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Good evening everyone!
This column talks about mechanical watches from an engineer's perspective. This is the 50th installment.
"Why is A. Lange & Söhne called an 'artisan brand'?"
I will be talking about this topic here.
There are many luxury watch brands out there, but there's something different about German-made A. Lange & Söhne...
Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin are the three biggest watch brands in the world, and Rolex boasts an overwhelming amount of distribution. There is something different about Rolex from these classic Swiss luxury watches, and it is popular among watch enthusiasts.
"A. Lange & Söhne is in a class of its own," "A. Lange & Söhne is a craft," "A. Lange & Söhne is close to art"
It is often said that...
This time, we will focus on A. Lange & Söhne and talk about why they are called an "artisan brand." Please read to the end.
The movement is the "main character behind the scenes"
The idea of 3/4 plates
A. Lange & Söhne movements use the traditional three-quarter plate construction .
This is a historic design from Glashütte, and while it has a practical purpose of increasing rigidity, it also has a structure that creates a "beautiful surface."
While Swiss watches have a "three-dimensional beauty shown through their bridges," A. Lange & Söhne's watches have a "quiet tension shown through their plates." The design philosophy itself aims to "combine beauty and rationality."
Every clock is "set twice"
A. Lange & Söhne is famous for its double assembly process .
Assemble once and check accuracy → Disassemble completely → Reassemble and final check
This process is irrational from an efficiency standpoint. So why does A. Lange & Söhne continue to assemble the watch twice?
This is because of the philosophy of "never compromising on the precision and beauty of the finished product." This is where you can see the "craftsmanship of the workshop."
The story of a revival brand
A. Lange & Söhne is a brand that was revived in 1994. After disappearing once, it was revived after the reunification of East and West Germany and restarted watchmaking from scratch.
The philosophy that was set at that time was to "make the world's finest watches." Rather than competing on price or mass production, the company aimed for the pinnacle of quality from the very beginning.
This attitude has instilled a sense of "no compromise" throughout the brand.
Don't make too many, don't be flashy
While some brands boast annual production figures of one million watches, A. Lange & Söhne continues to keep production numbers very limited.
This comes from the stance that "it's enough to reach only those who understand," rather than dominating the market through mass supply.
And from a distance, it doesn't look very flashy, and unlike other brands, it's not immediately obvious that it's "luxury." But, "the moment you turn it over, only those who understand will understand."
This is,
・Less likely to cause a bubble-like price surge ・More respect than enthusiasm
This is the brand positioning we are creating.
summary
What did you think?
It is no exaggeration to say that A. Lange & Söhne is not a "company that makes luxury watches," but rather a " workshop that has become a brand."
That is why it has taken its own path, different from both Rolex and Patek Philippe, and has earned the respect of many watch enthusiasts.
It is also thought that A. Lange & Söhne may be the only brand like this ever to exist, so if you own one and continue to use it for a long time, it could be said that there is potential for interesting things to happen in the future.
We hope that this article has been useful to you and has sparked even a little interest in luxury watches! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask us directly and we will be happy to answer them. We look forward to your visit and inquiries.
Please look forward to the next one!
