Glashutte Original vs. A. Lange & Sohne

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The Watch Snob is in.How Do You Choose Between Glashütte And A. Lange?

A jeweler from whom I already bought a GlashütteOriginal (18K gold, PanoMaticLunar) has a brand-new A. Lange & Söhne Cabaretfor 50% off. I am not so keen on the watch, as much as the opportunity to pick up agreat brand. So what should take precedent: the brand or the style?While ordinarily this should be an easy question to answer,I congratulate you for presenting a true horological conundrum. My love for all things Lange is by now well known. Though the Cabaret is admittedly not among the brand’siconic pieces, it is still a very fine watch, with a dedicated rectangular movementbearing the usual Lange fine finishing. While I admire most of what GlashütteOriginal is doing (its cartoonish sports watches notwithstanding), I will almost alwayschoose its neighbor from down die Strasse. Butif you’re truly buying a watch to wear and not just boast about, then thePanoMaticLunar is a fine choice in its own right. If you’re looking for aninvestment-grade heirloom, but one you may not enjoy wearing, then get the Lange. Ifyou’re contemplating a trade of the Glashütte Original for the Lange, but arenot keen on the latter, it may be a bad decision. Choosing between German hautehorlogerie timepieces like these two is splitting hairs, and, in the end, they exist inthe same plane of quality, so I recommend going with the one you will enjoywearing. To your larger rhetorical questionabout brand vs. style, it really should not be about either. Rather, when considering afine timepiece, one should look at the merits of the watch itself -- its innovations, build quality, level of decoration and finishing and pedigree. To an extent, even thelast quality has less to do with a brand’s history as the lineage or tradition itfollows, which is why a Kari Voutilainen trumps even a Breguet.As for style, it is fleeting, while classic design lives on. Choose wisely.Is Cartier Headed In The Right Direction?

I wanted to ask if you'd revisit your position on Cartier. Do you think that it hasearned a place in the haute horology echelon, or is it still just a jeweler with goodaesthetic sense? Would the Snob ever consider donning the Rotonde de Cartier FlyingTourbillon?It truly warms the cockles of theSnob’s heart to see where Cartier is headed. The brand, which fills more than 50%of Richemont’s coffers, hasn’t rested on its fat laurels but has beengradually releasing one fine timepiece after another. The Calibre de Cartierline, while a bit brutish aesthetically, was a solid step in the right direction. The Rotonde de Cartier Minute Repeater Flying Tourbillon is a giant leap. Putting thebrand’s haute horlogerie movement design in the hands of a woman, Carole Forestier,was a move other watch brands might want to emulate. The watch is nothing less than amasterpiece. The release of the new Tank Anglaise at this year’s SIHH also showsthat, while looking forward with its movements, Cartier still respects its classicdesigns. Revisit my position on Cartier? I’ll do more than that. I’ll revisit the Cartier boutique.Question from a Watch Knob

I’m wondering how people appreciate a movement when they can’t even seeit.Watchmaking is about craftsmanship, whether visible or not, anda finely made watch would be discernible to a blind man in a dark room, merely byengaging the other senses -- the tactile bliss of winding, the steady tick of the balance wheel and the smell of a handmade leather strap. Merely knowing the merits of amovement -- its power reserve, a stop seconds complication, for example -- are enough toplease the mature aficionado. Perhaps the epitome of horological discretion and tastewould be a tourbillon that is neither visible from the dial side nor through a case back.I’m not a religious man, but that may just be the closest one could get to pure faith. Continue Reading

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