Mike Mellia – The Latest Watch Photographer in Town

As we all know Photography is big news at the moment, and in horology circles Watch Photography is becoming more and more important, Photographers are all turning their hand to it, but only a few have the eye and inginuaty to get it right.

In  Mike Mellia, The Watch Review Site thinks we have stumbled across one of the few exceptional photographers within the Watch World. I say stumbled, more like it landed straight on our desk (or laptop screen in this day and age) from one of our contributors. So thank you Meehna Goldsmith for introducing us to Mike Mellia’s work.

Mike lives in New York City and in his spare time he is an avid watch collector and pianist. But the interesting stuff comes now, His profession is as an advertising and fine art photographer based in New York City. His passion for watches and photography have led to the photography of some lovely timepieces and Mike has  several wristwatch clients including Christie’s New York, several wristwatch magazines and Altamarea Cinturini.In collecting watches, as all collectors Mike has his favorite brands, which include Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Söhne, Rolex, and Officine Panerai.

This passion for watches has led to a specific section on his website being dedicated to wristwatches, www.mikemellia.com/wristwatches.html. As a Wristwatch Advertising Photgrapher, Mike Shoots the wristwatches in the studio and on location, using multiple studio strobes and lighting generators to achieve a flawless, glossy composition.  It is often the case that clients are interested not only in portraying a particular wristwatch with extreme clarity, but also how the wristwatch itself adapts to suit the personality of the individual wearing it. The final shots can often lie anywhere on a spectrum between photorealism and extreme surrealism. Mike always seeks to translate his passion for life and horology into his final photographs.

Along with his great eye for Watches, Mikes other photography assignments are great pieces of art and really worth a look on his website www.mikemellia.com, some of my favourite pieces other than the watches are amongst Mike Mellia’s ‘The Psychological Portrait Gallery http://www.mikemellia.com/thepsychologicalportraitgallery.html

Now for a few more pieces from Mike Mellia’s Watch Selection

THE NEW BENCHMARK IN CHRONOGRAPH DESIGN

DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN

For more than a decade, A. Lange & Söhne’s DATOGRAPH was considered by many to be the quintessential chronograph. On the one hand, it was because of its technical features, on the other because of the unparalleled harmony of its dial. With a number of enhancements, Lange’s engineers are now proving that excellence can be taken a step further. With a power reserve extended to 60 hours, a power-reserve indicator, and a proprietary oscillation system, the new DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN shines in a platinum case enlarged to a diameter of 41 millimetres.

When it was first presented in 1999, the A. Lange & Söhne DATOGRAPH already attracted global attention. With its sophisticated technology and subtly balanced design, it clearly stood out from the masses of timepieces with stopwatch functions. The classic column-wheel calibre with a precisely jumping minute counter and flyback function united the cardinal virtues of an exemplary chronograph in a movement of peerless mechanical eloquence and aesthetic appeal.

The new DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN embodies all these features as well. Additionally, Lange’s engineers and product designers worked intensely to refine it further. What meets the eye first is the larger case. With a diameter increased to 41 millimetres, this timepiece gains extra prominence on the wrist. The patented outsize date in the twin gold-framed aperture assures excellent legibility. The aperture of the date display was adjusted to match the bigger size of the case. It was enlarged by four per cent to preserve the balanced proportions of the dial architecture.

The luminous hour and minute hands are made of rhodiumed gold. The hands in the subsidiary dials are crafted from blued steel. The tachometer scale along the circumference of the main dial adds a subtly dynamic touch to the personality of this remarkable watch. Rhodiumed gold baton hour markers on the dial – they replace the former Roman numerals II, VI, and X – emphasize its clear design Among many other technical refinements, the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN features the comfortable but technically complex flyback function found only in very few chronographs. Originating from the early days of aviation, this mechanism makes it possible to perform instantly consecutive time measurements by combining three steps – stop, reset, restart – into one: One single push of a button will stop and reset the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN in the middle of an ongoing time measurement. When the button is released, a new time measurement is initiated immediately.

The sapphire-crystal case back reveals one of the technically most immaculate and also most beautiful chronograph movements ever made. It allows the owner to observe the most interesting of the many mechanical processes and artisanal subtleties. All surfaces are meticulously finished by hand. Four screwed gold chatons visually accentuate the micromechanical artistry of this opus. Thus, the apotheosis of time measurement presents itself anew at the state of the art.

