Anthony de Haas on the Lange 1: Our Interview with A. Lange & Söhne’s Product Development Director

0 0 Wednesday 30 October 2024 Edit this post

On the occasion of A. Lange & Söhne's 30th anniversary celebration of their most iconic timepiece, the Lange 1, we had the opportunity to interview Anthony de Haas, the brand's Product Development Director.

This milestone is marked by the introduction of four exclusive limited editions, including the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1 in platinum and pink gold, which we presented here last week.

Since its debut in 1994, the Lange 1 has stood as a symbol of innovation and excellence in horology. In this interview, Anthony shares insights into the evolution of the Lange 1 over three decades, the challenges of maintaining its iconic status, and the careful thought that goes into each limited edition.

Time and Watches: It’s great to have the chance to interview you again after around 4 years. In 2020, our conversation centred around the Zeitwerk and the Odysseus while this year the focus is on the Lange 1 and the four just announced celebrative editions. In the press announcement, you said that the Lange 1 was born out of a desire to do things differently. Could you elaborate on that a bit more for us? And thirty years later, how do you view its evolution in relation to that original ambition?

Anthony de Haas: It’s great that people see the Lange 1 as an icon—a fantastic and special watch. However, this perception makes it a bit more challenging to introduce new variations. We want to be careful not to disrupt the original essence of the watch.

As we celebrate the 30th anniversary, I recall that about five years ago, we dedicated a whole series to the Lange 1 family. The original Lange 1 marked the beginning of a whole family of watches, and we created 25 pieces of each complicated variation, all with blue dials. That was a significant moment for us.

Now, we wanted to do something we had never done before with the Lange 1. It’s essential to surprise collectors, especially since they are well aware of what the original Lange 1 looks like—the yellow gold case with an argenté dial and its various iterations.

We are excited to have incorporated onyx into our designs for the first time. The last time we used onyx was back in 2008 for the Cabaret model, when we produced 30 pieces with an onyx dial. At that time, I would have made more, but we thought it was a good opportunity to experiment. Since we relaunched the Lange 1 with the new movement in 2015, there has been a demand for a platinum version with a black dial. People expressed their desire for it, so we decided to surprise them.

Instead of opting for a standard black dial with the inverse date—white print on black discs—we aimed to create something more exciting. The dial of the onyx is made from a single plate, and the sub-dials are printed on top of it, creating a striking visual effect. The text and outlining are in white, giving it a unique appearance that resembles a black mirror or black ice. We internally refer to this watch as the “tuxedo watch” because of its elegance.

The combination of pink gold with blue is another fresh take for us. We hadn’t done this combination in the Lange 1 before; previously, we only used blue dials with yellow gold, which we did back in 1998. The pink gold with blue is indeed a striking combination.

For instance, we also used this combination in the Triple Split model. The front of the watch has two identities: on one side, there’s the pure, elegant onyx; on the other, a more lively pink gold with blue. This contrast was central to our design concept.

Time and Watches: Limited editions offer a sense of exclusivity, but this isn’t just about rarity. How do you ensure that each limited edition resonates with collectors while retaining the essence of the Lange 1’s legacy? Could you share your approach to developing limited editions in this context?

Anthony de Haas: Limited editions are something we have to do because they are important for collectors. However, for our sales and allocation teams, managing them can be quite a challenge! I’m happy that I’m not involved in this delicate process.

I think Lange & Söhne still needs to produce limited editions. Some might say we only make around 5,000 watches, so they are automatically limited editions, but apparently, the watch world requires this. This year, we created many limited editions because we had things to celebrate, such as the 30th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the Datograph, as well as the Lumen model from Watches and Wonders.

I believe that limited editions are essential; otherwise, the demand becomes so high that we could never fulfill it. Nobody is going to wait ten years for a watch. For instance, if we hadn’t limited the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen, I think we would have received around 500 orders, but that’s unrealistic. A lot can happen in five or ten years.

I remember when we launched the limited edition of the Odysseus in titanium; that was a huge number for us—250 pieces. Normally, we might have around 50 to 100. The sales team asked, “Why didn’t we make 500? We could have sold 500!” I had to explain that we finish these bracelets ourselves, and it’s hard to tell the person polishing the links that he needs to make 500 of these.

