Alright, let’s talk about my recent deep dive into the world of A. Lange & Söhne 1815. You know, I’ve always been a watch guy, but this one really caught my eye. So, I decided to get my hands dirty and see what all the fuss was about.
First off, I started digging around for info. What’s the deal with this 1815 model? I found out that it’s a tribute to the brand’s founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange, born in, you guessed it, 1815. That’s some history right there. I got into some watch forums and blogs, trying to get a feel for what people were saying. The craftsmanship kept coming up. Apparently, A. Lange & Söhne does some crazy hand engravings and finishing that’s top-notch. I saw some people saying it’s even better than some of those big-name Swiss brands.
Then came the price. Oof. These things are not cheap. I saw numbers ranging from like $14,000 all the way up to $57,000, with the average being around $27,000. For a watch! But then, I also learned that A. Lange & Söhne makes these watches in super limited quantities, which kind of makes sense given the detailed work they put into each piece.
I got my hands on a catalog. They have a lot of models. There was one, the 1815 Thin Honeygold “Homage to F.A. Lange,” which they only made 175 of. I mean, who even gets to own one of those? Also got a picture of it. It’s not too fancy, but it looks very classic. It caught my eye at once. So I kept digging.
I really wanted to try one, so I went to a watch shop. They only had two, I tried one on, and I noticed the price tag right away—a little over forty grand. It was a pink gold one. Another white gold one is even more expensive, but I didn’t try it on. The guy in the shop told me these are the usual prices for the 1815 Chronograph. But the thing is, it felt amazing on my wrist. Not too heavy, not too light. And the way it looked? Super classy.
I spent some more time comparing different versions of the 1815. I noticed it was tough to tell them apart at first glance, but the more I looked, the more little differences I spotted. Like, the spacing of the numbers, the shape of the hands, small stuff like that. There was this one model called the 1815 Up/Down that I saw in a review. The review said it was “impeccably designed and carefully crafted.” After I saw it, I totally agreed with that.
Now, here’s the kicker. Do these watches hold their value? Not really, as far as I found. I looked at some data, and it looks like they drop about 28.8% below retail on the secondary market. That’s a lot. But, I also found out that other luxury brands, like Patek Philippe, hold value better. It seems Patek is the king when it comes to resale. There is a slogan I’ve heard a lot: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe.” It does make sense, but I like the design of A. Lange & Söhne more.
So, what’s the verdict? These A. Lange & Söhne 1815 watches are something else. They’re pricey, no doubt, but the level of detail and the history behind them is impressive. I totally get why a true watch collector would want one. For me, it was a cool experience learning about them and even getting to try one on. I can say that I really got one, but I didn’t pay for it. I borrowed it from one of my rich friends, he is a watch collector, and he got a lot of them. Will I buy one someday? Maybe. It is indeed very cool. If I hit the lottery, definitely. But for now, I’m just happy I got to experience a little piece of watchmaking history.
