A. Lange & Söhne
2019 Revolution Awards: Revolutionary of the Year
A. Lange & Söhne
2019 Revolution Awards: Revolutionary of the Year
Revolutionary of the Year
Wilhelm Schmid
If it were merely for the launch of the polarising, yet wonderfully daring Lange Odysseus (the word, a sobriquet bestowed upon the watch by none other than Johann Rupert) — a watch whose penchant for striking into unknown territory, rivals only the eponymous Greek mythological hero —you could make a strong case for Wilhelm Schmid, the CEO of A. Lange & Söhne as 2019’s Revolutionary of the Year.
The fact that he did it on top of an already impressive year-long 25th anniversary celebration of the Lange 1, with a seemingly ceaseless series of spectacular events including the Concours d’Elegance at Hampton Court, where he launched the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase, makes him a clear winner.
Which is not that it is Lange’s first serially produced watch in steel. There has been, of late, a collecting frenzy surrounding steel Lange 1s, but to be fair these watches are quirky anomalies ranging around 20 pieces or so, that vintage dealers and experts have decided to hype up based on their rarity.
Anyway, all of this happened before Schmid assumed the helm of Lange. And the point is, these were all dress watches that happened to find themselves with steel cases. The Odysseus is conversely an integrated bracelet sports chic watch but unlike others in its category, which are either designed by Gérald Genta or derived from the school of Gérald Genta — the one exception being the sublime Bvlgari Octo — this is a completely Saxon take on the genre. In the same way a Lange 1 is a Saxon take on a three-hand dress watch (ok, make that four, including power reserve indicator) or that the Datograph is a Saxon take on a dress chronograph.
Beyond the simple release of a dozen notable references this year, Schmid made sure he was present at every one of these launch events, enchanting existing clients and forging valuable relationships with a new generation, while broadening his reach to the world of vintage automobile enthusiasts, and all this while retaining his unflappable charm, humor and warmth makes him our undoubted, Revolutionary of the Year.