This is really our first issue for the year, dominated as it is with 2021 watches. As such, this is not the place to look for trends and lengthy diatribes (if you enjoy those, we still stock them but they have more to do with watches in general, not just novelties). Having said that, you have found one of a couple of pieces that are a bit different. The Summer issue completes a rather unusual troika relating to one specific brand: A .Lange & Söhne. If you are a regular reader (or if you are reading this online), you will have noticed that we brought you conversations with Wilhelm Schmid and Anthony de Haas - CEO and Head of Product Development, respectively - within the last 12 months. Ordinarily we would have stopped right there because we do care a little bit about balance in our coverage. When Watches & Wonders rolled around, we were set to avoid full A. Lange & Söhne interview pieces...until the manufacture offered us half-an-hour with Tino Bobe, the Head of Manufacturing at the German brand.
The last time we featured Bobe, it was 2019 right after the SIHH fair, and that alone might have justified our decision to do the interview. If you know anything about A. Lange & Söhne, and have followed the brand for a few years, you will have realised that senior management tends to stick around for the long haul here. This is remarkable, with Schmid having the shortest tenure of the top executives, at just over 10 years. We talked with both Schmid and de Haas about this but we really wanted to get into it with Bobe, who is a 20-year veteran with the firm. Only Arnd Einhorn, the head of communications, has been with A. Lange & Söhne longer (by perhaps a year, Bobe reckons).
This story is from the Summer 2021 edition of World of Watches.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Summer 2021 edition of World of Watches.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BRAND ELEVATION
On the sidelines of Geneva Watch Days, Bulgari CEO JeanChristophe Babin talks about the challenges of having one brand identity across all categories, and tells us what he really thinks of watch fairs.
EVEN MORE HANDS
For the third year in a row, the collective WOW team shares the watches we ponied up for. As always, we include a couple of fantasy pieces and more than a few fails.
CONCEPTS AND CONSEQUENCES
What is the legacy of concept watches? What happens when the show is over and it is time to actually manufacture them? How do these ticking research labs translate into actual, wearable timepieces...if they ever do?
THE QUESTION OF SUCCESSION
In the watchmaking industry, a company’s longevity is oftentimes measured not in decades but in centuries. What then happens to a brand beyond its founders? We speak to three CEOs to answer this question.
LEAPS AND BOUNDS
The quest to add one day to a month every four years may seem like a mundane task in the digital age, but achieving this mechanically is anything but.
FLIP SIDE
Omega celebrates the first human flight orbit the moon with a new Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon.
SNAPPING BACK
A powerful showcase for a one-of-a-kind constant force mechanism, the Girard Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement is now available for everyone.
GO FOR GOLD
Forty-five years after Piaget released its allgold Polo 79 luxury sports watch to critical acclaim, the maison revisits this iconic collection with a new ultra-thin movement.
CLEAR WINNER
Hublot's fourth collaboration with Takashi Murakami puts the artist's joyful flower motif at the centre of a bold new case design.
HISTORICAL TRIBUTE
Parmigiani Fleurier launches a new version of their Tonda PF Hijri Perpetual Calendar with a vivid green dial.
