6 Minutes @ Franck Giacobini

The Saxon luxury watch brand A. Lange & Söhne held a “Never Stand Still” presentation and luncheon at the tranquil Crown Wine Cellar, Shouson Hill, Hong Kong, presenting the brand’s masterpieces of this year and also marked the 2012 Novelties Tour in Hong Kong. A. Lange & Söhne Managing Director for Asia Pacific Franck Giacobini tells mylifestylenews the ambition and the attitude to "Never Stand Still" in the luxury and unique watchmaking business......

On the 24th October 1994, shortly before we presented our new wristwatch collection to the public at the Dresden Palace on this date, we showed it to to the most eminent jewellers in the German-speaking region. The result of the enthusiastically orders of our timepieces were rather overwhelming and lots had to be drawn for the last three of the 123 watches.

 

Since that day, the LANGE 1 has been the face of A. Lange & Söhne, the off-centre arrangement of the displays and the patented outside date were pioneering elements and led the brand back to the top ranks of international precision watchmaking.

 

With LANGE 1, we succeeded in creating a classic that at the same time represents the beginning of a new epoch for the manufactory. It stands for the courage and passion of our watchmakers and their unfaltering pursuit of the perfect timepiece.

 

The LANGE 1 watch family as is the case of this year is joined by two siblings at once, with two grand complications, the LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPETUAL CALENDER is the so far technically most elaborate member. And the new GRAND LANGE 1 showcases a newly designed calibre and particularly well-balance proportions.

 

Only those who never stand still can create the uniquely best. The attitude to “Never Stand Still” is the quest for perfection shaped by the Saxon tradition and ideals of craftsmanship.

Today, it is still reflected in the philosophy of traditional Saxon watch brand A. Lange & Söhne.

 

The ambition to "Never Stand Still" keeps us committed and inspires us to constantly strive for improvements. This is also the evident in the new DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN, the logically consistent yet circumspect evolution of a watch that for many connoisseurs is the perfect chronograph.

An established history together with unparalleled craftsmanship has made A. Lange & Söhne an honoured name in Haute Horlogerie. Wealth is not amassed by taking possession of treasures, but by skillful administering them. The values of Lange's precision watchmaking are deeply rooted in the Saxon homeland. The continuous refined working methods constitute one of the main reasons behind the technical progress achieved in the region.

 

The tourbillon is probably the technically most sophisticated device for improving the rate accuracy of the mechanical watch. Developed over 200 years ago, the principle was first used in pocket watches, then later in mechanical wrist watches as well.

 

The rate-governing parts - balance, level, and escape wheel-rotate in a cage around the stationary fourth wheel once a minute. This rotation offsets the rate-changing effect of gravity on possible centre-of-mass shifts of the balance.

 

Timepieces endowed with his device kept in the time very precisely, but there was a drawback: the toubillon could not be stopped instantaneously, so it was impossible to set the watch with one-second accuracy. The patented stop-seconds mechanism or the tourbillon developed by Lange in 2008 made it possible for the first time to stop the device at will - regardless of the angular position of the balance and the orientation of the cage with an arresting spring, thus allowing the time to be set to the second.

 

The LANGE 1 TOURBILLON PERPECTUAL CALENDER is the latest and most complicated member of the LANGE 1 watch family, it relies on an unique mechanical and design solutions.

 

The Calender mechanism with a perpetual month ring, instantaneously jumping displays, and a sampler for the durations of each month has never been implemented in a timepiece in this way. The tourbillon, which can be halted with the patented stop-seconds mechanism to set the watch with one-second accuracy, assures the ultimate in precision.

  

  

The GRAND LANGE 1 owes its elegance not only to the harmonious dial layout but also its slender silhouette. With a diameter of 40.9 millimetres, the case is only 8.8 millimetres high - a well balance ration of diameter to height. Despite its slimness, the GRAND LANGE 1 has power reserve of 72 hours, thanks to its large barrel and long mainspring. 

 

The LANGE 1 TIME ZONE is the perfect companion for frequent travellers and cosmopolites: it shows home time and the in a second zone at a single glance. The large numerals scale indicates home time, the smaller one shows that of a second zone. 

 

Each of the 24 time zones is represented by a city name on the city ring. An applied arrow maker at 5 o'clock points at the name on the city ring, which represents the time zone that is being displayed. A push piece allows the city ring and the zone time to be simultaneously advanced by increments of one hour, corresponding to an eastbound trip around the world. Thanks to the luminous hands and markers, the new model version of the LANGE 1 TIME ZONE in white gold can also tell the time in the dark. 

 

The brand is so full of history to work with, It 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.Its heritage are rich and unique and with so much to tell and to share with the people who appreciate and showing their interest to get to know more about the roots of such a luxury brand.

 

Everyone looks east these day, technically, China and Asia market require specified requirement in terms of developing the brand. People begin to buy luxury watches by getting to know or some of them already known the brand. They buy for exclusivity with an added value and even for a complicated brand to understand.

 

Our role is to transmit the specification and the technical content of the brand in order for them to "make friend" with the brand by sharing the same content. It takes time to develop this but somehow these day, the consumers are quite well educated and knowing what they really want.

 

 

 

We can only produced 5000 pieces a year and the production is extremely limited. With 500 people in the factory and 22 master watch makers, the craftsmanship is the family spirit and the family do value the family touch.

 

The brand essence and DNA is very much behind the brand's roots and history from the Saxon region of Germany, its extraordinary technical craftsmanship heritage for being part of the minority become one of our message to deliver with the exclusivity to the collectors.

 

The image and the content of the brand track the attention to people even though we are in low profile, but for collector and consumer who knows, they know how to appreciate it. It may not be enough exposure or rather small that you may think for a luxury watch in term of visibility, but the noise will also travel and created by words of mouth for its exclusivity.

 

People like to be stimulated visually by expressing themselves through luxury product and take pleasure in having something that is rare and unique,we would like to bring something new to the industry with real added value and obsessed as its accuracy from the production.

 

We would like to open new production house and train up new people and increase more engraving capacity and material for the production.

 

My favorite possession is to be surrounded by antiques as I have a real passion for antiques collection.

 

My ideal way of a living lifestyle is : When you enjoy living your life, you can express big thing in life, it is all begins with appreciating small things in life.

 

  

 mylifestylenews @ Franck Giacobini