A. Lange & Söhne is once again partnering with the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, which will take place from 1 to 3 September 2023. In the run-up to the event, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid visited The Prince’s Trust, whose work was supported by the auction proceeds of the 1815 CHRONOGRAPH “Hampton Court Edition”.
Walter Lange’s aspiration to “never stand still” not only defines the way watches are made at A. Lange & Söhne, but it also brings the Saxon manufacture to special places like Hampton Court Palace. “Our partnership with the Concours of Elegance offers the perfect setting for us to present our watches in a prestigious environment,” says Lange-CEO Wilhelm Schmid, “because just like the historic automobiles, our timepieces impress with their technical complexity, groundbreaking designs and mechanical elegance.” Visitors can see this for themselves at the event. They are invited to look over the shoulder of an engraver and a watchmaker at work on site and in this way gain an insight into their high level of craftsmanship and excellence.
Time for a better future
The partnership with the automobile competition began five years ago and reached a special climax last year: in November 2022, A. Lange & Söhne had a unique watch, the 1815 CHRONOGRAPH “Hampton Court Edition”, auctioned by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo for the benefit of the Prince’s Trust. The unique piece achieved the highest-ever auction result for a Lange wristwatch: the full proceeds of over one million Swiss Francs went directly to the UK youth charity, which supports young people aged 11 to 30 to develop essential life skills, prepare for work and access employment opportunities. Over a million young people have benefitted from the Trust’s programmes to date.
In anticipation of this year’s Concours of Elegance, Wilhelm Schmid visited The Prince’s Trust South London Centre to get an idea of the important work it does. “The huge demand for the Trust’s programmes shows that many young people need the support to start their careers,” says Wilhelm Schmid and is delighted that the manufacture has been able to help more young people receive a promising start to their professional lives through this support. The Lange CEO believes that no effort is too much when it comes to helping young people find their own way. A. Lange & Söhne has been preparing young people for a future in watchmaking for more than 25 years. To date, 251 young talents have completed their training at A. Lange & Söhne, 21 will start their first year of training in August.
About A. Lange & Söhne
Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand Adolph Lange laid the foundations for Saxony’s precision watchmaking industry when he established his manufacture in 1845. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after the Second World War, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly vanished. But in 1990, Walter Lange, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson, had the courage to relaunch the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches per year, predominantly in gold or platinum. They are equipped exclusively with movements made in-house that are elaborately finished and twice assembled by hand. With 71 manufacture calibres developed since 1990, A. Lange & Söhne has secured a top-tier position in the world of watchmaking. Its greatest successes include brand icons such as the LANGE 1, the first regularly produced wristwatch with an outsize date, and the ZEITWERK, with its precisely jumping numerals. Exceptional complications such as the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, the TRIPLE SPLIT, and the most complicated model to date, the GRAND COMPLICATION presented in 2013 in a limited edition of six pieces, represent what the manufacture always strives for: to drive the traditional art of watchmaking to ever-new heights. Launched in 2019, the sporty yet elegant ODYSSEUS marked the start of a new chapter for A. Lange & Söhne.