A. Lange & Söhne is a pretty conservative brand – not that that’s a bad thing. The German master of haute horlogerie (or should that be hochwertige Uhrmacherei?) has a very distinct, very Saxon style that makes it stand out amongst the top tier of luxury watch brands; it’s part of its allure.
That’s why when Lange released the Odysseus – their first-ever serially produced stainless steel watch and the closest thing the brand has to a sports watch – back in 2019, it immediately caused a huge stir. It also immediately became not only one of Lange’s most in-demand pieces but arguably one of the most in-demand watches in the world. They’re seriously hot property.
If the stainless steel Odysseus was Lange just dipping their toes in the luxury sports watch space, Watches & Wonders 2022 has seen Lange diving head-first into the market. Meet the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Titanium (ref. 363.117): a landmark watch for the storied firm and easily one of the hottest watches to emerge from the world’s biggest watch fair.
Making a sporty model like the Odysseus in titanium makes a lot of sense, but it’s still a real departure from form for the brand. Lange – like other traditional high-end watch brands such as Breguet or Patek Philippe – generally works with precious metals only, only making a small percentage of models in pedestrian metals like stainless steel… So to go even further and work with titanium is rather radical for them.
The advantage of titanium is that it’s 43% lighter than steel, making the Odysseus Titanium extremely light on the wrist. Lange has finished the titanium like it was a precious metal, though: its combination of polished, matte, and brushed surfaces is very compelling and really elevates the metal; making it rather luxurious. The integrated bracelet is particularly stunning, too.
Like the stainless-steel and white-gold versions of the Odysseus, this titanium number has a screw-down crown and is water-resistant to 120m, further underscoring its sporting pedigree. Like its siblings, it also features a sapphire caseback that reveals its immaculately finished L155.1 Datomatic movement. We love the contrast between the sportiness of the Odysseus Titanium’s case material and the ornate German silver mainplate of its movement.
The Odysseus Titanium’s ice-blue dial is also a highlight. It perfectly complements the titanium and further reinforces the watch’s sportiness. It also has a unique dial treatment compared to other Odysseuses: it features its own surface structure with fine guilloched grooves extending in gentle arcs to the hour markers, which amplifies the dimensionality of the dial and doubles as an exclusive signature.
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All in all, it’s a really stunning watch. It might be the sportiest thing Lange’s ever made but it still has that quintessential A. Lange & Söhne classiness; restraint; savoir-faire. It’s definitely different and definitely a highlight of Watches & Wonders 2022.
Limited to only 250 pieces, this Lange might as well be made of unobtanium rather than titanium – we expect demand for these to be huge. Perhaps now’s the time to start learning some German and getting chummy with your local A. Lange & Söhne dealer… Viel Glück.
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