The best thing that happened to Sydney!

"You will not believe who just opened a boutique in Martin Place" said Bobby,
"FP Journe?"
"No, guess again"
"Richard Mille"
"No, think bigger and more exciting"
"No way! Seriously?" 

As a watch collector, the opening of the A. Lange & Söhne boutique in Sydney is like all my Christmases have come at once. Lange is my second favourite watch brand, and one that is so easy to fall in love with.

Of course, Bobby and myself could not miss the opportunity to poke our noses into the ALS Boutique, first thing Monday morning. With no specific expectations - except for a fireworks display of amazing horological pieces - we were simply blown away with the warm reception from the Boutique manager, Mr Delwyn Dass.  "Welcome to the second largest Lange boutique in the world!" - he proudly proclaimed.

Make no mistake: Lange is unstoppable. When it comes to workmanship, quality, finishes, complications and impeccable performance, the German watchmaker has very little competition at the very high end of haute horology. The pulling power of Lange is irresistible. It takes the will power of Ghandi to say no to the fresh, mint, and spotless 1815 Chronograph ref. 414.031 which is still the most affordable of all Lange chronographs ($73,000).

"What would you rather have- Lange or...?" is the game Bobby and I played all day. Almost every time, no matter what brand or model was mentioned, Lange was the preferred choice.

You see, unlike with most other brands, Lange is all about inner beauty; pure, traditional watchmaking; and impeccable craftsmanship. This is not a watch brand that attracts kids, or snobs, or flippers, or Instagram influencers, or those empty souls who constantly seek "external validation". This is a brand which patiently waits for patronage of true watch aficionados.

You buy and wear Lange because you want it and because you appreciate it - and because you could not care less what everyone else wears, wants, collects and buys. Lange owners simply do not care.

Mr Dass is both a knowledgeable and passionate watch dealer who is happy to explain and listen, but for the entire hour that we spent together, there was not the slightest attempt to over sell the brand, a watch, or his fine service. Unlike any Swiss brand watch representative I've encountered in the past, he was genuinely interested to find out more about our 'Australian manufactured' project. We felt a bit embarrassed to talk about NH watches in a Lange Boutique, but it was clear that when it comes to things that matter - inner beauty - our inspiration and aspiration comes from makers like Lange who share those same traditional values, firmly rooted in haute horology.

Lange's current stock range has around 40 models, of which quite a few are available for immediate delivery. Of course, some examples are made in very limited quantity and others have a delivery time of around 9 months. There is nothing boastful or arrogant about Lange's production and supply policy; no artificially created demand, no silly waiting lists, no patronising - simply an honest, straight forward "here is what we can do for you" approach.

As you walk into Lange's Sydney boutique, the very first thing you need to visit is their art installation known as the 'Wall of Components'. The entire wall is covered in 1316 individual watch parts which, assembled together, are the contents of a calibre L133.1 powering The Tourbograph Perpetual 706.025 (in actual fact, L133.1 contains 1319 components, but the last 3 parts are not on the display - for a very specific reason!).  The 'Wall of Components' is precisely what Lange's mission is all about; to excite us all and leave us speechless - from a novice to a collector; an apprentice to a watchmaker. The true art of watchmaking comes from the inner beauty.

The Tourbograph Perpetual 706.025 is from the famous Pour le Mérite line. "For Merit" was one of the highest orders in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later,  German Empire. It was awarded strictly as a recognition of extraordinary personal achievement, rather than as a general marker of social status or a courtesy-honour. The connection is obvious: when in 1994. ‘newly rebirthed ’ Lange offered it’s first Tourbillon 'Pour Le Mérite' the bar of extraordinary excellence was set. The Tourbograph Perpetual 706.025 released this year is the sixth 'Pour Le Mérite' in 25 years. I'll stop right here though, as I don't want to spoil anymore for you.

I strongly suggest the following: go and visit all Sydney watch boutiques, inspect the stock on offer, talk to the dealers - and then visit the Lange boutique last. Then ask yourself just one question: if you invest in Lange, would you really want any other watch on your wrist?

This brief review of Lange boutique is unsolicited feedback and a tribute, not a paid article. If you happen to deal with Mr Delwyn or Mr Andrea, feel free to mention my name, it would be mutually appreciated. 

To Buy Art or To Buy a Chicken Foot?

A couple years ago I decided to ‘get into Australian art’.
In this case, 'getting into it' meant acquiring anything I 

could get my hands on for $2,000 or less.
Yes it was a mid-life crisis venture into world of art, 

perhaps you’ve have had one too?

Now, even if you are not into art, you would imagine 

that my budget was barely enough to buy a decent frame,

let alone a charcoal by Dickerson.

But as they say, the fun is in education, 

not in acquisition, so I had nothing to lose.

I did my research: If I was to invest in a piece of Australian art, 

I wanted it to be a Blackman.
The innocence and naivety of an Alice in Wonderland opus 

- all those vibrant colours, surreal characters and seriously comic scenes 

was exactly what I was looking for.

Finding a dealer willing to ‘talk Blackman’ was easy.
Despite clearly indicating my modest budget, 
I was greeted like a Russian tycoon.
"Three to four hundred thousand will buy you a really nice Rabbit",

said the enthusiastic dealer,
"Which is really just a short change of what a large Blackman would fetch on today's market". The level of enthusiasm dropped significantly after he learned that I also deal for a living:
"Watches? Hmm... Do people still buy watches?"

Fifteen minutes later, we finally started talking business 

- a sixth limited edition signed print for just $8,500 

was the bare minimum he would allow me to have. 

When he realized that I wouldn't budge a cent more than $2K 

the monologue turned into an outburst of theatrical energy:
"You cannot get a Blackman for $2K! There is no such thing as cheap art. 

You have unrealistic expectation and quite frankly you are just wasting my time!"

He then disappeared behind the pile of prints, unframed canvases and boxes full of something that even my untrained eye could recognize as art.
"Here you go, you stubborn man”, he puffed and fumed, 
“the best I can do for you is this,

and I won't take a cent less than $2,500 for it”.

This was a drawing of a foot, the size of large postage stamp.
A black ink drawing depicting a foot of a chicken or a duck.
There was no colour, no action, no composition, no Alice and no Wonderland -
just a wiggly line. 

But yes, this was a Blackman, and yes, even owning a drawing of
a chicken or duck foot would still make me a connoisseur of Australian Art.

Funnily enough, some watch manufacturers are just like famous artists.

They are more than happy to put their name onto anything that tells the time,
and charge accordingly, of course. An ‘entry level top end brand maker's watch’ could be in reality just an ordinarily time piece in a paper-thin case.
When you are buying a Blackman chicken's foot, 
you are told that this is the way to enter into brand 
and perhaps, if you work really hard and save even harder, 
then maybe one day you may be able to own the brands ‘master piece’ 

- a calendar and power reserve model which is reserved for 'clients' only. Impressive indeed.

And this is precisely why I love A. Lange & Söhne.

With Lange there is no such thing as ‘entry level’ 
because each and every model manufactured is a real and complete masterpiece, regardless of mechanical complication.

Even a 'time only' Lange is as exciting as a 3m wide Alice in Wonderland 

- a firework of colours, action and intriguing beauty. 

Each Lange is an example of perfection in watchmaking artistry,
offering the highest level of unity between design, mechanical micro engineering and quality
you can see, touch, feel and hear.

Yes, life is too short for chicken foot.