The Life of a Watch Enthusiast KN: "Before I knew it, I'd bought six Lange watches in one year."

To transform someone with no interest in watches into a watch enthusiast, it takes an encounter with a watch that leaves a significant impact. KN, a physics researcher and university professor, was first drawn to watches by the German luxury watch maker A. Lange & Söhne. Just over a year after his encounter with the Lange 1, he has purchased a total of six watches. Now, K has decided to only buy A. Lange & Söhne watches, and with each one, he shares his perspective and aesthetic sense as a physicist. The intersection between natural science and watches is "symmetry."

"The Lange 1 is the most beautiful symmetry of asymmetries."

　2020 was a year hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the year that everyone wanted to call "the year that never happened" drew to a close, I met KN, an associate professor of physics at a certain university, at the A. Lange & Söhne Ginza boutique. As a science enthusiast with an interest in mathematics, the universe, and quantum theory, I was looking forward to hearing what K, an expert, had to say.

　On this day, he brought along his A. Lange & Söhne watch and several books on quantum mechanics and symmetry. Expecting this to be an interesting conversation, I decided to start by listening to his story about his encounter with watches.

　If you were expecting the story to unfold in a way that started with him being attracted to the intricate mechanisms of watches from a physics perspective, and then his love of mechanics growing into collecting watches, the reality was completely different.

"I only started buying watches about a year ago. Before that I had no interest in them at all," says K. So why?

"The reason for this is that I wanted to get the first and last watch I would ever own, and pass it on to my son in the future."

　Isn't it a wonderful story to search for the first and last watch you will ever own, and one to leave to your child?

"So I looked up the Lange 1 in various magazines and was captivated by it. I took the plunge and contacted the boutique, and on my way back from a business trip, I flew directly from Haneda to Ginza. I arrived just before noon and listened in detail to the brand's history, philosophy, and watch mechanisms, and before I knew it, it was already evening. I decided to buy the Lange 1 "25th Anniversary." What's more, the same day happened to be my eldest son's birthday."

　This certain day in the fall of 2019 was my first step towards becoming a watch enthusiast.

　By the way, there's a reason why, out of all the luxury watches, he was captivated by this Lange 1. "It's the symmetry within asymmetry that I find most beautiful." That's why he brought along a copy of Symmetry, a famous book by German mathematician and physicist Hermann Weyl, who was also active in the fields of quantum mechanics and relativity. Mr. K explains: "The Lange 1's unique offset dial, designed so that all displays do not overlap, is asymmetrical in itself, but the hidden symmetry is perceived there, creating a sense of comfort."

　Indeed, if you look closely, you can see that the horizontal lines that run from the hour and minute hands through the power reserve to the crown, and the vertical lines that run from the oversized date through the power reserve to the small seconds are designed with order, and at the same time, there is symmetry between the top and bottom along the horizontal axis, and between the left and right along the vertical axis. However, the visual impression of the entire dial is clearly asymmetrical. This is suddenly becoming more and more interesting!

"There's a technique in Western art where strict symmetry is softened while still maintaining symmetry in the background. I feel like it's similar to that."

　Furthermore, if we expand on Weyl's theory of symmetry, symmetry is static and restrictive, while asymmetry is dynamic and relaxed, and this also applies to clocks. For example, a circular clock maintains symmetry statically, but when the hands start to move, the symmetry is broken and it transitions to a dynamic state. K praises how wonderful it is that the company has constantly continued to develop new designs while maintaining this asymmetrical design.

"Various models have been derived from the Lange 1 to date, including the Moon Phase, Daymatic, Tourbillon, and Time Zone models, but I'm amazed that they were able to develop a design that could be made into a series from the very first model in 1994."

　It is certainly a brilliant example of success in the pursuit of order and harmony. However, Mr. K says, "I don't like the word 'perfect,' because it makes me feel like the growth has stopped there. In that respect, the Lange 1 is in a class of its own."

　As I listened to him, I found myself nodding in agreement. Like many Lange enthusiasts I have met, K. praised the German silver movement's unique three-quarter plate, Glashütte stripes, gold chatons, hand-engraved balance cock, and curvature of the lugs, but like his analysis of symmetry mentioned above, I was the first person to delve so deeply into the Lange 1 and explain its essential appeal so coherently from his own perspective.

　The next watch that K-san purchased was a simple three-hand Richard Lange watch. It is a boutique-exclusive model with a white gold case and solid silver dial, with blued steel hands that beautifully complement it. There was another interesting discovery there.

"If you look closely at the dial, you'll see that the minute scale is divided into six sections. I was impressed that the divisions matched the frequency."

　The manual-winding movement in this model vibrates at 21,600 vibrations per hour, or six per second. Therefore, each scale mark represents one-sixth of a second. His research requires experiments with precision on the order of picoseconds (one trillionth of a second), and the system only functions after adjustments are made to the order of a few microns. This also applies to mechanical watches, which require watchmakers to assemble and finely adjust numerous components. His admiration and awe for the precise timekeeping system of a mechanical watch are echoed in the unique "1815 'Homage to Walter Lange,'" which also features a small seconds hand with a one-sixth-second increment and a central jumping seconds hand that advances every second. Describing this watch as "defining the second," Mr. K. seems even more enthralled after discovering yet another commonality between his research and Lange's watches.

　Mr. K, who has become a devoted Lange enthusiast, is also captivated by the brand's new luxury sports watch, the Odysseus. He shared an anecdote about the time he saw an actual Odysseus at a special event held at the Ginza boutique.

"When I met someone at an event and told them I had recently bought a Lange watch, they told me that I couldn't stop at just one. I wondered what that meant, but before I knew it, I'd ended up buying six in one year."

　This includes the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase "25th Anniversary" that he purchased as a gift for his wife.

"2020 marks our 10th wedding anniversary. October 10th is our wedding anniversary, and this model's limited edition number is also 10. It feels like fate."

　The sixth watch is the 1815 Thin Honeygold "Homage to F.A. Lange," a new model also released in September 2020. According to Mr. K, "This represents the pinnacle of thin technology while maintaining robustness, and embodies A. Lange & Söhne's slogan, Never Stand Still, which aims for constant innovation."

　There seems to be no sign of stopping at six. A seventh one may already be in sight.

"The other day, I was talking to someone at a boutique and it occurred to me that I was unconsciously planning to buy a Zeitwerk or a Datograph."

　Just one year on, there are already hints of things to come, but as the years go by, there's no doubt he'll become a die-hard Lange enthusiast.