That was one of the most honest and sincere CEO interviews I've seen from a watch company. He seems like a straightforward person. No double speak, no excessive brand hype, and a very honest explanation of the sales strategy and a seemingly genuine apology. Thanks for the continual great content, Alexander.
Wonderful interview, Alexander 👌🏻 I was telling my brother about the special tea Wilhelm brings to the watch fair each year, and voila, there you were and your cups ☕ I love how he is protecting the brand from the gray market. Kudos to him 👏🏻
Love your comment, thanks for sharing! Wilhelm is the type of CEO you would want to work for… 😜 That Rooibos tea by the way tastes excellent… it is also available in combination with Vanilla… 😋
I appreciate hearing this from Mr. Schmid himself. Attempting to maintain the fallible (as a human endeavor) yet, correcting balance of capitalism is the lock. And communicating that attempt is the key. Thanks to both of you for this interview.
Many thanks, Alexander, for this very nice interview. The titanium Odysseus is most certainly a great watch, but if I could afford a 55.000€ watch I would personally buy the 1815 Chronograph. And if I had even more money, I would buy the Richard Lange Minute Repeater.
If anyone ever wants to conduct a case study on freedom v totalitarianism or capitalism v communism, all they have to do is go to Glashutte. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Glashutte has flourished. The human spirit was unleashed. Talented watch makers and hard working risk taking entrepreneurs have done many great things together. Great watchmaking companies are producing some of the best the industry has to offer. Thousands of great jobs have been created. Those of us that enjoy horology are benefiting, as well. The competition they bring to the marketplace is pushing the best Switzerland has to offer to be even greater. It’s a great time to be a watch enthusiast.
@@WatchAdvisor I really want to go there someday. I want to collect a watch from the three neighbors in Glashutte. I own a GO. I am looking to pick up a Nomos. The Lange…that is a truly aspirational piece. Currently, they are out of my price range. But, the work continues.
I am very lucky and I got a WG Odysseus as my first Lange. I fell in love with the watch so much, that I then purchased a Grand Lange 1. If you can’t get the model you want, try their others. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
Mr Schmid, greetings from Singapore. How about allowing us collectors to order and pay in advance for the timepieces in full? We can then have an estimated time of delivery of months to 2 years even. This should help eliminate the flipper buyers.
Flippers can pay in full, they are probably the most likely to have enough cash to then buy multiple pieces from different makers. Even friends of makers receiving allocations as favours are taking advantage of huge secondary market prices.
Thank you for doing these interviews. These are pure gold. Love it. I would be so happy if you could also go into smaller independent brands, esp. Lang & Heyne and De Bethune. An interview with Marco Lang would also be amazing (aware he is not at Lang & Heyne anymore). Of course, the viewership/"market" for those videos might be smaller though.
Thanks for sharing our passion! We could do much more interviews and we will of course... the year is still VERY young ... stay tuned on our channel not to miss anything...
so nice to hear that they are not able to produce more than 5500 pieces and that Richmont hasn't flooded them with excess capacity and flooded the market out of greed... this is also how Richmont handles VC... they respect the brand and that is how they're different from Swatch Group. Side note, at least going off the pictures, are all their watch makers all young and VERY attractive women? 🤷🏽♂
Thanks for sharing our passion! Have you watched our latest ALS video yet? In the beginning we show and talk about the ALS watchmaking school... Let me know what you think....
I totally understand the scarcity with a hand-made product like a Lange watch. What I don't understand is the scarcity from a conveyor belt manufacturer like Rolex who makes 1 million watches a year and could easily increase production if they wanted to.
I got on the list for a Saxonia Thin with the deep blue face at my nearest AD. After the interview I thought Lange wouldn’t be making them but I got a call yesterday that the AD had gotten one in. I bought it and it arrived at my house about two hours ago. Really neat, sparkly dial but a little hard to see the time at a glance. It is a keeper but I’ll probably only wear it for special occasions.
Very well spoken Wilhelm. Appreciate how he notes the customer as both him or her. I think the only way to stop the grey market is the brand owners to stop acknowledging serial numbers that ends up in grey market. This will reduce the artificial inflated demand (that are profit driven) than for watch collectors.
Greedy business can only be stopped if you prevent ADs selling hot pieces directly to the grey/parallel market and by finding loyal customers not reselling them since they prefer wearing their watches…
@@WatchAdvisor I have a simple Lange 1 in yellow gold that I enjoy a lot. However, I would love to have a Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite one day.
