Patek Philippe vs. A Lange & Söhne>>>>>>>>>

[Michael M.]

Which brand do you like more and why? Fact: A Lange makes aprox. 5,000 watches a year, and Patek makes about 50,00 watches a year!

Why I Prefer A Lange over Patek: First of all, A Lange makes almost a tenth as many watches as patek does. Second, almost all high-end watch salesman, store owners, and experts prefer A Lange. I also like A Lange's movements more than patek's movements. For instance, a patek 5070 is equal to the A Lange Datograph, but I believe the A Lange styling is more timeless and interesting. I also think A Lange's movements are better quality and more beautiful than Pateks but, that's my opinion. I'm not saying patek is not a good brand, in fact it is one of my favorites, but I prefer A Lange over patek.

[kareemthedream33]

I love them both, if you put a gun to my head and made me decide I'd probably go with Lange just because the styling is so distinctive and beautiful.

[Michael M.]

Mods could you move this thread to the watches non rolex forum? Thanks

[Michael M.]

Thanks mods! Happy Holidays!!

[Trev]

This thread needs more photos to back up your case :)

[topcat30093]

Michael, regarding your comment "Second, almost all high-end watch salesman, store owners, and experts prefer A Lange"
I would be interested to read, what you have based this remark on?
Has statistics been published from dealers that sell both Patek & Lange together?

I have to say that I find this thread rather un constructive!
Why didn't you name it something like "What I love about Lange & Sohne"

And for the record, I am also fortunate to have owned both brands, both of which are designed & crafted to an extremely high standard.

Regards
Tony

[Newportkrieger]

Originally Posted by Michael M.

Which brand do you like more and why? Fact: A Lange makes aprox. 5,000 watches a year, and Patek makes about 50,00 watches a year!

You can never get enough of a good thing....

[L-16610]

Michael, there is not one single point where I agree with you

Patek is top.
Lange wants to be Patek

I like Lange to but I would not buy them

And you production numbers are not correct. Patek makes more or less 38.000 watches, 10.000 quartz for ladies
So infact only 28.000

Lange makes indeed 5.000, so what ?
If they could sell 25.000 they would make 25.000.

It's like Omega versus Rolex
Both are good but Rolex is the brand to get. Omega does whatever they can but they will never be the new Rolex

[psv]

Not to be culturally insensitive but there is something not so appealing with a German watch named Adolf...

[MonBK]

Is Rolex on the bottom of your list since they make 800K + watches a year?

[L-16610]

Also know the the invisible parts on a Lange a not good finished.
While Patek finishes EVERY part visible or not very, very well

[Welshwatchman]

I'd say Patek Philippe in round 11, tko.

What about Rolex vs Omega? I've not heard that one argued before.

[Welshwatchman]

Originally Posted by psv

Not to be culturally insensitive but there is something not so appealing with a German watch named Adolf...

Nothing wrong with that name.

[boa2]

Originally Posted by L-16610

Also know the the invisible parts on a Lange a not good finished.

That is patently untrue. I have spoken at length about this with the service center responsible for Lange watches in North America. They also service every watch brand. The unseen parts in a Lange are finished quite well, in fact. I have seen disassembled watches and can certainly attest to that fact.

Further, Lange would NOT be Patek if they could. They have no intention of being Patek Philippe. We can start with the fact that they have no intention of producing sport watches, or non precious metal pieces. Their mission has no intersection with Patek Philippe, and purposely so.

To answer the OP's question, I like them both. The PP 5146 and AL&S Richard Lange are on my list of must-haves.

[Michael M.]

Originally Posted by MonBK

Is Rolex on the bottom of your list since they make 800K + watches a year?

Not at all, Rolex is almost at the top of my list! Thanks for your input guys!

[argee1977]

Lange & Sohne for me, but just because they are more in line with what i like.

I would also have Patek's if i had the money to play in that ballpark.

For me, L&S have so many good watches that are honestly not really doing anything similar to PP, look at the Zeitwerk, the Lange 1, the Datograph/Double Split and so on, they're all very different from PP.

The main reason i would say L&S though is simple, if i had a limitless budget then i'd own more of them than Patek's, i'd have a Double Split, Datograph, 1815 Chrono, Grand Lange 1 and a couple of others, in terms of Patek, i'd only really want a nautilus.

[barstoolman]

Originally Posted by Michael M.

