Mr. Chong -- Lange finishing quality?

[lancepryor]

Mr. Chong:

Your knowledge adds greatly to the LL -- many thanks.

I currently own several nice watches from some good makers -- PP 5802/200, Breguet ultra-thin automatic, JLC ultra thin, Cartier Santos Dumont -- all watches that are significantly smaller than the current fashion for huge cases. I greatly prefer cases in the 34mm range, due to my wrist size and my personal aesthetic sensibility. I almost pulled the trigger on the "little" Lange 1 a few years ago (a bit larger, but still acceptable to me in terms of size), but ultimately decided not to spend the money.

However, I remain interested in the smaller 1. My impression is that Lange is still held in very high regard. Would you comment on the quality of the "little" 1, in terms of both the movement's design and finish? In particular, any comparisons to Patek or AP would be appreciated.

I also recall reading (perhaps on TImezone?) some comments a few years back about purported issues with the Lange movements after the factory was flooded. Was there anything to these rumors?

Finally, is the little 1 still made?

Thanks in advance for any insights you are willing to share.

Lance Pryor

[pchong]

Hi Lance, sorry for late response, I just arrived home after a long week in Beijing (believe me, a week can be longer than 7 days...)

The finish of Lange watches, and I don't see differential finishing in various models unlike Patek, are top drawer. I think they are the best finish for any series production watch in the world. I particularly like the look of unplated german silver of the movement plates, the 3/4 plate, and the chatons.

If you prefer smaller watches, consider the Saxonia, or the 1815. Of course, the Little 1 is a special watch, and is currently still in production.