@@WatchAdvisor great choice! However, for chonos I prefer the 1815 as it appears to me a bit mor pure without the date and power reserve. Anyway, the Lange chronograph movements are one of a kind!
GOD BLESS YOU ALEXANDER. I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU AND VERY HAPPY FOR YOU. I HOPE ALL OF YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE MY FRIEND. I HOPE YOU HAD THE BEST AND HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. 🙏
Loved the video and the conversation. The CEO hit everything right with what he had to say on how to find genuine watch enthusiasts. Hopefully, I would be able to afford one in the future. Amazing content as always, Alexander. Thank you.
Once upon a time, I had a Dream ... working at A. LANGE & SÖHNE .-. Nu is een deel van mijn droom geworden, om een A. LANGE & SÖHNE te mogen dragen .-. Beautiful piece ... het streelt de ziel, echt.
@@WatchAdvisor I wrote in Dutch, thinking that there would be a -translate-option- like in e.g. Instagram. My apologies sir. "Now it became part of my dream, to own a A. LANGE & SÖHNE" .-.
I have endless admiration and respect for A. Lange & Söhne. I also respect their approach to eliminating the flipper’s market. However, it is an approach that still requires people to buy a few watches that were not on the top of their list in order to get the watch they really want. Then again, it is only fair to provide a watch such as the Odysseus to ALS existing customers. It’s a loop of controversy that leaves someone like me that is not really interested in the classic dress watch far far away from ever getting the only sporty watch Lange makes.
@@WatchAdvisor it’s ok… collecting watches has become filled with disappointments nowadays, that situations like this have become the norm. Unless someone has millions to spend on black market watches that is. I have learned to tune out and ignore the unattainable pieces, because I’m not a fan of chasing what I can’t get. But every now and then, one comes across a video like this and gets reminded of the unattainable. Cheers!
Are you serious Jayce Celestra?? I think that A. Lange & Söhne and those that work at their boutiques can make the distinction between an new client and a long term one. And regardless of your client status with them they'll provide you with the same level of service as they give all their clients. After all, just like any other retail business, their focus is on looking after every single client to the best of their abilities to ensure that new clients become long term clients. They can recognize who's been with them for how long and to whom they'll allocate their limited production pieces.
What I don’t like about that is that it is a elite kind of circle. I would never sell this watch but there is no place for new passionate watch lovers for a lange watch🥺
The main problem are greedy ADs reselling hot pieces to the grey/parallel markets directly… Collectors aren’t a problem since they as the name assumes collect watches…
@@WatchAdvisor I completely agree but I thought maybe if they take full payments then flippers won’t want to buy as they wont wait lets say 4-5 years for a piece when their money is stuck with an AD or Lange directly
@@WatchAdvisor Klar habe ich das Video angeschaut. Und ich verstehe auch ganz genau, was der Herr Direktor dazu sagt. Dennoch...nur 250 Uhren? 🤪 Meiner Meinung nach ist das halt traurig.... (Übrigens: dass Lange über keine ausreichenden Arbeitskräfte verfügen - besonders was die Top-Watchmaker betrifft - ist auch kein sehr starkes Argument. Man könnte doch nur 100 von diesen Uhren im Jahre produzieren - und nach 10 Jahren gäbe es 1000 davon....oder?🤔)
No idea what people find so hard to grasp. Brands take care of their best customers. EVERY business operates like that...If you owned a business, you would do the same. Yes, you also need to gain new clients as well. But people just want the Odysseus, only because its the most sought after and the secondary is higher. Also remember this is a LUXURY product in a LUXURY sector. Work hard, buy a lange that you like, such as the datograph, 1815 chrono or even lange 1, iconic models from the brand. Then start a relationship, understand the brand, study the history of the brand, talk passionately with the reps and you will eventually get special stuff reserved for best clients.
Selling the watches to "the right" people is, uff, yeah, controversial, I guess. I understand the brands and sellers that they don't want to have the watches flipped immediately. On the other hand, you can't buy what you truly want. I have heard that a couple of times already. You want to buy a watch X. The seller tells you: "Well, your record with us is not that great. Yes, you have bought something but below value ABC. We only want to sell to people that don't immediately flip. So, if you buy watch Y and watch Z, you might also be able to buy watch X." But what if I don't want Y and Z? Then, they will be sold by myself immediately, i.e. flipped. So, this practice has encouraged me to flip. Tough to solve, I know, but this situation can't stay like that...