Which brand do you like more and why? Fact: A Lange makes aprox. 5,000 watches a year, and Patek makes about 50,00 watches a year!

Why I Prefer A Lange over Patek: First of all, A Lange makes almost a tenth as many watches as patek does. Second, almost all high-end watch salesman, store owners, and experts prefer A Lange. I also like A Lange's movements more than patek's movements. For instance, a patek 5070 is equal to the A Lange Datograph, but I believe the A Lange styling is more timeless and interesting. I also think A Lange's movements are better quality and more beautiful than Pateks but, that's my opinion. I'm not saying patek is not a good brand, in fact it is one of my favorites, but I prefer A Lange over patek.

What a silly, rambling bunch of nonsense.........we get it!!!! You like A. Lange & Sohne more than Patek.......good for you. Your reasons for liking them more just seem ridiculous.....high end salesmen and store owners prefer them You "believe" or "think" they are superior in their movements and their styling. You prefer them because their production numbers are low How about you simply like them better and next time, don't make yourself look like a fool

[wehttaM]

The fact that less people own a Lange than a Patek would definitely make me swoon over Lange. However, in my opinion both brands have their pros and cons. However if it was a life or death situation to pick one watch I would probably pick the Lange.

[MonBK]

Originally Posted by barstoolman

What a silly, rambling bunch of nonsense.........we get it!!!! You like A. Lange & Sohne more than Patek.......good for you. Your reasons for liking them more just seem ridiculous.....high end salesmen and store owners prefer them You "believe" or "think" they are superior in their movements and their styling. You prefer them because their production numbers are low How about you simply like them better and next time, don't make yourself look like a fool

Play nice with the kid.

[gmtobsessed]

I adore both, but if I'm previleged enough to make the choice between the two, I'll probably go Patek, in most cases, it holds its value better.

[Aivas47a]

A. Lange is certainly one of the small, elite group of the very best watchmakers, but Patek reigns alone at the top. Always has and I suspect always will. (I have to say it seems a bit perverse to view lower sales figures and lack of a sports model as indicators of a superior brand.)

[PHDX2]

For me, between the two, Patek all the way!

[kyle L]

I love both of them, but I can't afford either...

[Michael M.]

Originally Posted by barstoolman

What a silly, rambling bunch of nonsense.........we get it!!!! You like A. Lange & Sohne more than Patek.......good for you. Your reasons for liking them more just seem ridiculous.....high end salesmen and store owners prefer them You "believe" or "think" they are superior in their movements and their styling. You prefer them because their production numbers are low How about you simply like them better and next time, don't make yourself look like a fool

I was just stating my reasons of why I prefer A Lange over Patek!!!!!!!!!!!

[boa2]

Originally Posted by Aivas47a

A. Lange is certainly one of the small, elite group of the very best watchmakers, but Patek reigns alone at the top. Always has and I suspect always will. (I have to say it seems a bit perverse to view lower sales figures and lack of a sports model as indicators of a superior brand.)

Well, I think most consider what Lange has accomplished in a short 15 years to be nothing short of miraculous. I think you would be hard pressed to find a high-end collector or an AD who considers them to be anything less than a superior brand.

I just don't know how you can fairly compare the two brands when they are operating by vastly different timelines & goals.

[MBEECH]

I prefer Patek Philippe over A. Lange for a few reasons:

I like that Patek is a family owned company, and not part of some faceless conglomerate like A. Lange is.

I like that Patek has continually thrived since its founding in 1839, unlike A. Lange which briefly flourished, and then ceased to exist, only to become reestablished in the 1990's.

I also just prefer Patek's designs over A. Lange's. They both make very fine movements, but on aesthetic level I prefer Patek over A. Lange. Patek has many different styles and shapes of cases available, whereas most of A. Lange's cases are circular, with the exception of the Cabaret. I also am attracted to very clean, simplistic dials, which many Patek's have, but not many A. Lange's have, IMO.

Also, I prefer smaller cases (usually 36mm or under), as I have smaller wrists; I find that A. Lange has more larger cases on their watches than Patek does.

I do not own an A. Lange, and none of their watches have really "sung" to me. I own one Patek (a gift, the 5124), and I would love to purchase many of their models in the future (I definitely want a Calatrava and a Nautilus).

[johnswatch]

This one's easy.

It has to be Lange for me every time and here's why.....

Patek has family values and is not a conglomerate - these 'values' include treating customers wirth disdain and taking forever to fix warranty issues due to very poor QC.

