A. Lange & Söhne - On Course
9th October 2009
Fabian Krone's surprising resignation as CEO from A. Lange & Söhne on September 21 has unleashed a load of speculative reports on the Internet containing unfounded facts.
The official press release issued by the company cited "strategic differences of opinion" as the reason for Krone's departure, which could well have resulted from a recent Richemont decree that saw Jerôme Lambert, Jaeger-LeCoultre's CEO, pulled in as chairman. Former COO Jerzy Schaper succeeds Krone and leads the brand in the interim. A. Lange & Söhne had lost varying degrees of sales volume abroad as a result of the lagging economy, which hit North American and Asian watch markets particularly hard.
A chat with A. Lange & Söhne's press speaker Arnd Einhorn revealed the truth about the brand's "new" direction, which actually represents nothing more complicated than a return to the original vision of Walter Lange and Gunter Blumlein. "From 1994 to 2000, A. Lange & Söhne was a brand in the mouths of every watch aficionado," Einhorn recalls. "Every year the watch-buying public was pleasantly surprised with new models. We are returning to this, finding a middle road between the way things were back then and the way things are now."
In 1994, the freshly re-founded brand made a splash with four unique new wristwatch models—including the flagship Lange 1 and the chain-and-fusee Tourbillon Pour le Merite—and quickly followed up year for year with high-quality timepieces ranging between elegant three-handed models and highly complicated technology housed in a classic look. A. Lange & Söhne's policy remains to assemble each timepiece twice before it is finished to perfection by hand—unique in the watch industry.
Reports that the company will now concentrate on models under € 10,000 were quickly debunked during the conversation. "Only two years ago, A. Lange & Söhne still had an entry-level 1815 model in gold for € 9,000," Einhorn reminds us. The current entry-level price at the brand, which only houses its timepieces in gold or platinum, is €12,500.
There are also no plans to change the way the company manufactures its products, either. A. Lange & Söhne does manufacture most of its own components in Glashutte, and quite notably escapement parts, something that no other Glashutte manufacturer can boast and only a handful in Switzerland. "The manufacture of A. Lange & Söhne timepieces will remain traditional, performance-oriented, and handmade," Einhorn guarantees. "Glashutte is the best place for a handmade product."
According to Einhorn, the greatest changes are taking place outside the factory, where distribution will be revitalized and more globally positioned. This process had already begun back in May, when the brand replaced its U.S. president with former Panerai player Philippe Bonay, who revealed a new distribution strategy aimed at bringing more retailers into the fold in more of the key non-coastal markets. In general, U.S. strategy for European brands often includes chiefly serving the east and west coasts as well as Florida, Las Vegas, and the Caribbean.
In May, Bonay commented on his role and the future of A. Lange & Söhne by saying, "Our strategy during this time will be to continue to do what we do best: make good watches." Despite the change in headquarter management, Einhorn agrees that this will remain the maxim, and says of the near future, "expect more creativity and daring—especially more technical daring." And if the Lange Zeitwerk, conspicuously launched in May in Berlin, is any indication of the things to come, the approaching S.I.H.H. could be a very interesting one, indeed.
[Rating: 5 / 5 stars]
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