Elite Traveler July-August 2018

INFLUENCE THE BIG INTERVIEW

Wilhelm Schmid on German precision and craftsmanship With seven years behind him at the helm of sophisticated and technically advanced A Lange & Söhne, Wilhelm Schmid lets passion drive him as he propels this German watch brand to new heights. Recently he shared his thoughts with Elite Traveler ’s Roberta Naas on why this small brand has become increasingly popular with collectors and about the challenges that lie ahead

A Lange & Söhne is the quintessential luxury watch brand. It is, perhaps, the man’s man of watchmaking. With a very classical appeal, this brand nonetheless also manages to put a thoroughly modern and visionary twist on each watch it creates — attracting watch lovers of all ages. Collectors appreciate its German heritage, and many consider it to set the benchmark of German watchmaking. Owned by the Richemont Group, A Lange & Söhne is based in Glashütte in the Saxony region of Germany, and,

and reviving his family’s legacy. He re-established A Lange & Söhne in Glashütte and unveiled its first watches in 1994. The German styling and highly technical appeal led to steady growth, and in 2000, Richemont purchased the brand. With the strong financial support of the Richemont Group behind it, A Lange & Söhne was free to spread its German wings. “What makes our watches so different from Swiss watches is that we have a real German ethos and design. Throughout our growth these past years, we have always stayed very true to what we are, to that German-ness,” explains Schmid, who admits that one of his biggest challenges is growing the brand while remaining true to its German detailing. “The no-nonsense approach of our watches is a typical German thing. The robustness of our watches is a typical German thing. While many Swiss watches have a French influence in their design, which is a bit more romantic, a bit softer, the German design at Lange is more robust, more pronounced, more straightforward,” Schmid says. “We are about touch and feel. Since our first watches were introduced 24 years ago, they had a distinct weight about them, and while our dials are always legible and understated, the back of the watch is where the opulence lives because of our movement decoration.” Indeed, it is this German design, along with top-quality craftsmanship, that has today’s collectors avidly following the brand. One need only pick up any A Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk, Handwerkskunst or other watch to immediately feel the weight of the

since 2011, Wilhelm Schmid has headed up the company, guiding it through growth, challenges and change in the face of unflagging popularity. “Since I arrived eight years ago, we have grown in the number of complications we make, in the number of product families and in the number of countries we are sold in,” says Schmid. “We also built an entire state-of-the-art manufacture and grew in head count from about 440 when I arrived to 750 employees now.” This continual growth represents a phenomenal accomplishment for the

German brand. While A Lange & Söhne has roots dating back to 1845, the company essentially had to start from scratch again in the 1990s. After World War II, the Glashütte watch brands were expropriated under the Soviets when Germany was split in half. Many watch-brand leaders fled to West Germany. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, though, some of those brands began rebuilding and reclaiming their past. In 1990, at the age of 66, Walter Lange, great-grandson of founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange, wasted no time breathing new life into the brand

Close-up of a decorated movement

Photo Lange Uhren GmbH