Rolex Forums - Rolex Watch Forum - View Single Post - Patek Philippe vs. A Lange & Söhne>>>>>>>>>

Horologista · 9 July 2023, 07:43 AM

Patek owner here.
Lange definitely has a pull on me but have held off on acquiring one for a number of reasons:

1. ALS claims to be centuries old, but in truth is it has only launched in 1990. To me this is no different than a brand like Blancpain or Chapek which gets relaunched under new ownership with no actual watchmaking infrastructure, only a registered trademark.
2. Sine 2000 ALS has been owned by Richemont group. This tells me as soon as ownership pumped some life into the brand they immediately cashed out. Between this and the point above the claims about ALS tradition are largely inflated. Anthony de Haas is a very charismatic leader and knows how to sell the brand, but this gets down to the difference between advertising, marketing, and reputation. ALS is more in the category of other Richemont or Swatch brand conglomerates; the higher end of which include Breguet, Omega, Vacheron, but because in the end they are just corporate assets in a holding company they are not at the level of Patek or even Rolex. Then again even FP Journe has sold out to Chanel, this either means that selling out is no big deal or that Patek is truly in a class by itself. Judge for yourself, but I think you can guess what I think.
3. ALS doesn’t make their own cases. The double assembly marketing might be a great way to gloss over this, but there is something very beautiful about a fully vertically integrated watchmaker, which ALS is not.
4. The 3/4 plate covers most of the movement. Need to get into Zeitwerk, Richard Lange, or chronographs to see the beautiful mechanisms. Even at the price point of a Lange 1 I would expect to see more movement.
5. The “A” in ALS stands for Adolf.
6. I could totally get over it being a German brand if the above five points were not true. But since they are notthen not being Swiss is just another mark against ALS given the context.
7. The proportions of the cases are off. A perpetual calendar deserves to have a sleek curved case, not look like a hockey puck. ALS please switch case manufacturers or make your own.
8. Secondary market is no where near as strong as Patek. I buy to hold, but I am not a fool when it comes to money either. Don’t want to feel like buying a new car that depreciates 50% the second it drives off the lot.

That said I do think the watches are quite beautiful. Definitely amazing innovation especially Zeitwerk and Richard Lange models. 0 seconds reset is brilliant. Brand will definitely grow and I will almost certainly acquire one in the next 5 years as the urge to have one grows stronger and stronger. For now however it is premature to compare to Patek.

9 July 2023, 07:43 AM	#216
Horologista "TRF" Member Join Date: May 2019 Location: USA Posts: 89	Patek owner here. Lange definitely has a pull on me but have held off on acquiring one for a number of reasons: 1. ALS claims to be centuries old, but in truth is it has only launched in 1990. To me this is no different than a brand like Blancpain or Chapek which gets relaunched under new ownership with no actual watchmaking infrastructure, only a registered trademark. 2. Sine 2000 ALS has been owned by Richemont group. This tells me as soon as ownership pumped some life into the brand they immediately cashed out. Between this and the point above the claims about ALS tradition are largely inflated. Anthony de Haas is a very charismatic leader and knows how to sell the brand, but this gets down to the difference between advertising, marketing, and reputation. ALS is more in the category of other Richemont or Swatch brand conglomerates; the higher end of which include Breguet, Omega, Vacheron, but because in the end they are just corporate assets in a holding company they are not at the level of Patek or even Rolex. Then again even FP Journe has sold out to Chanel, this either means that selling out is no big deal or that Patek is truly in a class by itself. Judge for yourself, but I think you can guess what I think. 3. ALS doesn’t make their own cases. The double assembly marketing might be a great way to gloss over this, but there is something very beautiful about a fully vertically integrated watchmaker, which ALS is not. 4. The 3/4 plate covers most of the movement. Need to get into Zeitwerk, Richard Lange, or chronographs to see the beautiful mechanisms. Even at the price point of a Lange 1 I would expect to see more movement. 5. The “A” in ALS stands for Adolf. 6. I could totally get over it being a German brand if the above five points were not true. But since they are notthen not being Swiss is just another mark against ALS given the context. 7. The proportions of the cases are off. A perpetual calendar deserves to have a sleek curved case, not look like a hockey puck. ALS please switch case manufacturers or make your own. 8. Secondary market is no where near as strong as Patek. I buy to hold, but I am not a fool when it comes to money either. Don’t want to feel like buying a new car that depreciates 50% the second it drives off the lot. That said I do think the watches are quite beautiful. Definitely amazing innovation especially Zeitwerk and Richard Lange models. 0 seconds reset is brilliant. Brand will definitely grow and I will almost certainly acquire one in the next 5 years as the urge to have one grows stronger and stronger. For now however it is premature to compare to Patek.