Lange has excellent finishing in my view several notches above Patek. The screwed gold chastons holding the jewels are a beautiful example of this.

The design of Lange is classic whilst remaing contemporary. The watches have a hack or zero reset functionn which Patek does not. How can a watch supposedly at the highest end of haute hologerie not hack? This is basic watch design.

Parts wearing out prematurely on Pateks....do a bit of digging and it becomes clear that Patek is spending huge sums of money on advertising without addressing significant manufacture issues. The idea that the 22k gold rotor can wear out after a few years beggars belief. Imagine what this costs to replace, again a very poor design. Vacheron fix this issue by using ceramic bearings.

Unfortunately these are not isolated issues and whilst the internet magnifies these issues I note that other brands don't have the same issues VC, Lange, Rolex,Breiting etc.

I know that Patek makes many more watches and there may be issues with Langes as well but if you're claiming to make the best watches in the world you should be able to backup that claim.

I am a very upset Patek owner who is looking to upgrade to a Lange.

[L-16610]

Originally Posted by johnswatch

This one's easy.

It has to be Lange for me every time and here's why.....

Patek has family values and is not a conglomerate - these 'values' include treating customers wirth disdain and taking forever to fix warranty issues due to very poor QC.

Lange has excellent finishing in my view several notches above Patek. The screwed gold chastons holding the jewels are a beautiful example of this.

The design of Lange is classic whilst remaing contemporary. The watches have a hack or zero reset functionn which Patek does not. How can a watch supposedly at the highest end of haute hologerie not hack? This is basic watch design.

Parts wearing out prematurely on Pateks....do a bit of digging and it becomes clear that Patek is spending huge sums of money on advertising without addressing significant manufacture issues. The idea that the 22k gold rotor can wear out after a few years beggars belief. Imagine what this costs to replace, again a very poor design. Vacheron fix this issue by using ceramic bearings.

Unfortunately these are not isolated issues and whilst the internet magnifies these issues I note that other brands don't have the same issues VC, Lange, Rolex,Breiting etc.

I know that Patek makes many more watches and there may be issues with Langes as well but if you're claiming to make the best watches in the world you should be able to backup that claim.

I am a very upset Patek owner who is looking to upgrade to a Lange.

sorry to dissapoint you but it is not an upgrade !

The gold chatons, each his own but I don't like them at all. Blue screws ? The back of a watch is not a coloring page

The hack function, who cares ?I -This is not a a thing which will decide if a watch is haute horlogerie or not. If Patek wants them to hack , they would hack

I don't know how afterservice works for you but I do know a few people in Europe who have Patek watches and in Europe it works perfect.

Also know that Patek get year after year more than 40.000 watches which need a service. So I think it is normal this takes some time.

[rpryan55]

Originally Posted by johnswatch

Patek has family values and is not a conglomerate - these 'values' include treating customers wirth disdain and taking forever to fix warranty issues due to very poor QC.

There is, in fact, a very long repair time for a watch sent to Patek, but the repair is without par. And Patek watches do not hack, if that is how you want your watch to be set (of course, a Timex automatic also hacks - is that somehow superior to Patek?). As for parts wearing out - well, I'll just say it is not my experience.

But here is why I would take Patek over Lange every day and twice on Sunday. Patek holds its value better - much better - than every other watch brand in the world. I do not buy watches for investment, but Pateks are worth more generally because they are a more desired watch brand. Regardless of the answers gotten here, the horological world has spoken, and with their wallets. Patek wins.

Just my $0.02.

[L-16610]

Ask people for the most famous painter.
You will not get 1 answer, some will say Van Gogh, others will answer Picasso, or Pollock, or Monet, or Roy Lichtenstein, ...

Ask people for the most famous writer
The same result, some will say Shakespeare, or Mark Twain, or Confisius, Rowling, Stephen King , ...

Ask people for the most famous cooks
Again, some will answer Escoffier, Heston Blumenthal, Ferran Adria, ...


Now, ask peole to name the best and most well known watch brand in the world
90% or more will answer Patek
Or look at the auctions. Already decades Patek is on top
Those who don't know much about watches will probably answer Rolex LOL

This is no coincidence.


Don't get me wrong, I love Lange, Vacheron, Breguet and a lot of others too
But Patek just gives you that something Extra

Maybe a Mercedes S600 , a Jaguar XJ, a BMW 750 ... are great car.
But they will never have the meaning as a Rolls Royce