All parts of the movement are lavishly decorated. The plates and bridges, made of untreated German silver, are finished with perlage and ribbing. All edges are chamfered and polished. This also applies to the spring of the whiplash precision index adjuster and the classic column wheel. The balance cock is manually engraved with a free-hand technique, making each DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN a one-of-a-kind watch.

Technical Details – Model in platinum Reference 405.035

Movement: Calibre L951.6. Manually wound.

Chronograph with flyback and precisely jumping minute counter.

Patented outsize date.

UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator,

60 hours power reserve.

Dial: Solid silver, black/argenté,

hour markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock luminous.

Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel, hour and minute hands luminous.

Case: Platinum

Diameter 41.0 mm.

Height 13.1 mm.

Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback.

Hand-stitched crocodile strap.

Perfect Proportions for a Grand Classic: Grand Lange 1

With altered dimensions and a new inner life, the A. Lange & Sohne GRAND LANGE 1 exhibits true gran­deur. A new movement developed entirely from scratch makes it possible to trans­pose the subtly balanced dial layout of the LANGE 1 to its larger sibling and at the same time to slim down the silhouette.

Since it premiered in 1994, the LANGE 1 has been the icon of A. Lange & Söhne. With its particular combination of traditional elements that are unique to Saxony’s watch­making heritage – including the three-quarter plate, screwed gold chatons, or the screw balance – as well as groundbreaking innovations such as the off-centre dial design and the ingenious Lange outsize date, it earned global acclaim. The LANGE 1 soon became a multiple award winner in the realm of high-end mechanical timepieces and wrote horological history in its own right. Additionally, it stands for the competence of Lange’s master watch­makers and symbolises their untiring quest for the perfect watch. Eighteen years after its debut, the LANGE 1 is not only the strong foundation of a successful watch family. It is also a benchmark for many of the manufactory’s other developments.

This applies all the more to a debut within its own family, as is the case with the GRAND LANGE 1. It manifests clearly rebalanced proportions and an inner life me­ticulously crafted to match them. With a deliberate rearrangement of watch compo­nents, the totally new manually wound calibre L095.1 made it possible to transpose the graceful dial architecture of the LANGE 1 to the perceptibly larger model. The hours, minutes, and seconds as well as the outsize date and power-reserve indication are configured on the solid-silver dial without any overlap points. To faithfully preserve the harmonious proportions down to the last detail, the Lange outsize date was also enlarged by the same factor as the dial itself.

Furthermore, the larger movement diameter made it feasible to arrange more parts on one level. The re­sult is a movement height of merely 4.7 millimetres. The impressive 72-hour power reserve was achieved in a space-saving manner with only one main­spring barrel. This had a positive impact on the dimensions of the cases: With a di­ameter of 40.9 millimetres, they are only 8.8 milli­metres high, a very elegant ratio of width to height.

The Garnd Lange 1 will be available in three different cases, these being the stable yellow gold, pink gold, and platinum.

The sapphire-crystal caseback reveals the splendid manufacture movement, painstak­ingly decorated by hand and assembled twice. Embellished with Glashütte ribbing, the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver assures optimised stability. Its gracefully curved cutout exposes the balance that beats with a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour and is carried by the hand-engraved balance cock. A propri­etary Lange-made balance spring assures exceptionally high rate accuracy. Seven screwed gold chatons secure the ruby jewels, accentuating the visual appeal of the movement on the plate side.

Guidance by Day and by Night

Lange 1 Time Zone in White Gold

The Lange 1 Time Zone has been the perfect companion for cosmopolites and frequent flyers since 2005. In a white-gold version with luminous hands and appliques, it now offers perfect guidance through the world’s 24 time zones even in the dark.

White gold seems to be the order of the day at A. Lange & Sohne in 2012, this is the second timepiece released to a current collection in White Gold for 2012, in a matter of days, well minutes really.

The Lange 1 Time Zone makes it particularly easy for travellers to keep track of time when they cross over from one time zone to the next. Its dial indicates home time and the current time in a second time zone at a single glance. The applicable time zone can be set with pushbutton convenience. For this purpose, the watch features a rotating ring with the names of 24 cities that represent the respective time zones. A push piece moves the ring forward in steps of 15 degrees to the East, causing the hour hand of the subsidiary dial to advance in one-hour increments as well. An ingeniously designed synchronisation mechanism allows the zone time displayed on the subdial to be effortlessly swapped to the main dial. The hands in the small dial then assume the positions previously held by the hands in the large one.

