Gatherings: A. Lange & Söhne in Focus: UBS House of Craft Shines a Light on German Craftsmanship

Watch enthusiasts tend to have strong loyalties to their favorite brands, but there's a special level of fervor reserved for German watchmaker A. Lange & Söhne. The reasons for this are many and varied, but most can be distilled down to a single word: craft.

For the latest edition of UBS House of Craft, Charles Langlois, A. Lange & Söhne's Brand President of the Americas, joined Hodinkee's Mark Kauzlarich for an exclusive evening of cocktails, conversation, and an exquisite showcase of haute horlogerie. UBS House of Craft is a global initiative celebrating excellence in craft across diverse disciplines. Designed as a platform for dialogue and discovery, UBS House of Craft invites guests to engage with true masters of craft through intimate events, with the goal of fostering meaningful exchanges.

After arriving at A. Lange & Söhne's San Francisco Salon, which opened last year on Geary Street in the heart of Union Square, guests enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres along with top-shelf wines and spirits while admiring the Glashütte-based watchmaker's latest creations. Every piece in A. Lange & Söhne's range of watches embodies the brand's singular blend of old-world craftsmanship and modern German precision, but guests were inevitably drawn towards the novelties unveiled recently at Watches and Wonders Geneva, which are on display for a limited time at the San Francisco Salon. Among these is the new 1815, which combines a 34mm white or pink gold case with A. Lange & Söhne's latest manufacture 75th calibre, and the Odysseus Honeygold, which is the first example of the distinctive sport watch to feature a case and bracelet made from the brand's richly-hued 18 k gold compound. Other highlights included the rare Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold "Lumen," a spectacular horological creation featuring several high-complications and a semi-transparent luminous dial.

The opportunity to admire these pieces in the metal would be enough of an enticement for most watch enthusiasts, but as with every UBS House of Craft event, the experience was enhanced by a candid and informative conversation between Langlois and Kauzlarich. Seen as standing shoulder to shoulder with top Swiss watch brands, A. Lange & Söhne has earned a strong global following among in-the-know collectors for over 30 years despite producing just 5,000 watches per year. As an insider with deep knowledge of the brand, Langlois provided a look behind the curtain at the brand's devotion to craft, a tradition that stretches back to the mid-19th century. From A. Lange & Söhne's signature hand-engraved components (each engraver's pattern is subtly unique) to its German silver components to its twofold assembly process (in which each movement is assembled twice to ensure it's as close to perfect as possible) there was plenty of ground to cover.

While many in the room were already fans of A. Lange & Söhne, the insights shared into the brand's unique approach to watchmaking surely created a few more. In addition to copies of the latest Hodinkee magazine in their gift bags, guests left with a new appreciation for A. Lange & Söhne's devotion to traditional watchmaking at its highest level.