The Watch Appreciation Thread - Part two (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre,

[DorianGreen]

I know PGLB is supposed to be a bit of a joke, but there is like one guy here who owns one. Foo, Dino, George, Newcomer, Scuppers, brax, etc. don’t own or even recommend Lange. I don’t even think Dorian would wear one.

No, I wouldn't, Lange's aesthetic language never spoke to me.

They have amazingly decorated movements, but, albeit an appreciated feature, absolutely secondary for me. I'm mostly pretty happy with a solid back.

 

[Clouseau]

I’d like to see a case or dial made of fossilized dinosaur poo.

At the rythm Dorian posts he will soon be entitled « stylish dinosaur » (10 000th post) maybe we could ask for him a special title like « Dinosaur poo » or « Stylish turd »? 😇

 

[Newcomer]

I know PGLB is supposed to be a bit of a joke, but there is like one guy here who owns one. Foo, Dino, George, Newcomer, Scuppers, brax, etc. don’t own or even recommend Lange. I don’t even think Dorian would wear one.

I don’t speak for the others, but I think a lot of that - with respect to modern Lange - comes down to their retail locations and distribution strategy. I don’t routinely find myself in NYC, or Miami, and the Lange boutiques have been hostile to telephone calls. My AD used to carry Lange and if my AD continued to carry Lange, I’d probably have one. I prefer to buy from multi-brand boutiques, so I don’t see myself buying Lange at retail. Further, with the bath you take walking out the door, it is hard to justify retail under any circumstance.

For second hand Lange, and this is a separate issue - I prefer to buy “special” iterations, and a lot of “special” Lange just don’t feel that special. A Lange darth? A stainless steel closed case back? Big whoop. The only Lange that has caught my eye is the first generation up/down and the Saxonia big date, particularly in WG with blue dial.

 

[pmeis]

I like Lange's watch designs personally, but they seem to be actively hostile to parts of their potential and existing customer base via their retail and service strategies. So as someone for whom something like a Lange1 or an 1815 up/down could be an aspirational, yet eventually attainable piece, my preference is to admire them in other people's collections. Being unlikely to buy multiple ALS watches in my lifetime means I wouldn't be deemed worthy of attention to them.

Meanwhile, I bought one Armin Strom watch and I've gotten to have dinner with their master watchmaker twice. That certainly doesn't mean that I expect any watchmaker from whom I buy a watch from to take me to dinner (and if they don't have room for me at dinner next year, I'd totally understand), but it certainly is food (no pun intended) for thought for the types of places I'd consider making considerable purchases with.

 

[Dino944]

So, that leaves me with the Patek, or something from Lange that has a little bit more going on. But then I'm also entering a different price point (even with good pre-owned prices of the ALS 1 of late...)...Hmmm...

The 5196 is nice and looks like a traditional Calatrava. You can't go wrong with it. However, if you are comparing that to a Lange 1, I'd have to choose the Lange 1. I think it feels younger, more interesting, and I like the case size (38.5mm), the thickness, the lugs, and to me it is the Lange to own. I love the asymmetry of the dial. It was also a ground breaking design when it was released. No one had ever offered something like that. Then GO came out with their Pano version, and a zillion companies had to add a grand date to whatever they were offering. However, I think the Lange 1 is a handsome watch, it is exceptionally well finished, it has aged well, and it has a dial that is quite interesting. I haven't owned a Lange 1, but my father had a platinum Lange 1 Moonphase and he really liked it a lot, and he was a Patek owner too.

Which ever you choose, no one is going to be feeling sorry for you

 

[Texasmade]

I know PGLB is supposed to be a bit of a joke, but there is like one guy here who owns one. Foo, Dino, George, Newcomer, Scuppers, brax, etc. don’t own or even recommend Lange. I don’t even think Dorian would wear one.

I remember prehistoric SF, there used to be a bunch of Lange owners here that would post. I first learned of the brand here on SF seeing everyone post their Lange watches.

 

[Ebitdaddy]

I like Lange's watch designs personally, but they seem to be actively hostile to parts of their potential and existing customer base via their retail and service strategies. So as someone for whom something like a Lange1 or an 1815 up/down could be an aspirational, yet eventually attainable piece, my preference is to admire them in other people's collections. Being unlikely to buy multiple ALS watches in my lifetime means I wouldn't be deemed worthy of attention to them.

I bought a Lange as one of my first "nice" watches, and really liked the brand because of how easy they were to buy from, generally good service, etc... and then ended up buying another Zeitwerk brand new in 2020 in the first week of COVID as things were unfolding.

Then they became absolute douchebags that insisted on bundling (lol) and other things that are an outright insult to someone's intelligence.

Now, their resale values have plummeted again, basically SLIGHTLY above what they were in 2019. I'm guessing their rev is eating **** too.

But yeah, the value proposition just isn't there anymore. The finishing is definitely a cut above Patek, but the cases are super boring, and most of their finishing is on the back so it doesn't really matter. I'd rather spend ~10% more and buy a Patek like the 3940 > Lange's perp and have something with a beautiful classic design that I can sell in 15 minutes for what I paid when I inevitably get bored. I don't mind buying stuff that I know I'll lose a chunk on like the Mirrored Force or some of the other indies I've ordered from but then the "value" gap needs to be massive to justify it.

 

[Mute]

The only Lange that ever truly caught my attention were the Datographs. Their finishing is top notch, but priced far too high. You can get about 95% of what they offer for a fraction of the cost with Glashutte Orginale.

 

[Newcomer]

The only Lange that ever truly caught my attention were the Datographs. Their finishing is top notch, but priced far too high. You can get about 95% of what they offer for a fraction of the cost with Glashutte Orginale.

Datograph sucks to wear.

 

[double00]

Dorian, even a dinosaur turd tells time with age.

coprolite dial ?

 

[double00]

I remember prehistoric SF, there used to be a bunch of Lange owners here that would post. I first learned of the brand here on SF seeing everyone post their Lange watches.

gone the way of panerai

 

[Mute]

Datograph sucks to wear.

I can see that. It's huge.

 

[chocomallo]

I remember prehistoric SF, there used to be a bunch of Lange owners here that would post. I first learned of the brand here on SF seeing everyone post their Lange watches.

Are you referring to TWAT I? We are in TWAT II, but perhaps it’s time for TWAT III. mimo’s post #1 in this thread is of a bygone era.

But Texasmade has been here from the get go. Poaster #2 on this gasbag thread. Props bro. TWAT emeritus.

 

[chocomallo]

coprolite dial ?

View attachment 2307757

That indeed looks like sh*t.

 

[Texasmade]

Are you referring to TWAT I? We are in TWAT II, but perhaps it’s time for TWAT III. mimo’s post #1 in this thread is of a bygone era.

But Texasmade has been here from the get go. Poaster #2 on this gasbag thread. Props bro. TWAT emeritus.

Yep! TWAT.1 had a lot of Langes and APRO’s.

TWAT.2 has PGLB, Richemont trash, soft iron casing, LOMS Rolex Explorer.