The Lange & Sohne Homage to Richard Lange

[pchong]

Lange introduced two new watches this year: the first is the Richard Lange Homage. A new movement in typical Lange 3/4 plate, and bearing a center seconds hand, driven indirectly. Also featuring a new balance wheel and spring manufactured inhouse in Glashutte.








In the extreme closeup above, shows the fine finishing. The anglage, or chamfering - a process where the chamferred edges of a bridge is polished to very high levels, with even handedness so the width of the anglage and the shine is consistent is shown above.

[uppercase]

How would the experts rank Lange among the top watchmakers today?

Does the watchs' quality make them an heirloom purchase....a watch to keep, retain value and pass on? Along the lines of a Patek?

Where can we find the best prices these days on such watches? HongKong?

What would be your choice?:

[Cantabrigian]

From what I've heard Singapore (due to favorable import laws) is usually the best place to get something of a deal on a watch, though I don't know if dealers who will ship to the states will offer as much of a discount as some of the more aggressive stateside dealers will.

And, given the weakness of the dollar this year, stateside may well be best.

[Jackson]

All are the above watches are quite stunning (as was the Datograph pictured elsewhere on the forum).

I too am curious of Lange & Sohne's place in the pantheon of watchmakers. Does it rival the work of the "big three"? Furthermore, do the ranks of the "big three" need to be expanded to include some additional makers (a "big four", "big five", etc.)?

[pchong]

I think Lange is rightt there at the top...interesting we speak of the top 3...I do beleive there is room at the summit for more than 3.

[uppercase]

Who would you estimate to be the top 5 or so watchmakers these days?

[pchong]

It would be hard to say, but purely for the fun of it, I would put the following in the top tier...certainly not an exhaustive list...only mass producers only, in terms of finish and innovativeness and alphabetical order:

Lange & Sohne
Patek Philippe
Vacheron Constantin

I would remove Lange if a condition is that the manufacture must produce the entire range of complications, as Lange does not yet have any repeating watches. And possibly include Audemars Piguet and Girard Perregaux.

Ii would possibly also admit
FP Journe - a little short on tradition

If I cast the net a little wider, i.e. making the parameters less stringent, I would include the following:

Audemars Piguet
Girard Perregaux
Jaeger LeCoultre
Parmigiani

[Cantabrigian]

Not Breguet?

[uppercase]

I miss my 60 year old Rolex which was stolen, dirty bastards, and was thinking also of buying a vintage watch sometime, something similar to what was lost.

But I just don't know who you can trust and where you can go for such a purchase as you can't really look into the insides of a watch and I , in any case, wouldn't know what I'm looking at.

Are there any trustworthy , reputable retailers or sellers over the 'net which LL members can recommend?

What should one look out for?

[uppercase]

Gee, how timely!

Christies is having a watch auction in NYC on Oct. 12.

http://www.christies.com/promos/oct06/1710/overview.asp

[DD MacDonald]

Uppercase, take a look at Paul Duggan in Boston:

[url/)http://pduggan.com/[/url]

I have not bought a watch from them, but they seem to get a nice rep from TimeZone and maintain a good website. I;ve talked to them a couple of times. I imagine that all of the watches are fully priced but, as with antiques, there are a lot of advatnages to it - they sort the good from the bad, they will let you inspect, they will buy back and let you trade up.

Watches have become awefully expensive little devices - beautiful though- and I'd look for a dealer that I can live with over time. I'd be curious to know if any LL members know Duggan or could recommend another good dealer.

DDM

[pchong]

Not Breguet?

Horrors, NO!

Breguet is the great historical company which never was. It breathes on its namesake, but takes its breath from Hayek. Unfortunately, the Breguet of today has nothing to do with the historical A.L. Breguet, and shares nothing in common except for the legal right to the name.

Present day Breguets are not well finished, nor are they innovative safe for the case and dial execution, I won't include them in any list of leading makes.

But please do note, that I put the list up half in jest...as one must for lists of these nature, they are highly personal and only gives insight to me as a collector, and precious little on the industry itself.

[ThomasG]

All things considered, JLC may be the best value.

[pchong]

Agree JLC is good value. But their prices have been creeping upwards...

[uppercase]

Are the prices from authorized agents still the best for these high end watches in HongKong and Singapore?