A. Lange & Sohne introduced four new references in Geneva this week at Watches & Wonders, including a pair of 34mm time only 1815 references with new movements, a frankly bonkers perpetual calendar minute repeater, and an Odysseus rendered in full Honeygold. As sublime as the new 1815 watches are (in white and pink gold), it was the Honeygold Odysseus that stood out as singularly unique. Lange has made a habit of creating singularly unique Odysseus watches since its introduction in 2019, including a full titanium reference (which is selling it way short), and a split seconds chronograph with ‘programmable’ pushers. This year, Lange adds another feather to that cap with another first, a full Honeygold bracelet and case.
The Honeygold material is generally reserved for Lange special editions, and it’s never been wielded into a full bracelet. It’s worth noting that the bracelet of the Odysseus is not your average bracelet, with each link getting an inordinate amount of attention. This is what makes the titanium example so special (not to mention rare) even though the material itself is somewhat ubiquitous. Each link gets a specific finish transition from each surface in a way that still allows for seamless articulation. It follows the general design language of A. Lange & Sohne cases where they transition to the lug.
With this in mind, the execution of the bracelet in Honeygold follows a similar formula, and the material itself is quite difficult to manipulate, according to the brand. On another level, the material is nearly impossible to capture properly in photographs. There’s an effervescent quality to the material, and doesn’t quite look like any other material out there. It’s light, subtle, and beautiful. It’s also a very different experience in this Odysseus given the extension to the bracelet.
The tone of Honeygold is warm, but not overtly gold in nature. It can lean brown in most light. For this Odysseus, A Lange & Sohne has chosen a brown dial with radial finishing at the perimeter. This dial creates something of a tone on tone look that pushes the Honeygold into slightly different territory. I do think a contrasting dial would be more complementary to the Honeygold, rather than competing with it, which the brown dial does. Lange makes one of the best blue dials in the business, which would have been a beautiful fit here. That said, this is still quite lovely in its own right, and the tone on tone look is rather popular at the moment.
The newest Odysseus still makes use of the same automatic caliber L155.1 Datomatic that is visible through the exhibition back, and the case still measures 41mm in diameter. The day and date adjustments are handled through the pushers on either side of the crown as usual, which is still a fun, unexpected detail. The Honeygold Odysseus will be limited to 100 pieces, and pricing is TBD. A. Lange & Sohne
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