That’s an AD tactic to increase sales of less desirable pieces and in no way a guarantee of getting where you ultimately want to be. If you’re falling for it, you’re probably not doing anyone any favours as it will only encourage its spread. The secondary market is benefitting from what people believe to be a way of avoiding less legitimate or genuine or customers. The lack of honesty from both sides will only erode confidence in either market, but most damaging for makers and ADs themselves.
@@WatchAdvisor Yep. One solution is to produce more but this is not something all manufacturers can. Rolex probably could but they decide to not do that. Tissot does that pretty quickly (Swatch Group in general does ok keeping supply up). Brands like A.Lange probably can't (now). I mean, the problem is not only in watches but only with shoes, computers, cars, houses and flats and now also oil and toilet paper 😣. With all these goods it is not the case that there is not enough (there is plenty enough) but that very few people hold most of it trying to make profit.
@@yobgol Yes, I don't understand a lot of tactics going on. Let's assume, I have a brand and 100 pieces of anything in hand. Whom do I want to sell that to? Customers already having my product or 100 new customers? I would pick the 100 new ones because, let's face it, the old ones will not live forever and new clients are needed.
GREEDY ADs started these disgusting games! Since they may not sell for an overprice in their outlets they now have their own flippers and designated resellers to do the GREEDY business… You need to control you distribution by 100 % and act on a long term base and not just trying to maximize your profit and sales margins today…
i’m not convinced it’s wisest to shut out new customers over those who might exploit relationship now secondary market is so highly priced, and i’m not sure how this sits with the forced bundling policy applied to the zeitwerk lumen - those surely were sold on very often?
@@WatchAdvisor this i can understand, as it would be odd for higher priced items to easily find customers to buy. the car industry may have a lot in common, but they might also have techniques for dealing with resellers we don’t yet consider for watches - conditions on resale and clauses on profits from them placed in contract before purchase for example, i believe this might be the case at ferrari.
LOL!! You can still see lots of Odysseus or other watches in Grey market, because those people who are with you for a long time are flippers or grey market dealers.. something needs to be change. 🙏
This is a common problem faced by luxury products where the demands is too high to cope with. I don’t see any issue with the policy unless someone can come up with a better solution, for now this will be how it works. For the mere mortals, we can just continue to lust after these “hot” pieces but seek to buy other nice timepieces out there. The fun of watch collecting apart from owning the watch is also the journey to acquire it. If you can’t own it, it means your fun journey continues eternally. Isn’t that awesome? 🤣
I would like to present all my idea of my mechanical design to realize some complications, so that u can believe me being a true watch lover instead of some flamboyant guy or one that just wants to make money out of it.
Frankly if supply is that limited against demand why doesn't manufacturers increase their list prices if they trust the demand is genuine and don't find this hype a great marketing machine for their brands , sorry but I really don't get it and no real watch enthusiast should relief any brand from their responsibility on what is happening in the market.
That’s true! But not all brands can afford doing this… Rolex should increase its prices too, but can’t doing it since the official prices Rolex asks for its watches are the absolute correct ones… Everyone buying for more is stupid IMHO…
@@WatchAdvisor Those buying Rolex in recent years aren't doing it because they love the brand. They're doing it to make a lot of money in the shortest possible time. You can tell that those that get the privilege of buying an Odysseus are doing it because they sincerely love A. Lange & Söhne and the quality and craftsmanship it represents. As of today there are only 11 Odysseus for sale on Chrone24 compared to the thousands of the highly sought Rolex pieces that are listed on there. Buying a Rolex has become a mug's game. There's ZERO love for the brand. It's the profits their buyers are interested in and nothing more!!! However, I do think that the Rolex bubble WILL burst and a lot of greedy Grey Market dealers are going to be left holding the baby!!
@@lion6460 the dramatic secondary market increases may start with rolex, but they then quickly spread + now impact all brands that can be considered to be easily identified online as having a desirability + limited availability. figures on FPJ are mostly under six figures at retail, but just under and mostly over six figures on the secondary market - often $250-$500K from those i’ve seen. FPJ now hire staff to pick out customers to reduce reselling, and know they’re giving away profit if they choose wrongly, yet still manage to see reselling relatively rarely occurring. ALS secondary prices are probably ten times what they were (for the same limited early pieces) 15 years ago, and it’s one of the central targets for those who can’t get their first choice for a secure investment via a rolex.
