Lange Price increase

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by Bearxj86

What do you think of the Journe Vagabondage? There is one with an hour and minute format and one with hour minute and second. All in a smaller slimmer case...?

Not a fan of the Journe, the time is not laid out properly and certainly the movement is not a patch on the zeitwerk. The Journe is however a great size.

https://youtu.be/0Iqp22vcPMM

[Goupax]

Lange is going to rue the day when they started to play those bundling games with their customers, they have been on this hype train for like 15 minutes compared to the likes of Patek, AP and Rolex. Just like they were the last to join the party, rest assured that they will be the first to fall off the wagon when the tap of stupid money runs out. I have heard they are cutting all their AD network in North America to run exclusively with boutiques, I wish them good luck keeping up with all the overheads and the headaches to unload their luxury products in the coming recession period.

[Russell996]

Originally Posted by Goupax

Lange is going to rue the day when they started to play those bundling games with their customers, they have been on this hype train for like 15 minutes compared to the likes of Patek, AP and Rolex. Just like they were the last to join the party, rest assured that they will be the first to fall off the wagon when the tap of stupid money runs out. I have heard they are cutting all their AD network in North America to run exclusively with boutiques, I wish them good luck keeping up with all the overheads and the headaches to unload their luxury products in the coming recession period.

Makes perfect sense, cut volume and increase margins.

[Jimbo]

You can argue that Lange is raising prices and bundling for greedy reasons. Or you can look at Lange and say that they actually make far less watches than Patek with the same or better quality and complexity than Patek, and yet we don't seem all that surprised when Patek ADs do this.

As an example, the 1815 Annual Calendar in white gold, when it first came out, was around mid-to-high $30K (was it in 2018?).

If you look at that watch, even back in 2018, that watch and movement architecture is a STEAL at that original price.

What is it now, high $40k? That seems about right considering your bargain basement Calatrava will still set you back more than $30k. Perhaps, Lange is still a bargain?

Technically, the Odysseus' starting price when first released was around mid-to-high $30k? Still a bargain compared to your average Royal Oak Jumbo or Nautilus.

[aparker973]

Originally Posted by ezinhk

Most people I know that own ALS already have a few Pateks. So if you don't have either one, then better to get a Patek first.

I can only speak for myself, but quite literally the day I tried on my first Lange was the day I decided my Pateks weren't for me. Entirely a personal decision.

Like wearing Ferragamo loafers to work (yes, I'm from that era) and enjoying it, only to stumble into a John Lobb store and realize you're not into those loafers as much as you thought.

[justcruisin]

Originally Posted by aparker973

I can only speak for myself, but quite literally the day I tried on my first Lange was the day I decided my Pateks weren't for me. Entirely a personal decision.

Like wearing Ferragamo loafers to work (yes, I'm from that era) and enjoying it, only to stumble into a John Lobb store and realize you're not into those loafers as much as you thought.

The same happened to me. Lange is for me. Patek 5326g is currently very interesting to me though! :).

[JMac6]

Originally Posted by aparker973

I can only speak for myself, but quite literally the day I tried on my first Lange was the day I decided my Pateks weren't for me. Entirely a personal decision.

Like wearing Ferragamo loafers to work (yes, I'm from that era) and enjoying it, only to stumble into a John Lobb store and realize you're not into those loafers as much as you thought.

I'd say that Patek is like Lobb and Lange is like Edward Green. Patek is a cut above Ferragamo if you are using your analogy.

[Jimbo]

I do not own a Patek, so I don't know what the Patek experience is like from a practical standpoint. I do have a Lange, and I'm just so impressed by it every time I wear it.

If I try on a Patek, to use the shoe analogy, I might become a Patek person, but that would have to be some life changing shoes....I mean cancer curing shoes....for me to think that a Patek is that much more worthy a brand than Lange to justify the disparate valuations on the secondary market.

[aparker973]

Originally Posted by JMac6

I'd say that Patek is like Lobb and Lange is like Edward Green. Patek is a cut above Ferragamo if you are using your analogy.

Point taken.

Thought about going EG, and equating Patek to Ferragamo loafers is a low blow, but I was near the end of my toilet time and just wanted to hit submit.

[JMac6]

Originally Posted by aparker973

Point taken.

Thought about going EG, and equating Patek to Ferragamo loafers is a low blow, but I was near the end of my toilet time and just wanted to hit submit.

That is completely fair.

I think the Lobb / EG analogy is also apt because people often shift from Lobb to EG and then waver between the two. You go to EG saying "they use a pig's bristle to stich the toe", and focus on the craft, but no one can deny that Lobb, particularly in the prestige collection, makes some bangers. Lobb is far better known than EG, but, like Patek - Lange, Lobb is still churning out a fantastic product. And there is no denying that certain of Lobb's models, like the Phillip II or the Chapel or the Lopez, may be the best shoes out there.

[ajw45]

Originally Posted by Goupax

Lange is going to rue the day when they started to play those bundling games with their customers, they have been on this hype train for like 15 minutes compared to the likes of Patek, AP and Rolex. Just like they were the last to join the party, rest assured that they will be the first to fall off the wagon when the tap of stupid money runs out. I have heard they are cutting all their AD network in North America to run exclusively with boutiques, I wish them good luck keeping up with all the overheads and the headaches to unload their luxury products in the coming recession period.

Yup! If Lange was such a bargain or so underrated why do they need to bundle? Buyers will get burned twice, the first time when they spend full whack on watches they don't want and the second time when they go to sell and find the resale value is shockingly bad because the used market is full of the exact same model like new that other customers also bought because of forced bundling and then immediately sold. Raising prices in that environment will just increase the pain for customers on both ends of that transaction...

[mockingboy]

This is crazy by Lange - they have 2 watches that sell over retail and everything else is already 20% below on grey market. I understand inflation but I believe this to be a misread for them.

[Passinthru]

Speaking of bundling ….. if someone were to only have one Lange, and it was time for a service, would they have to buy another Lange in order to bundle and have them serviced together?

[dchang81]

I mean they would have more than 2 models over MSRP if they would make more sport models. Let's not kid ourselves, Patek dress models typically get killed in the secondary market, today they are rising as a result of everyone trying to get the sport models. Lange's secondary prices have all gone up dramatically too, their issue is that everything is a dress watch.

[Aconitase]

Going with the shoe analogy, what watch brands would Crockett and Jones and Gaziano & Girling equate to? Short of going bespoke, somehow these two brands fit me best.

[raclaims]

If you don’t think more Odysseus are coming you are crazy lol