It’s the same situation with the new Datograph Handwerkskunst in yellow gold. We launched only 25 pieces last month, and the sales team wondered why we didn’t make 75. But producing these pieces has its own limits. For the 30th anniversary of the Lange 1, we decided to limit it. So we have 150 pieces of the Lange 1 and 300 pieces of the normal Lange 1, which is a significant number for high-end pieces in that price range.

Time and Watches: You recently described the Lange 1 as a "mechanical work of art." What features of the Lange 1 and its 30th-anniversary editions do you think best reflect this definition?

Anthony de Haas: It was quite genius to come up with the idea. It’s very difficult to find a specific new face for a watch. Of course, one of the gentlemen who rebuilt the brand had cut loose from their white paper. They had no borders, which allowed them to create new ones, and they did that in a magnificent way. These borders are still used today, forming the DNA of the brand.

Finding a new face for the Lange 1 was quite an undertaking. The idea of achieving a balanced design in what’s often referred to as a "German symmetrical" style—with its aligned triangular indicators—was genuinely innovative.

I remember when the watch was launched; I was still in Holland, and I didn't like it at first. I found it huge at 38.5 millimeters. In 1994, that was a big size, but now it seems small. It took me some time to appreciate it.

Even today, 30 years later, you can still see and think about the details that have been carefully considered. I've been reflecting on this a lot over the past few weeks, especially as we celebrate 20 years of work. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to follow and continue building on what Günter Blümlein and Walter Lange put on the map.

Our development process is always careful. We don't do things just because it’s a trend, like making a green watch just because green is popular, or jumping on the bandwagon to create a sports watch simply because the world is waiting for one. We’ve been working for years on the sports watch for Lange, but it’s not about being fancy or trendy. If rectangular watches become the next trend, we won't start making them just to follow.

What Lange has established with the Lange 1 is quite cool, and it's not easy to further develop that design. It's very tricky to create new versions while retaining the essence of the original. However, we managed to create variations like the Time Zone model and the Daymatic. The concept of the timezone ring also inspired our perpetual calendar.

The Lange 1 Time Zone introduced in 2005

The key is to preserve the iconic design over the years rather than constantly seeking opportunities to evolve it. There must be a certain logic to design changes, and I don’t see any reason to suddenly alter it without purpose. Adding a functional indication is a different matter because it extends the watch’s capabilities.

What we create is a piece of art, and sometimes art requires an element of surprise. For our recent releases, we decided to keep it low scale, not launching a huge variety of models like we did five years ago. Instead, we focused on two versions: a platinum model, which has a different appeal, and a pink gold version that feels lively and flamboyant.

Each of these new Lange 1 has its own identity, and I believe we’ve accomplished our mission.

Time and Watches: Aside from its launch in 1994, what would you consider the other major milestone in the 30-year history of the Lange 1? If you could mention just one, which would it be?

Anthony de Haas: I heard that Mr. Günter Blümlein was asked a question in 2001 by a journalist during the launch of the Lange-Matic Perpetual, which was our first perpetual calendar. The journalist asked, "Wow, wouldn’t it be great to have a perpetual calendar in the Lange 1?" Blümlein replied, “I don’t think that is technically feasible.” We didn’t know he had said that at the time. When we launched the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar in 2012, that same journalist came to us and said, “Hey, wow, you did it!”

The Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar introduced in 2012

So, it was a bit of a tricky thing, but we’re used to tackling challenges. It’s also fun to solve these kinds of problems because development is all about overcoming obstacles. If you only stick to the usual paths, you won’t truly develop; you have to push yourself and try to approach things differently, with more detail.

We always strive to push ourselves, and it can be very complicated to make us happy. There’s a common vision among our team, and sharing the same values is the secret to our success. It’s normal for a manager to provoke their team a little sometimes; it’s more about psychology. Occasionally, you have to draw something out from deep within the team. For instance, the movement designer spent two years developing something that ultimately didn’t work or turned out to be too expensive. These things happen, and it’s part of the game; we all know that.

However, sometimes it’s emotionally challenging. What we do here is very emotional, even if it might seem technical and German in nature. I think it’s good that a Dutch guy, a somewhat unusual Dutch guy, is leading the team with a lot of humor.

Time and Watches: Do you own a Lange 1 yourself, and if so, which model?

Anthony de Haas: Yes, I have a Lange 1. I bought it in 2002 while I was still working at Renaud Papi, and I even wore it during my time at Audemars Piguet. At that point, I had no idea I would one day work at Lange. The watch is from the first generation, in pink gold with a silver dial.