As you step into the new A Lange & Sohne boutique located on the ground floor of Suria KLCC Shopping Centre, you will notice the many gleaming references established by the Saxon-based watchmaker since its 1990 resurrection after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Here, at the first-ever monobrand A Lange & Sohne boutique in Malaysia, located under the shadow of the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers, one finds the family ranges from the first-ever collection of Lange’s rebirth, the Lange 1, the classically pure Saxonia, the artisan perfection of the 1815 and the groundbreaking Zeitwerk, which made history with its jumping numerals mechanism and digital display. At this boutique, the one collection which may prove most intriguing is also the watchmaker’s most recent, the sporty elegant Odysseus – so named for the Greek epic, which mirrors the collection’s process of realisation.
In his 15 years at A Lange & Sohne, Director of Product Development Anthony de Haas took note of one particular recurring piece of customer feedback. “Very often they told me ‘listen, I own 12 of your watches, but up to now you have not made a watch that I can wear during my most precious time of year – my holiday,’” he relates. And so the Odysseus was created, the manufacture’s first-ever sports watch, launched in late 2019.
Its impact was immediate, and polarising, which was not so unexpected. The horological community thrives on tradition and classicism, and casts a very critical eye when a brand with as strong an identity as A Lange & Sohne steps outside of its comfort zone. The Odysseus had the qualities of a typical sports watch, but marked many dramatic firsts for the brand including being the first regularly produced stainless steel watch, and the first with a good water-resistance and a screw-down crown. Some decried it – and they would likely not have been too thrilled with the newly released white gold execution (€39,500 or about RM195,000) either, which dares to have a rubber strap.
De Haas was not surprised at the response. “I’ve learned over time that negative criticism, it’s a good thing. It’s an indication that there’s a lot of passion involved, and that you’re on track,” he says. He compares it to the Zeitwerk, which launched in 2008, also to divided opinions. Yet the Zeitwerk, with its unique jumping digital displays, is today hailed as a massive success and A Lange & Sohne at its finest. Originally planned as an off-the-wall one-shot, the Zeitwerk’s immense popularity has since seen it grow into an entire product family, the latest of which being a minute repeater that was released this year as a limited-edition white gold execution with blue dial (€449,000 or roughly RM2,214,000).
The Odysseus, on the other hand, was always planned as a product family. At first glance, the Odysseus may seem quite different from the A Lange & Sohne norm, but under the surface it bears all of the brand’s trademark thoughtfulness. It has an all-new, purpose-built movement that debuts two outsize displays for day and date. In another brand first, a balance bridge is used instead of a balance cock, for better stability and shock-resistance; for similar reasons, it beats slightly faster than the brand norm at 28,800vph.
De Haas clearly has faith in the Odysseus – if not, he would not have spent four years on its development. “I think it is the most difficult project I ever did at Lange,” he says. “Because to find a new face which is still 100% Lange, and not trying to be a copycat of the famous Genta designs… that was the biggest thing. We could have done a lot of things wrong with this watch.” Clearly, he expects the Odysseus to prove its worth in the long run. “Lange stands for longevity,” he adds.