With the new Lange 1 Time Zone in the noble white-gold case, these settings can now be effortlessly performed in the dark as well. This is assured by luminous hands and appliques in rhodiumed gold on the decentrally arranged main and subsidiary dials and in the power-reserve indicator. Thus, with its luminescent face, this A. Lange & Söhne paragon always delivers a reliable indication of the time en route and at home, by day and by night, around the globe.

The heart of this new member of the prominent LANGE 1 family is the manufacture calibre L031.1. In terms of horological finesse, it offers everything that explains why aficionados around the world associate the name A. Lange & Söhne with the ultimate in watchmaking artistry: typical quality hallmarks such as the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, screwed gold chatons, the twin mainspring barrel for a power reserve of more than three days, the elaborate whiplash precision index adjuster, the hand-engraved balance and intermediate-wheel cocks, and the ingenious outsize date display which in the Lange 1 Time Zone is connected with the time displayed on the main dial. Given these assets, every trip is a moving experience.

Model in 18-carat white gold Ref: 116.039

Movement: Calibre L031.1. Manually wound.

Zone time with city ring.

Separate day/night indicators for home and zone time.

72 hours power reserve.

Patented outsize date.

Dial: Solid silver, argenté, appliques and power-reserve markers luminous.

Hands: Rhodiumed gold and blued steel, hours, minutes, power reserve luminous.

Case: noble white-gold

Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 11.0 mm.

An Elegant Addition: The SAXONIA THIN in White Gold

The thinnest A. Lange & Söhne watch is now also available in white gold, new for 2012.

Just last year, the restyled and expanded SAXONIA watch family was enriched with a slender newcomer, Measuring merely 5.9 millimetres in height, the Saxonia Thin is the slimmest watch ever crafted by the Saxon manufactory. uptil now this exceptional timepiece has only been available in pink gold only, but for 2012 this model now comes in a noble white-gold version too.

The watch has a stately and harmonious presence on the wrist. A focus on the essence is the key asset of the Saxonia Thin, two svelte lancet hands for the hours and minutes as well as twelve delicate baton hour markers on the argenté-coloured solid-silver dial are all it takes for a lucid and precise indication of time. But despite its minimalistic face, it is recognisable as an A. Lange & Söhne watch at first sight.

The Saxonia Thin White Gold enriches A. Lange & Söhne’s SAXONIA watch family with an exceptionally slender model that radiates the line’s typical hallmarks: traditional lucidity and classic elegance. With a case diameter of 40.0 millimetres, it is a scant 5.9 millimetres high; it is the thinnest watch ever crafted by Lange so far. Its true grandeur lies in its focus on the essence: the display of time in hours and minutes.

The Saxonia Thin is an impressive timepiece not only because of its elegant, classic proportions but also by virtue of its intrinsic values. A. Lange & Söhne developed the manually wound calibre L093.1 movement explicitly to achieve a slender silhouette. To limit the calibre height to 2.9 millimetres, each part had to be reduced to its absolutely necessary dimensions. Nonetheless, no compromise was tolerated, neither as regards reliability nor with respect to persever­ance: when fully wound, the watch will run for 72 hours.

Needless to say, the movement is endowed with all the typical quality hall­marks of the brand. This includes the meticulous artisanal finissage of all parts beneath the three-quarter plate in untreated German silver, which itself is decorated with Glashütte ribbing. Developed by Ferdinand A. Lange as far back as 1864, the basic shape of the plate optimises the stability of the movement and at the same time affords an unobstructed view of the hand-engraved balance cock and the index­less oscillator. A balance spring manu­fac­tured in-house times the shock-resistant screw balance to beat at a fre­quency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. The solarised wheels of the wind­ing train, as prominently integrated in the plate as are the three gold chatons secured with thermally blued screws, contribute to the gracefulness of the movement.

Model in 18-carat pink gold Reference 211.032

Movement: Calibre L093.1. Manually wound.
Hours and minutes. 72 hours power reserve.
Dial: Solid silver, argenté. Hands: Pink gold.
Case: Diameter 40.0 mm. Height 5.9 mm.
Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback.
Hand-stitched crocodile strap.

