunch (see page 4), A. Lange & Söhne has grown its roster to just five watch families. Now it’s welcoming a sixth: the Odysseus, a luxury sports watch that blends tradition and innovation, and which is aimed at buyers who “admire fine watchmaking but live active lives”.

Lange & Söhne has never before had a range of watches housed in steel with an integrated bracelet – both substantial elements coinciding with prevailing tastes in the luxury market (see page 6). But this 40.5mm by 11.1mm watch’s journey began 12 years, one CEO, two parent company regimes and a decade of design trials ago. Never a slave to trends, it was difficult to get right. “It’s not like we woke up one morning and knew what to do,” jokes CEO Wilhelm Schmid.

Despite the now-ubiquitous steel-andbracelet combination, the Odysseus remains a thoroughbred Lange. The smooth-as-silk pushers for the weekday and large date functions sit seamlessly each side of the winding crown, while the integrated bracelet offers precision length adjustment. The new automatic movement is built to take everyday knocks but is as beautifully finished as any other Lange.

The timepiece boasts a unique face, pushbuttons that no one should be able to copy, and – all-importantly – an unmistakable family resemblance to the rest of Lange’s products, meaning that it fits seamlessly into the existing collection, while being so different from it that it is sure to appeal to the existing client base and also attract new customers.

And this aspiration is reflected in the price: €28,000 (around £24,000) does not make it Lange’s entry-level option – which is, by the way, housed in gold – but it does put its price on a par with its nearest competitors. All-in-all, this is a perfect and steely piece of Saxon history with naturally limited production. Elizabeth Doerr alange-soehne.com

Above: the unique dial of the Odysseus; below, Lange’s first integrated steel bracelet on a serial watch