If i dont have the history with lange, it does not mean that i am a flipper. Lange used to make rather classic looking watches in the past and those were not in my interest. Now, suddenly, you have a model that marks my interest and expect from me to have a history with the house of ALS? With all due respect, this is what all brands are doing: Pushing clients into other models (e.g. code 1159 for a royal oak, etc). For me its clear: I will never be a client of ALS. Your "old money" clients can keep those steel/titanium Oddyseus and flip them whenever they want. With such approaches, most companies push you ij corners you dont see yourself and it kills the fun.
ALS is not pushing anyone to buy anything… The Odysseus came only two years ago … then ALS collectors already had bought different watches and they didn’t do it for an Odysseus since it did not exist yet… now that it does of course long term loyal customers are the ones who get one easier than others… that’s nothing abnormal and that does not kill the fun…
If they only make the Odysseus in very limited numbers every year and you don't have a long standing history with them as a loyal customer & supporter of their brand, then why should they give you, a complete stranger to them, one of their most limited & highly sought timepieces over others who has been buying their timepieces year in & year out for years & in some cases even decades and who've patiently waited for their opportunity? I completely understand where A. Lange & Söhne are coming from in regards to the allocation of their most prized timepiece. If they started dishing out these limited pieces to every Tom, Dick and Harry that walked through their doors then it's highly likely those customers are only there to buy these highly prized pieces to flip them the very next day in the hopes of making themselves a very handsome profit. It's because of their strict policy that you only find a handful of pre-owned Odysseus on the Grey Market. Compare that to how many BRAND NEW highly prized Rolex pieces like the GMT Masters and Daytonas that are on the Grey Market the very same year they're released to the market!! A lot of these highly sought Rolexs are coming straight from the hands of corrupt Authorised Dealers looking to make far more than the measly commissions Rolex gives them or the same long term customers of these ADs WHO GET THE VERY SAME PIECES ALLOCATED TO THEM EVERY SINGLE YEAR!! In the case of the Odysseus they are not going to the same customers every single year but to different clients who have been building strong relationships with the A. Lange & Söhne brand and have been loyal to them. If you really want one & you can't be bothered taking the time building a relationship with the brand then there's nothing stopping you from going on to Chrono24 and getting one. Albeit at a highly inflated price. Simple!!
@@WatchAdvisor They do, dear Alexandre,l and they communicate this actually quite openly. I happened to hear this at two different boutiques. One actually told me that one need to spend at least 0.25 Mio USD to have a good enough history to get on the list for the Odysseus.
@@lion6460 on your first part you sound pretty much like the CEO of lange. If i am unknown to LANGE, it does not mean that i am a flipper and does also not mean that i am not a watch collector with other brands. What i am trying to say is here that when the oddyses got introduced and this piece triggered your interest as a collector and only this piece, how do you want to build a history if you dont like the other pieces?
There is no right answer to how you manage this First World supply problem. As mentioned by @affe gorilla, as it stands an elite circle is created but what can you do? As it stands I would have a Lange in a heartbeat IF my budget could stand it. It can't. So the good news is I don't have to worry about how I can get my hands on one.
That was one of the most honest and sincere CEO interviews I've seen from a watch company. He seems like a straightforward person. No double speak, no excessive brand hype, and a very honest explanation of the sales strategy and a seemingly genuine apology. Thanks for the continual great content, Alexander.
I am happy to read this! Thanks for sharing our passion! Love your comment!
Masters. Lange & JLC deserve more credit. Love them. 👌
Yes, yes, yesssss …. so true!
Lange est tout simplement la meilleure manufacture à mes yeux.
Merci Alexandre et Merci à votre spécial invité 👍❤.
Yes, true! Considering the quantities A. Lange & Söhne manufactures every year this brand stands for real luxury...
Eine solch' eloquente und kultivierte Unterhaltung mit zwei echten Persönlichkeiten ist in unserer Zeit selten geworden. Danke für dieses Erlebnis.
Vielen Dank 🙏🏻 für Dein nettes Feedback! Da kommt Freude auf… 😁
Greatest watch brand of all time. I look forward to the day when I can own one and wear it on my wrist!
I hear and understand you! Thanks for sharing our passion!
