ALS - Balance Bridge Engraving

[illiguy]

I read on this forum that one can reach out to ALS to get a certificate that indicates who within the manufacturer personally engraved the balance bridge of a watch.

I reached out to ALS via email a couple of weeks ago, without hearing back. Has anyone had success attaining such certificate? If so, what was the route you took to contact ALS?

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by illiguy

I read on this forum that one can reach out to ALS to get a certificate that indicates who within the manufacturer personally engraved the balance bridge of a watch.

I reached out to ALS via email a couple of weeks ago, without hearing back. Has anyone had success attaining such certificate? If so, what was the route you took to contact ALS?

I was able to take one piece with me to factory and for the other I met up with a watchmaker at Concourse of Elegance. I have however had excellent service over email- I would give them a bit more time with the COVID situation or perhaps enquire via your AD.

[mario1971]

I wonder if they leave their signature, a sign or a number somewhere underneath.

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by mario1971

I wonder if they leave their signature, a sign or a number somewhere underneath.

The pattern is unique to each engraver

[CFR]

I find Lange's email responsiveness to be hit or miss. Sometimes I hear back quickly, while other times I get no response.

I remember bringing one older watch to the factory and several engravers were all looking at it together, trying to figure out who might've done it because it wasn't done by any of them -- it was done by a former engraver -- and they weren't sure who. It was fun to watch. In they end, they acknowledged that they were taking their best guess, which I really appreciated!

[ansharma]

It’s true! I got mine a couple of years ago at a watch fair and luckily the guy I met there it happened to be his work and he was happy to provide the certificate.




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[illiguy]

Originally Posted by ansharma

It’s true! I got mine a couple of years ago at a watch fair and luckily the guy I met there it happened to be his work and he was happy to provide the certificate.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very cool. Thanks for confirming. I just reached out via email again (with photos). Hoping for better luck this time around.

[77T]

Originally Posted by illiguy

I reached out to ALS via email a couple of weeks ago, without hearing back.

Which email addy did you use?

contact.us@lange-soehne.com
or
contact.europe@lange-soehne.com

Or another?



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[illiguy]

Originally Posted by 77T

Which email addy did you use?

contact.us@lange-soehne.com
or
contact.europe@lange-soehne.com

Or another?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

customer-care@lange-soehne.com

[MCMartiny]

I got the engraving certificate for my Lange at a collectors' event as well. This is what it looks like:







Very nice touch by Lange

[gm58]

that is really cool! do they need to see the actual watch or can you just give the serial no?

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by gm58

that is really cool! do they need to see the actual watch or can you just give the serial no?

I believe they have to see the piece, but others might know different.

[Watchflair]

This is very cool info- thank you for sharing.

[MCMartiny]

Originally Posted by gm58

that is really cool! do they need to see the actual watch or can you just give the serial no?

They have to study the watch through a powerful loupe (to inspect the balance bridge). I am not sure if Lange could also do this based on a (macro) photo.

[EEpro]

Originally Posted by MCMartiny

I got the engraving certificate for my Lange at a collectors' event as well. This is what it looks like:







Very nice touch by Lange

Well that's not awesome or anything!

Congrats on getting that.

[illiguy]

Originally Posted by EEpro

Well that's not awesome or anything!

Congrats on getting that.

+1! Very cool and another reason why I love ALS.

As for whether they need the timepiece in the flesh to confirm the engraver, I’ll keep this group apprised. As mentioned, I’ve reached out via email to ALS and sent them my warranty booklet info, a photo of movement and a zoomed-in photo of the balance bridge.

[sleddog]

Interesting read.
I had no idea they would even entertain the idea of noting who the actual engraver was.

ALS makes some true work of art. The watches, and the mechanics are all part of that.

[CFR]

Originally Posted by sleddog

Interesting read.
I had no idea they would even entertain the idea of noting who the actual engraver was.

Yeah, this is one of the really nice things they did (and still do?) for folks who tour the manufacture while wearing their Lange. They used to have 3 engravers on staff -- not a large number, and all working in the same room. So if a person visited the factory wearing a relatively new Lange, there's a good chance they'd actually meet the person who engraved their watch. Pretty cool!

[gm58]

Originally Posted by illiguy

+1! Very cool and another reason why I love ALS.

As for whether they need the timepiece in the flesh to confirm the engraver, I’ll keep this group apprised. As mentioned, I’ve reached out via email to ALS and sent them my warranty booklet info, a photo of movement and a zoomed-in photo of the balance bridge.

please do thank you!

[Sulituan]

Thanks for sharing. Look at the big smile of the watch marker (graveur). Love it.

[WatchEater666]

Yes they will do it when you order a new piece or during a service. I was too impatient to wait for it with my Zeitwerk but I intend on getting it custom engraved whenever it needs a sevice.