Model in 18-carat white gold Reference 211.026

Movement: Calibre L093.1. Manually wound.
Hours and minutes. 72 hours power reserve.
Dial: Solid silver, argenté. Hands: Rhodiumed gold.
Case: Diameter 40.0 mm. Height 5.9 mm.
Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback.
Hand-stitched crocodile strap.

Horological Magnum Opus with Two Complications

A

Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar

A

A. Lange & Söhne’s latest masterpiece of haute horlogerie unites two classic compli­cations with the expressive LANGE 1 style. Thanks to an ingenious arrangement of the calendar displays around the time indication, the LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDAR presents an abundance of information in a superbly legible layout.

The off-centre configuration of the LANGE 1 dial offers ideal prerequi­sites for the integration of a perpetual calendar. This is because the calendar displays can be neatly positioned out­side the hour and minute circle without com­promising the readability of the time indication in any way. On the face of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, the inte­gration of the calendar is so harmo­niously balanced that the complication suggested by its name is not obvious. Only a modest inscription at 12 o’clock refers to the tourbillon with the pat­ented stop-seconds mechanism. The equi­librium of the dial provides no further clues re­garding the technical complexity and immense engineering effort behind the development of this horological magnum opus. The tenth mas­terpiece to be added to A. Lange & Söhne’s most famous watch family embodies funda­mentally new me­chanical solutions.

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendaris a totally new interpretation of the classic complication of the perpetual calendar: never before have the peripheral month ring, the sampling mechanism for the durations of the months, and the instantaneously advancing displays been implemented in a watch this way. The exact workings of the second sophisticated complication of this watch can be observed through the sapphire-crystal caseback on the reverse of the watch: the tourbillon.

To create the prerequisites for integrating a calendar in the dial architecture of the LANGE 1, the manufactory’s calibre designers devised the very first rotating peripheral month ring ever implemented in a wristwatch. The underside of the ring has recesses of different depths for the respective durations of each month and features an innova­tive sampling mechanism. This one-of-a-kind design has been registered for patent.

All displays of the perpetual calendar – the outsize date, the retrograde day, the month ring, the aperture leap year, and the moon-phase indication – switch instantaneously and thus always deliver unambiguous readings. The mechanism is designed such that it must only be advanced by one day on March 1^st of the secular year 2100. And the moon-phase dis­play will even run true for 122 years before it needs to be corrected by one day. Cor­rections are easy to perform with re­cessed push pieces that allow the cal­endar indications to be ad­vanced indi­vidually or collectively.

One objective in the development of the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar was that nothing should obstruct the legibility of the indications on the dial. The deter­mination to achieve it came at a price: the dial has no aperture for the tour­billon. But the refined complication can be admired in all its technical im­maculacy through the sapphire-crystal caseback. Here the filigreed cage ro­tates about its axis once a minute to eliminate the influence of gravity on the balance wheel and its eccentric poising weights. Combined with the pro­prietary Lange balance spring, it assures an extremely high degree of rate accuracy. Both components are exactly matched to one another to achieve optimised precision at the movement’s rated frequency of 21,600 semi-oscilla­tions per hour. The patented stop-seconds mechanism makes it possible to instantly block the balance inside the tourbillon cage at any time by pulling the crown, so the watch can be set to one-second accuracy.

The high winding efficiency of the new automatic calibre L082.1 is attained with a heavy central rotor whose middle segment with the embossed A. Lange & Söhne signature is made of 21-carat gold. The platinum centrifugal mass on the outer periph­ery of the rotor has an even higher density than gold, so it imparts extra momentum to the winding process. Thus, even the slightest motion of the wrist is converted into winding energy. The result: the maximum power reserve of 50 hours is available after a very short time on the wrist.

The movement is endowed with many iconic Lange-style quality hallmarks such as the movement parts lavishly decorated by hand, the free-hand en­gravings on the tourbil­lon and inter­mediate-wheel cocks, and the four gold chatons secured to the plate with thermally blued screws. The upper part of the tour­billon cage receives what is no doubt the most sophisti­cated and time-consuming type of finissage: It is called black polish, which on this tiny but elaborately con­voluted part can require up to five days of work. The crowning touch of Lange watch­making artistry is repre­sented by the flawless diamond end­stone which serves as a bearing for the tourbil­lon. It is a reminiscence of historic Lange pocket watches that belonged to the high-end “1A” cate­gory.

The so far most complicated member of the LANGE 1 family is available in a pink gold or platinum case with a diameter of 41.9 millimetres. The strict limitation of the platinum version to an edition of 100 watches underscores the exclusivity of this extraordinary timekeeping instrument.

