Watch collectors will be forgiven for having collaboration fatigue at the moment, what with new horology partnerships seemingly launched on a weekly basis. Which is why A Lange & Söhne’s sponsorship of the prestigious London car event, Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, is so refreshing: this year marks Lange’s sixth year as sponsor, which feels like an absolute eternity among the kind of fleeting, single-use, in-and-out watchmaking collabs of today.
“We’re never in for the short run - we always want to be in for longer periods of time,” said Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid, who was hosting both press and clients over the course of the three-day event. He is also a pretty big vintage car enthusiast himself, having taken his own cars to the Concous in the past, including a Frazer Nash, AC Ace Bristol and Porsche, with his oldest car dating from 1966. “Not only are we partner, but we really emphasise being in the event,” Schmid said. “We want the event to be better with us than without us,” he said.
A shining example is last year’s one-off Lange Hampton Court Edition watch, a white gold 1815 Chronograph featuring a solid-silver dial and hand-engraved hinged cuvette. First unveiled at the event, the piece was later auctioned in November for a cool CHF1.1m, the highest-ever auction result for a Lange wristwatch. Proceeds went to the British youth charity, The Prince’s Trust, and this year Schmid paid a visit the charity’s south London headquarters, seeing first hand the work of a foundation that’s supported more than a million young people to date.
There wasn’t any special launch at this year’s Concours of Elegance, but visitors still could take in the full range of Lange’s portfolio. A watchmaker was also on site to answer enthusiasts’ questions, flanked by a unique display of Lange’s in-house movements, which dated from the 405-component L951.1 from 1999, which equips the Datograph, to 2018’s 286-componet L086.8 used in the Saxonia Outsize Date, via Lange 1 Moonphase movements and 2004’s L001.1 Double Split calibre. It nicely complemented the exceptional cars on show, which notably included a whole line-up of historic Le Mans 24 Hours participants, in commemoration of the race’s centenary. As visitors arrived and took in the expanse of the palace’s Great Fountain Garden in the distance, they were immediately met with a rare pairing of the first Bentley to ever win the Le Mans 24 – a 1924 3-Litre Torpedo Sport – parked beside another Bentley winner, the 2003 Speed 8 Le Mans Prototype.
This autumn, Lange will sponsor the Audrain Concours in Newport, Rhode Island, cementing its relationship with US clients while bringing its sponsorship of such events to three (it also has the Concorso d’Eleganz Villa d’Este on Lake Como). Schmid was quick to add that Lange notably supports the Concours of Elegance, versus something racing themed like Goodwood or Le Mans. The emphasis of Lange’s sponsorship, after all, is beauty, craftsmanship, design and history – all the things that make up mechanical art, said Schmid.
All the cars in the concours share three key features, added Schmid. “They're all made by hand, not by machines. They all have a great history. And they all have outlived their usefulness. That’s very much a mechanical watch, isn't it? Nobody needs us, but everybody wants us. Nobody needs these cars but everybody admires and wants to keep them. That’s the common ground.”
