For the first time ever, A. Lange & Söhne presented a titanium watch, and, of course, the choice fell on a more sporty model Odysseus. All details, live photos and prices below.
A. Lange & Söhne’s new titanium Odysseus model belongs to the category of luxury, sporty-elegant watches designed for everyday wear, and titanium, thanks to its characteristics, is perfect for such use.
The decision to craft the case and bracelet of the third Odysseus model in titanium is very understandable, as it fits perfectly to the concept of the watch. Titanium weighs about 43 per cent less than stainless steel, clearly improving the comfort of the Odysseus on the wrist. With a diameter of 40.5 millimetres and a height of 11.1 millimetres, the watch hugs the wrist almost unnoticeably. Moreover, titanium is extremely robust. When exposed to oxygen, it produces a very thin transparent oxide coating that protects the material against external factors and makes it corrosion-resistant. Its warm gloss is paired with a unique patina that comes to the fore in the Odysseus with a combination of polished, matte, and brushed surfaces. Like the stainless- steel and white-gold versions, the titanium Odysseus has a water-resistant case with a screw-down crown that can handle a test pressure of 12 bar.
The new Odysseus has a multi-part dial in ice-blue colour. It features its own surface structure, primarily showcased by the decor on the hour ring. Here, the fine guilloched grooves extend in gentle arcs to the hour markers, creating an embedded look. This amplifies the three-dimensional effect and doubles as an exclusive signature.
The motif reappears in circular lines on the scale of the subsidiary seconds dial. The irregularly structured inner surfaces of the main and subsidiary dials contrast with the uniform lines. The argenté-coloured flange ring with the minute scale forms a shadow gap and adds lucidity to the dial. Among the Arabic five-minute numerals in black, the red printed 60 stands out as a colour accent, though I would prefer to see it also in black to keep the monochrome look. Hour and minute hands have the Lange-typical lance shape. They are made of polished white gold and filled with a luminous compound.
Inside of this Odysseus is the self-winding movement L155.1 DATOMATIC that can be admired through the sapphire-crystal caseback. The name DATOMATIC comes from the words “date” and “automatic”. A skeletonised and partially black-rhodiumed central rotor with a centrifugal mass in 950 platinum delivers ample winding power. When fully wound, the watch has a power reserve of 50 hours. The oscillation system is designed for superb rate stability. For this purpose, the balance – it beats with a frequency of 28,800 semi-oscillations per hour (4 hertz) – has been aerodynamically optimised with recessed poising screws and firmly suspended beneath the balance bridge. It is manually engraved with a stylised wave pattern, evoking the water-resistance of the watch. In line with Lange’s philosophy, all parts are lavishly hand-finished and the movement is assembled twice. This includes the German-silver plate decorated with Glashütte ribbing and the screwed gold chaton that marks the position of the escape wheel.
For its first watch with a titanium case, A. Lange & Söhne created a matching bracelet that forms a harmonious entity with the case. Thanks to its precision-stepped, easily operable adjustment mechanism, the length of the closed bracelet can be changed by as much as 7 millimetres. Тhis is a very useful feature for a bracelet. I hope soon every brand will offer it.
The titanium A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus is limited to 250 pieces and is priced at 55,000 euros (including VAT). In comparison, the steel version costs 30,000 euros, while the white gold version on the strap costs about 42,000 euros. Therefore, the price of the new titanium version seems very high. Usually, titanium versions from other brands differ slightly in price from steel ones. When I talked to а Lange rep during Watches and Wonders 2022, he mentioned that it took them to much time to manufacture and to finish the titanium bracelet (something what they didn’t fully expect, considering their very high standards in finishing level and difficulties working with titanium). Hence, probably, such a big gap in price. More information about A. Lange & Söhne watches you can find at www.alange-soehne.com.