E

Technical Details – Model in 18k pink gold Ref: 720.032

E

Movement: Calibre L082.1. Self-winding mechanism.

Tourbillon with patented stop seconds.

Perpetual calendar with outsize date, retrograde day-of-week display, month ring, and leap-year display.

Moon-phase display.

Day/night indicator.

50 hours power reserve.

Dial: Solid silver, argenté.

Hands: Pink gold.

Case: Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 12.2 mm.

Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback.

Hand-stitched crocodile strap.

E

Technical Details – Model in platinumRef: 720.025.

e

Limited Edition: 100 in platinum.

Movement: Calibre L082.1. Self-winding mechanism.

Tourbillon with patented stop seconds.

Perpetual calendar with outsize date, retrograde day-of-week display, month ring, and leap-year display.

Moon-phase display.

Day/night indicator.

50 hours power reserve.

Dial: Solid silver, rhodié.

Hands: Rhodiumed gold.

Case: Diameter 41.9 mm. Height 12.2 mm.

Sapphire-crystal glass and caseback.

Hand-stitched crocodile strap.

A. Lange & Söhne – New Models on Tour

Following a successful start at the Geneva Fine Watch Salon SIHH, the Saxon luxury watch brand is presenting its new models in their own seven boutiques across the world.

The coveted timepieces from A. Lange & Söhne can be acquired in 57 countries of the world. The growing internationalisation of this traditional brand with its Saxon roots is illustrated by the locations of their boutiques: apart from the Dresden shop in the vicin­ity of the company’s head office, A. Lange & Söhne boutiques are to be found in Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong and soon also in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Following their successful presentation in Geneva, the new models for 2012 can be admired at close quarters in these locations on a tour of all seven metropolitan centres from February to May.

Watch connoisseurs and friends of the brand in Saxony will be the first to experience the latest highlights of Lange’s watchmaking artistry at close quarters. From 11 to 19 February, the new releases collection will be on show at the A. Lange & Söhne bou­tique, near the Church of our Lady (Frauenkirche) in Dresden. All but a home match. Further venues and dates for the three-month tour are Tokyo (24 February to 4 March), Seoul (26 March to 1 April), Shanghai (9 to 13 April), Hong Kong (16 to 22 April) and then, on the occasion of the openings, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The 2012 collection was received by journalists and retailers at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) with great enthusiasm. It is the expression of A. Lange & Söhne’s ongoing quest for perfection. The central theme this year is the LANGE 1 watch family, headed by the Lange 1 Tourbillon PERPETUAL CALENDAR. With two large complications and a new type of instantaneously jumping month ring, it demonstrates once again the innovative potential of the manufactory.

With a newly developed movement, the reworked GRAND LANGE 1 exhibits elegant proportions. In addition, a luminous LANGE 1 TIME ZONE in white gold commends itself as the perfect travelling companion.

The DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN illustrates that a timepiece widely considered perfect can still be improved. It has grown to 41 millimetres and incorporates an extended power reserve and a power-reserve indicator.

Finally, the SAXONIA THIN, introduced last year, and with a height of just 5.9 millimetres the thinnest Lange watch, is now also available in white gold.

For The Third Time, A. Lange & Söhne Is Germany’s Top

Luxury Brand

For the third time in a row, the traditional watch brand A. Lange & Söhne comes out top of the ranking of German luxury brands, published by the renowned business news magazine “Wirtschaftswoche” in its edition of 31 October 2011.

With a grand total of 239 points out of a possible 300, the watch manufactory from Saxony once again stands head and shoulders above all other German luxury brands and ranks – like in 2007 and 2009 – before the automobile manufacturers Maybach (211) and Por­sche (195) as well as various furniture, timepieces, jewellery, and fashion brands. The highest score in the cate­gory “brand appeal” contributed greatly to this placing. Along with criteria to do with pricing, this category played a deci­sive role in the overall score. Since 2005, the luxury league table is drawn up every two years by the Munich based “Brand Rating” agency at the instigation of the magazine “Wirtschafts­woche” among the leading German luxury brands.

