A. Lange & Söhne - F. A. Lange Watchmaking Excellence Award 2013
On 5 December 2013, the F. A. Lange Watchmaking Excellence Award was presented for the fourth time by A. Lange & Söhne. The prize emphasises the importance of supporting the younger generation for the future of fine-watchmaking. Viennese Paul Wudy (23) from the Technical School of Karlstein in Austria received 10,000 euros prize money for his construction of a second time-zone display.
Of the leading watchmaking schools around the world that had been invited to take part, eight budding watchmakers from Germany, Austria, Japan, Denmark, Finland, France and the Netherlands qualified for the competition. At a one-week workshop at the Lange manufactory last summer, they familiarised themselves with the watchmaking culture of the traditional brand. The task was set on the final day: the candidates were given five months to construct and build a fully functioning second time-zone display based on an ETA 6498 movement.
In November, the entries were reviewed by a five-member jury of experts. Alongside Walter Lange and Anthony de Haas, Director of Product Development at Lange, the judges included trade journalists Gisbert L. Brunner and Peter Braun as well as the Director of Dresden's Mathematics and Physics Salon, Peter Plaßmeyer. Marks were awarded for originality and innovation, technical functionality, quality of craftsman-ship and aesthetic qualities of the execution.
The jury was particularly impressed by Paul Wudy's design of a four-hand indication that makes it possible to display 30- and even 15-minute differences between two time zones. The experts also highlighted the good readability and simple practical use of the watch.