FLORENTINE MASTERPIECE
#legend creative director GORDON LAM goes to Florence to attend the debut of the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst
the name right. A. Lange & Söhne is the name of a German watchmaker, pronounced ah lang-uh oont sown-uh, delivered in your best Hollywood German accent. This should prevent any unfortunate misunderstandings, should you buy a watch bearing the A. Lange & Söhne brand.
#legend was the only English-language publication in Hong Kong invited by A. Lange & Söhne to Florence to attend the unveiling of its 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar Handwerkskunst to the eagerly awaiting world. I couldn't pronounce it, but I was delighted to accept the invitation on behalf of the magazine.
On arriving at The St. Regis Florence hotel, I was presented with an A. Lange & Söhne watch, which was mine to wear for the duration of my visit – it was a Saxonia Annual Calendar. Lunch was served in the Giardino
Bardini, a Renaissance garden with a breathtaking view over Florence, where Wilhelm Schmid, the charming chief executive of A. Lange & Söhne, welcomed us.
Guided by the company's regional managing director, Gaetan Guillosson, and its regional marketing and communications manager, Jenny Chan, our group of journalists from the Asia-Pacific region went sightseeing. We began at the Piazza del Duomo. We kept ourselves busy Instagramming pictures of our A. Lange & Söhne watches, set against the beautiful backdrop of the Florentine architecture. The famous square and the streets around it are packed with tourists from all corners of the world, and I got lost in the crowd a few times. But the eagle-eyed Guillosson plucked me from the horde and we all made our way back to the hotel.