The A. Lange & Söhne brand was origi­nally founded at the initiative of Dresden Watchmaker Ferdi­nand A. Lange who, in 1845, started to manufacture pocket watches of the highest quality and thereby established the reputation of the German fine watchmaking industry. Today, Lange produces just a few thousand time­pieces in gold or platinum cases only. They are exclusively equipped with in-house developed movements, decorated and assembled by hand. With 40 manufactory cali­bres in little more than 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne has reached a top position among the world’s best watch brands. The biggest success stories of the brand included iconic timepieces like the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date display in a serially produced wristwatch and the LANGE ZEITWERK with the first precisely jumping nu­merals display of singular clarity.

A. Lange & Söhne Extends until 2015 its Sponsorship of the Dresden State Art Collections.

December 2011

A. Lange & Söhne has extended for four more years its sponsorship agreement with the Dresden State Art Collections (Staatliche  Kunstsammlungen Dresden). The Saxon brand with its rich tradition has provided support to the world famous institution since 2006.

With such famous institutions as the “Green Vault”, the “Old Masters’ Gallery”, the “Albertinum” and the “Mathematics and Physics Salon”, the Dresden State Art Collections are counted as one of the leading museum complexes in Europe. Moreover, as tourist magnet and with their exhibition projects around the world they make a big impression on the international stage.

For Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid these aspects all play an important role in the decision to continue the successful cooperation, which began five years ago: “For A. Lange & Söhne supporting the Dresden State Art Collections means both an obligation and a commitment to its Saxon roots. Because, without the special cultural breeding ground of the region, the origins of our brand cannot be explained. Preservation of tradition and shaping the future are at the core our brand. In the continuation of this successful partnership we see many opportunities to communicate this message with sustained impact.”

Regarding the recent decision to continue working together, Dirk Syndram, acting General Director of the Dresden State Art Collections remarked: “Our economic partners make important contributions to the realization of exhibition and research projects of a very high standard. For us A. Lange & Söhne is a favourite partner which we have had by our side for five years. They are an internationally renowned Saxon company, just as rich in tradition as they are modern, that knows, understands and supports our work. In addition to our common values we both share a wish to bring our museums into the consciousness of the broad public even more than ever. That is why I am very pleased about the extension of our proven cooperation.”

A. Lange & Söhne to Sponsor Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

For the first time, the Saxon watch brand A. Lange & Söhne is to sponsor the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, a worldwide beauty contest for classic automobiles, to take place from 25 to 27 May 2012 in Cernobbio on the shores of Lake Como. The Concorso d’Eleganza is considered to be the most traditional and elegant competition of its kind.

Founded in 1929, the event has evolved since its revival in the 1990s to become the most important event for connoisseurs of high-quality historic cars. Besides the classics, prototypes of new vehicles are also awarded prizes, with a particular focus on design and elegance. Besides the aesthetic criteria, the historical significance of the vehicles also plays a major role in the evaluation process. Bordering Lake Como, the Villa d’Este luxury hotel is the exclusive setting for the event. The winner of the “Best of Show” category – the most important prize of the contest – will be presented with a one-of-a-kind cuvette edition of the LANGE 1 TIME ZONE.

The dust cover of the hunter-cased watch has been adorned with an engraving designed specially for the occasion. The Central European Time (CET) zone is represented by the town of Como on the city ring around this timezone watch.

Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid explains the reasons that motivated the company’s commitment to the event as follows: “The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is a chance to experience passion for art and elegance at its best. It is exactly the same fascination that our timepieces hold for collectors and connoisseurs. We want to use this unique setting to share our passion for style and elegance with our customers and friends.”

The President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Director of BMW Group Classic, Karl Baumer, sees the commitment as an important contribution to the future development of the sophisticated event: “A. Lange & Söhne is a brand seen internationally as the epitome of elegant design, technical creativity and exquisite craftsmanship. With this company, we have a partner on our side that clearly draws on tradition in order to shape the future.”

A. Lange & Söhne dates back to the initiative of the Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand A. Lange, who, in opening his watchmaking manufactory in 1845, laid the foundation for fine watchmaking in Saxony. His high-quality pocket watches are highly coveted collectors’ items all over the world. Nowadays, the annual production is limited to just a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum.

They are fitted exclusively with movements developed and manufactured in-house, sumptuously decorated and assembled by hand. With more than 40 manufacture calibres in little more than 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne has reached a leading position among the world’s best watchbrands. Their biggest successes include innovative timepieces such as the LANGE 1, the first series-production wristwatch to feature an outsize date and the LANGE ZEITWERK with its precisely jumping numeral display of unmatched clarity – watches that have become icons of the traditional brand.