Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2023
A. Lange & Söhne will return to Lake Como next month, participating in the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The German watch firm has been a regular presence at the event since 2012. Angus Davies, a former marketing professional, explains why he thinks that classic cars and Haute Horlogerie make for a perfect marriage.
Cars and watches
Admirers of fine watchmaking and Haute Horlogerie invariably have a passion for luxury cars. This is not lost on the legions of marketing professionals who work for various watch brands. Take Formula One, there are a plethora of Swiss Maisons paying huge sums of money to conspicuously display their logos on championship-winning cars. Likewise, watch companies often form alliances with car marques, cross-fertilising their clients at various social events.
As a former marketing professional, I understand the rationale for such relationships. However, there are two intrinsic weaknesses with these types of relationships. Firstly, after swearing undying love, one party inevitably moves to a ‘rival’. Indeed, while some firms engage in a longstanding monogamous relationship, other companies engage in a merry-go-round of brand promiscuity.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the craftsmanship manifest with the finest watches is on a far higher plane than that found on most luxury cars. Take A. Lange & Söhne for example, it operates within the thinnest air, in the rarefied height of Haute Horlogerie. It is the very antithesis of mass production, crafting relatively small numbers of watches each year. Allow me to elaborate.
Craftsmanship
Movement components are painstakingly crafted to tolerances measured in microns. In fact, the variances involved in the making of hairsprings are actually measured in nanometres (1nm = 1,000,000mm). A watchmaker inhabiting this world of excellence has to work with deft patient hands, at an infinitesimal scale. For example, just imagine tightening a screw that’s barely visible to the naked eye, ensuring that its head is not chewed and its flawless appearance remains unsullied.
Finissage
Finissage (finishing) relates to the time-consuming task of removing signs of machining. The action of polishing parts using traditional methods removes burrs that could impair performance. Moreover, it enhances corrosion-resistance and delivers an aesthetic beauty capable of eliciting a smile on the face of any self-confessed aficionado.
Quite simply, there are few modern-day cars that are compatible with the exalted standards practised in the Glashütte-based Manufactory. However, no marketing-savvy watch firm can afford to ignore the all-important petrolhead.
Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este (seit 2012)
A few years ago, A. Lange & Söhne began engaging with the classic car fraternity. In 2012, the German marque became a partner of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. Held adjacent to Lake Como, visitors are indulged with an array of classic cars. Ticket holders may well see a rare Bugatti 57S, a Delahaye 135M or an aristocratic Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.
This is the perfect environment for the Saxony-based brand to meet discerning individuals with a shared passion for the finer things in life. Many of the cars on display pre-date electronics and were made in an era when mechanics reigned supreme, a characteristic that is consistent with Lange, a company with over 175 years of heritage.
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph
The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este will be staged from Friday, 19th May to Sunday, 21st May. On the Sunday evening, the winner of the ‘Best of Show’ award will be presented with a gorgeous timepiece, the 1815 Chronograph. Endowed with a solid pink gold dial and housed in a white gold case, the watch features a hinged cuvette hand-engraved with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este insignia. In the words of Lange CEO, Wilhelm Schmid:
“Like the works of art on wheels exhibited here, the timepiece combines classic design with masterful mechanics.”
All companies need to look at how they engage with new audiences. With its involvement in the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, A. Lange & Söhne associates its brand with an era of motoring when hand-craftsmanship and mechanics were the order of the day, a modus operandi that remains alive and well in Glashütte.