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New A. Lange & Sohne 1815


Sprocket

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Just purchased an A. Lange & Sohne model 1815 from Joshua. Six days from shipping to my door was speedy delivery! Haven't seen one of these on the forum yet and I wasn't sure what to expect. It's inexpensive at $108.00. The rep has a solid 316 case so it feels substantial and well made in your hand. Comparing it to photos in the Lange catalog, the dial face, hands, and case are actually well reproduced. The tail on the seconds hand at 6 is a couple of millimeters shorter than gen but not noticeably so. All of the printing on the dial face is accurate and crisp. Obviously the movement is far from gen. This rep uses a beautiful Asian Unitas 6498 17J manual hand wind movement, 21600 bpm. The printing on the movement is a little inconsistent. Some letters are printed thicker than others. I think this is due to trying to print over the textured plate. After running for 3 days, the movement is keeping time at approximately -5 sec per day. Not bad! Dimensions of the rep case is 42 x 11, gen is 40 x 8.9. Crown lettering is a little rough but you only notice it if you look closely at it. The synthetic sapphire crystal has a nice AR coating on the inside. I definitely have to find a new strap... The strap that comes with it is typically plastic feeling. It does have a quick deployment buckle that comes with it but it feels light weight and kind of flimsy. It works... just feels fragile. I removed the logo buckle from the clasp and it works just fine on its own. I took it around to a few local watch dealers/jewelery stores trying to find a decent alligator strap. Unanimously, NONE of the store clerks had ever heard of A. Lange & Sohne! The only exception was the guy with the goofy hair at the watch kisok store in the mall! :1a: Joshua does have the white dial face with blue hands version as well. The white dial is the only model available in the current Lange catalog and the only dial in this model I've seen. So, I'm not sure if the black face is just fantasy. I think it looks great so I don't really care. Overall, I love it! It has a nice clean design, feels good on the wrist, and seems to be running smoothly. It is on the large side but doesn't wear very big (My wrist size is around 7in). Not bad for a watch that's only a tic over a hundred dollars. What do you think?

Here's some photos for ya.

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You sure are! I was a little disappointed though... The version on Josh's site shows those two winding gears as being made of brass. I'm thinking about swapping those out when I finally have it serviced. I think the contrast with the brass gears looks much better. It is a nice looking movement yeah?

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I have to laugh a bit because all of the straps I've found that I like so far are more expensive than the watch! HAHA You don't really notice the printing issue unless you look closely at it. The problem was where they printed over the raised areas of the "traditional Glashutte ribbing". The font is engraved and gold filled on the gen. The gen movement is actually not as exciting. I actually like the looks of the rep movement better! More of the movement on the gen is covered by the plate, although what you can see is gorgeous! The rep just has more going on. The gen beat rate is 21,600 so the rep is pretty close. The gen has a power reserve of 55 hours. We'll see how the rep stacks up.

Gen Calibre L051.1

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Gen 1815

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I am in two minds about this one. It looks really good for the money, but I think my limit is that a watch has to be plausible.

So far having a Lange wich claims to be made by IWC has been a deal killer. But from what I can see it no longer says made in Switzerland on the movement, so with a bit of luck the International Watch Co will go as well.

Edited by mbjoer
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  • 2 weeks later...

beautiful watch. I have been passively considering a Breguet, VC, or A. Lange as a dress watch for a while but was concerned that the 17J movement wasn't that great. I figured a Lemania version would be worth it, but I also didn't know that the gen ops at 21.6K..

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  • 1 month later...

nice watch indeed for ~100usd ;)

Asian Unitas 6498 is not usually with dual winding box... this is not a 6498 mov.( anybody-correct me please if I am wrong). I had once watch with this kind of movement( topic )-very long power reserve( around 4-4,5 days). But unfortunately movement is 100% designed in china...no idea about movement quality or who will service it if needed afterward. :g:

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have a couple ALS $100 reps...and they are a great deal...very understated, elegant watches. Beautiful 3/4 plate movement with the display back. I've been meaning to do a writeup for awhile...but haven't gotten around to it.

If you were hesitant of entering the rep world and it's expensive $500 reps...these are a great entry point for getting a watch that far outclasses a lot of cheap "gens" out there.

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this is not a 6498 mov.( anybody-correct me please if I am wrong). I had once watch with this kind of movement( topic )-very long power reserve( around 4-4,5 days). But unfortunately movement is 100% designed in china...no idea about movement quality or who will service it if needed afterward. :g:

You are a 100% right. A Chinese movement which I would not disassemble in a milion years. These movements aren't made to taken apart.

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  • 7 months later...

Classy watch. I also am a fan of the movement. Totally reliable. And this model looks like the real deal.

So I am not the only one drinking way too much Cognac tonight :drinks:

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...and I hope that the " International Watch Co." is just a sticker that can be removed...

and no drinks for you eagle eye :rolleyes:

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  • 7 months later...

What is the lug width on the rep? 20mm 22mm? I ordered a white face one from Silix, and I have a brand new 20mm black hornback HR strap I hope will fit..

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