A. Lange & Söhne presents the Odysseus in a 750 honey-gold (Honeygold) case, complemented with a brown dial and a honey-gold bracelet.
Press release details to follow with commentary in italics
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Honeygold
The Odysseus Honeygold Ref. 363.150 is limited to 100 pieces only and is only available in A. Lange & Söhne boutiques. Pricing is only ‘available upon request’.
Commentary
The Odysseus was first released in 2019 to polarised opinion. While some were excited that A. Lange & Söhne were finally getting with the times by releasing a heavyweight luxury sports watch, others felt let down that the brand had become just like everyone else. Moreover, the first Odysseus was crafted in stainless steel which, again, was polarising. Some were thrilled to see a serially-produced Lange watch for the first time, while others took it as the end of Lange exclusivity. What wasn’t divisive was the quality of the actual timepiece. It is one of the most well-finished sports watch in the market and is exceedingly comfortable to wear.
The Odysseus Honeygold is set to get everyone talking again. There will be those who are awed by the use and beauty of honey-gold here, and there will be those who will be slightly disappointed by the liberal use of honey-gold by the manufacturer. Historically, honey-gold, a proprietary alloy, was reserved only for very special timepieces – think the 1815 Moon Phase (part of the Homage to F. A. Lange set), and the opulent Richard Lange Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” Handwerkskunst. The rate of which honey-gold pieces are being released recently has increased, with no fewer than seven pieces presented since 2019 – eight, once you count this year’s Odysseus. On one hand, you could say that the brand is merely giving its customers what they want instead of being snobby about exclusivity. On the other, one could argue that the brand is diluting its identity as an ultra-high-end luxury brand for short to medium term gains.
Whichever side of the fence you sit on, one thing’s for sure: the Odysseus Honeygold is absolutely gorgeous. The colour of honey-gold is otherworldly, and to see so much of it in one Lange watch is sensory overload. Its pairing with a brown dial only compounds its beauty. The watch is not going to come cheap, but the lucky 100 who manage to get their hands on one are in for a treat sweeter than honey.
Release Details
Comfortable honey-gold bracelet
For the first time, the manufacture presents the ODYSSEUS with a honey-gold, five-row bracelet. It is harmoniously integrated into the case and eminently comfortable to wear. The safety deployment buckle has a user-friendly mechanism that, by pressing a pusher, allows its length to be adjusted by up to 7 millimetres, without even having to open the buckle. If required, the bracelet can also be adapted by adding or removing individual links.
A stylish colour combination
The fourth colour and material version of the ODYSSEUS pairs a honey-gold case, measuring 40.5 millimetres in diameter and 11.1 millimetres in height, with a brown dial. The elegant hue matches the warm lustre of the manufacture’s exclusive alloy ‒ characterised by its typical colour and particular hardness. The hands and notched baton appliques are also made of honey gold. With a height of 2.4 millimetres, the white numerals of the outsize date and the letters of the day-of-week display stand out against the brown background. A luminous coating was applied to the lancet-shaped hands for hours and minutes as well as the hour markers, also assuring unambiguous time readings in the dark. The embossed groove structure between the hour markers and on the scale of the subsidiary seconds dial underscores the three-dimensional impact of the dial. It contrasts against the subtly gleaming inner surfaces of the main and subsidiary dials. The red number 60 provides a colourful accent on the peripheral minute scale that is printed on the bevelled, gold-coloured flange ring.
Robust mechanics ‒ with typical Lange finish
Specially developed for a wide range of uses, the manufacture calibre L155.1 DATOMATIC of the ODYSSEUS is in a league of its own regarding reliability and robust design. The name DATOMATIC, visible on the central rotor, stands for the date mechanism combined with automatic winding. The unidirectionally winding rotor assures efficient winding and a constant delivery of energy.
The intricate, aesthetically appealing details of the artisanally finished movement that is assembled twice can be observed through the sapphire-crystal caseback. They include the skeletonised and partially black-rhodiumed rotor with a centrifugal mass in 950 platinum, the plates and bridges made of untreated German silver, blued screws and the screwed gold chaton above the escape wheel. When fully wound, the mainspring barrel delivers a maximum power reserve of 50 hours. To guarantee high-rate accuracy regardless of external factors, the balance operates at a frequency of 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 hertz). It is regulated with four recessed screws that are flush with the outside of the balance-wheel rim. This design reduces turbulence despite the higher frequency. Together with the freely oscillating balance spring made in-house, the minimised air resistance has a positive impact on the movement’s rate accuracy and energy efficiency. Contrary to other Lange calibres, the oscillation system is held by a balance bridge secured at two points, instead of by a cock. It is manually engraved with a wave pattern alluding to the water resistance of the watch.
“With the ODYSSEUS, we laid the foundation for our latest watch family in 2019, thus unfolding a creative potential for us that we further tapped into by developing this new model in honey-gold,” explains Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid. “In a special way, the warm lustre emanating from this exceptional colour combination reflects our ambition to never stand still.”
Technical Specifications
Movement: Lange manufacture calibre L155.1 DATOMATIC®, self-winding, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; unidirectional winding central rotor with 950 platinum centrifugal mass; balance bridge engraved by hand
No. of movement parts: 312
No. of jewels: 31
No. of screwed gold chatons: 1
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillation system: Shock-resistant balance with four poising screws; superiorquality balance spring manufactured in-house, frequency 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 hertz), precision beat adjustment system with cam and whiplash spring
Power reserve: 50 hours when fully wound
Functions: Time indicated in hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds; date and day-of-week displays
Operating elements: Screw-down crown for winding the watch and setting the time; two pushers for correcting the date and day of week
Case dimensions: Diameter: 40.5 millimetres; height: 11.1 millimetres
Movement dimensions: Diameter: 32.9 millimetres; height: 6.2 millimetres
Case: 750 HONEYGOLD®
Water resistance: Up to 12 bar (120 metres)
Dial: Brass, brown
Hands and appliques: HONEYGOLD®; baton markers, hour and minute hands luminous
Crystal and transparent caseback: Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Bracelet: 750 HONEYGOLD®
Buckle: Safety deployant buckle with precision adjustment mechanism for adjusting the length
Limited edition: 100 watches, edition engraving
