Mr. Range - Story of The Singapore Lange Connoisseurs Lunch

The Singapore Lange Connoisseurs Lunch was hosted by Michelle and her dedicated team from Lange Singapore. And the lunch was hosted at Yakitori Enmaru at Ion.

Like they say, some things are lost in translation. For example the name… Mr. Lange became Mr. Range.

I thought it was cute so I took a wrist shot of my companions… venture a guess whose wrists/watches these are?

And then my Range 1 on a Lange stand...

Seated beside me is the owners of a Rose Gold Black Dial Datograph. My preferred combination for the Datograph. Some call it the Dufour Datograph or the Dufourgraph. I absolutely love this watch. Just waiting for the right time when it is available and at the right price. Although it is not a Limited Edition piece, the RGBD version is rather rare.

And perhaps the oldest Lange at the gathering that afternoon. A Lange pocket watch with an enamel dial. Serial number has it dated back to 1908.

And before I forget why we were there, here is the food! Peter ordered the Chirashi sushi.

Larry had the ginger pork.

Terence had the beef. Understand the beef is tender and well cooked.

Kee Siew and I had the yakitori. Good stuff since this is after all a Yakitori restaurant.

And the band of brothers! Chap kor anyone?

Brothers in arms. I love the 1815 - slim and elegant.

And before we knew it, lunch was over and we headed down to the Ion Boutique. Couldn't resist so I asked for all the brothers to lay down their watches…a million dollar tray. Well almost.

A different look at the watches on display.

A trio of Datograph - how often you see so many versions of the Datograph. For a moment, we had more variety than the boutique.

And the highlight of the tray must be the Lange 1 Tourbillon. One can only dream of owning such a rare beauty. So I admire only...

Many thanks again to the team from A. Lange & Sohne. Hope we can do another one real soon. In the meantime, I continue to dream about the Lange 1 Tourbillon and search for the RGBD Datograph.

Lange Pocket Watch - A 1908 Gem

The things one find in a hidden store somewhere in Tsim Sha Tsui East, Hong Kong. I like walking into these small shops not expecting anything but coming out impressed by what you find. Such is the story of my Lange pocket watch.

I was waiting for a friend to pick me up at the Hotel Nikko along Mody Road and I thought since I had another half an hour that I would walk into one of the shopping centers to explore. Perched on the 2nd floor and one corner of the shopping centre (can't remember the name) was this shop displaying several vintage watches. The owner saw me standing at the window display and buzzed me in. What first caught my eyes was a fully dis-assembled Lange & Sohne pocket watch movement.

Pristine condition and definitely well kept. Wilson, the shop owner told me the case was sent for polishing. I expressed my interest and left my contact. A few weeks later as promised, Wilson sent me an email and told me the pocket watch was ready and that he wanted to sell it. I sought the advice of Manfred in AL&S HK and he told me it looked authentic - good enough for me. So I bought it!

I had a friend Stefan pick it up and he brought it back for me. And wow! What a beauty! The enamel dial is in pristine condition. Slightly aged but in great condition. The Louis-XV hands are also in good condition considering the age.

The case as Wilson had explained was well restored and polished to the point of brand new. The rose gold case was restored to its former glory. Unblemished and without engraving. Its a double hunter case.

And the movement, well it is in great condition. The movement measures 41mm and is what they consider a "flat design".

I had sent the pictures to the Lange Manufactory and applied for its archive papers. Based on the serial number, Lange says the watch was sold to a company (presumably retailer) in Frankfurt in 1908. Certificate says it is a Calibre 41 movement & the manufacturer is A. Lange & Sohne, Glashutte.

Thanks to my good friend Prof Harry Tan for for this image.

So the next time you have time on your hands, take a walk into one of those old shopping centers in Hong Kong. You may not know what you will find.