Following the successful first edition of the Concours of Elegance Germany last year, A. Lange & Söhne is the Presenting Partner of this top-class automotive event at Lake Tegernsee for the second time. Taking place on the 25th and 26th of July 2025, it will be hosted by the organisers of the British Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, which the German watch manufacture has supported since 2018.
The historic Gut Kaltenbrunn is the venue for the Concours of Elegance Germany.
While the royal grounds of Hampton Court Palace serve as a stage for exquisite classic cars at the British Concours, its German counterpart stages around 200 of the most beautiful classic cars in front of the picturesque Alpine panorama on the banks of Lake Tegernsee, with the international classic car community meeting at the historic Gut Kaltenbrunn.
As at the British partner event, the overall winner at Lake Tegernsee is not chosen by a jury but by the vehicle owners. The coveted Best of Show Award – a certificate with a hand-engraved balance cock made of gold-plated German silver – will be presented to the winner at a ceremony on Friday, 25 July, by Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne. On Saturday, he will also honour the winner of the “Emerging Collectors” award, a new category that focuses on up-and-coming, young collectors.
With these awards, the manufacture honours the passionate commitment to preserving classic automobiles as a valuable cultural asset for future generations, while also highlighting its appreciation for outstanding engineering, exceptional craftsmanship and timeless elegance. These qualities also characterise the mechanical masterpieces from A. Lange & Söhne, driven by the same relentless pursuit of excellence.
The art of watchmaking meets automotive culture
The unique atmosphere creates an appropriate setting for visitors to explore the art of fine watchmaking at A. Lange & Söhne. A carefully curated selection of timepieces welcome automobile enthusiasts on a journey of discovery into the world of the Glashütte manufacture. This will also include novelties presented at the Swiss watch fair Watches and Wonders in April.
“After a successful premiere last year, it is a pleasure for us to once again be able to support this special event in our manufacture’s home country, which is known for its automotive passion,” explains Wilhelm Schmid. “As a partner from the very beginning, we are proud to be part of the Concours, as it brings together enthusiasts with a sweet spot for the extraordinary and an appreciation for authentic craftsmanship and technical sophistication. Here, the parallels between classic automobile culture and traditional fine watchmaking become tangible.”
Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid (2nd from left) with representatives of the winner and Helmut Käs, Head of BMW Group Classic and president of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (left), during the award ceremony
A. Lange & Söhne at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2025: 1815 CHRONOGRAPH for “Best of Show” winner
This year, A. Lange & Söhne once again awarded the “Best of Show” winner of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este with a one-of-a-kind piece created especially for the occasion. During a celebratory gala dinner, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid presented the overall winner of the traditional beauty contest for classic automobiles with an exclusive edition of the 1815 CHRONOGRAPH in white gold with a hand-engraved Concorso coat of arms on the hinged cuvette.
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este is one of the most prestigious and exclusive events for classic cars in the world. The competition, which attracts collectors and lovers of automotive works of art from all over the world every year, took place from 23 to 25 May 2025 on the picturesque grounds of the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este in Cernobbio on Lake Como in northern Italy. Around 50 of the most spectacular classic cars competed for the coveted trophies in eight competition classes, including the prestigious “Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show”, for which the top-class jury of experts selects the overall winner of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. This year’s prize went to an Alfa Romeo Tipo B (P3) from 1934 (Auriga Collection Germany).
A. Lange & Söhne honours the winner of the “Best of Show” category with a special version of the 1815 CHRONOGRAPH.
Honouring automotive tradition
During the celebratory gala dinner on 25 May, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid presented the winner with a one-of-a-kind 1815 CHRONOGRAPH in white gold with a solid pink-gold dial. With the “Como Edition”, the German watch manufacture, a partner of the Concorso since 2012, pays tribute to the preservation and care of historically significant automobiles. The special edition also reflects the many parallels between the German manufacture and the world of historic automobiles: traditional craftsmanship, mechanical innovation, and classic design.
The new 1815 in 750 white and pink gold
A tradition that never stands still
“The 1815 CHRONOGRAPH perfectly expresses the similarities between motorsport and timekeeping. Each of the 306 movement components is completed with the utmost precision in our manufacture in Glashütte. In addition, each calibre is assembled twice to perfectly coordinate the interaction of all parts,” explained Wilhelm Schmid. As a part of the 1815 watch family, the timepiece is a contemporary interpretation of the brand’s traditional values, for subtle elegance and durability. Values that were once important to Ferdinand Adolph Lange, who founded the first watch manufacture in Glashütte in 1845. The watch family was named after his birth year, in recognition of his remarkable achievements.
At this year’s Watches and Wonders in Geneva, one of the most important watch fairs in the world, A. Lange & Söhne presented two new versions of the 1815. They are available in white or pink gold, boast blue dials and create a link to the past with many traditional references. The dial, for example, is designed with Arabic numerals and a railway-track minute scale. The newly developed manufacture movement also features traditional elements, such as the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, blued screws, gold chatons and the hand-engraved balance cock. It also offers an increased power reserve of 72 hours. In addition to the two new 1815 variants, visitors to the Concorso were also able to discover up close the MINUTE REPEATER PERPETUAL and the ODYSSEUS HONEYGOLD, the two of which were also presented at Watches and Wonders. “The Concorso d’Eleganza has been an important tradition for us for many years and it is always a pleasure to be able to present our watches in this elegant setting,” emphasised Schmid.
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 van-ished. But in 1990, Walter Lange, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson, had the courage to revitalise the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches per year, mainly in gold or platinum. They are equipped exclu-sively with movements made in-house that are elaborately finished and assembled by hand. With 75 calibres manufac-tured in-house since 1990, A. Lange & Söhne holds a leading position in the watchmaking world. Some of the major successes include the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a regularly produced wristwatch and the ZEITWERK with its precisely jumping numerals. Extraordinary complications such as the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON or the TRIPLE SPLIT represent the manufacture’s quest to take its tradi-tional art to increasingly new heights. Launched in 2019, the sporty and elegant ODYSSEUS in stainless steel marks the beginning of a new chapter for the manufacture.