Wonderful interview, Alexander 👌🏻 I was telling my brother about the special tea Wilhelm brings to the watch fair each year, and voila, there you were and your cups ☕
I love how he is protecting the brand from the gray market. Kudos to him 👏🏻
Love your comment, thanks for sharing! Wilhelm is the type of CEO you would want to work for… 😜 That Rooibos tea by the way tastes excellent… it is also available in combination with Vanilla… 😋
I personally is very much thankful to alange for letting us see and enjoy these masterpieces 💜
Do you have a personal A. lange & Söhne favorite?
@@WatchAdvisor of course my fav alange is the
LANGE 1 White gold with dial in argenté
I am in regular contact with my local boutique i cant wait to own a Lange one day I’m on the list lets hope its not an imaginary list though!
I keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏻
I appreciate hearing this from Mr. Schmid himself. Attempting to maintain the fallible (as a human endeavor) yet, correcting balance of capitalism is the lock. And communicating that attempt is the key. Thanks to both of you for this interview.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!
Many thanks, Alexander, for this very nice interview. The titanium Odysseus is most certainly a great watch, but if I could afford a 55.000€ watch I would personally buy the 1815 Chronograph. And if I had even more money, I would buy the Richard Lange Minute Repeater.
I hear you! Thanks for sharing our passion!
thank you for the amazing interview. always enjoy your content. keep up the great work!
I am happy to read this! Thanks for sharing our passion!
If anyone ever wants to conduct a case study on freedom v totalitarianism or capitalism v communism, all they have to do is go to Glashutte. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, Glashutte has flourished. The human spirit was unleashed. Talented watch makers and hard working risk taking entrepreneurs have done many great things together. Great watchmaking companies are producing some of the best the industry has to offer. Thousands of great jobs have been created. Those of us that enjoy horology are benefiting, as well. The competition they bring to the marketplace is pushing the best Switzerland has to offer to be even greater. It’s a great time to be a watch enthusiast.
So true! The village of Glashütte and it’s watchmakers showed how quick things can change if only there is the possibility to act and think free…
@@WatchAdvisor I really want to go there someday. I want to collect a watch from the three neighbors in Glashutte. I own a GO. I am looking to pick up a Nomos. The Lange…that is a truly aspirational piece. Currently, they are out of my price range. But, the work continues.
I am very lucky and I got a WG Odysseus as my first Lange. I fell in love with the watch so much, that I then purchased a Grand Lange 1. If you can’t get the model you want, try their others. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed.
Bravo! Congratrulations! May your Odysseus always show you HAPPY seconds, minutes and hours...
Mr Schmid, greetings from Singapore. How about allowing us collectors to order and pay in advance for the timepieces in full? We can then have an estimated time of delivery of months to 2 years even. This should help eliminate the flipper buyers.
Flippers can pay in full, they are probably the most likely to have enough cash to then buy multiple pieces from different makers. Even friends of makers receiving allocations as favours are taking advantage of huge secondary market prices.
True! Therefore a brand needs to know to whom it sells hot pieces. ADs + their own flippers + designated resellers are THE MAIN PROBLEM!
Thank you for doing these interviews. These are pure gold. Love it.
I would be so happy if you could also go into smaller independent brands, esp. Lang & Heyne and De Bethune. An interview with Marco Lang would also be amazing (aware he is not at Lang & Heyne anymore). Of course, the viewership/"market" for those videos might be smaller though.
Thanks for sharing our passion! We could do much more interviews and we will of course... the year is still VERY young ... stay tuned on our channel not to miss anything...
so nice to hear that they are not able to produce more than 5500 pieces and that Richmont hasn't flooded them with excess capacity and flooded the market out of greed... this is also how Richmont handles VC... they respect the brand and that is how they're different from Swatch Group. Side note, at least going off the pictures, are all their watch makers all young and VERY attractive women? 🤷🏽♂
Thanks for sharing our passion! Have you watched our latest ALS video yet? In the beginning we show and talk about the ALS watchmaking school... Let me know what you think....
Awesome interview again Alexander. Anticipation is the greatest joy for the Odysseus to come home….
Thanks for your kind feedback! Well I keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏻
A really great interview, always great to ear people who love and has the passion of what they do. I really love this way of thinking.
Thank you! Wilhelm and I are petrol- and watch-heads… we share a hobby and a profession…
I totally understand the scarcity with a hand-made product like a Lange watch. What I don't understand is the scarcity from a conveyor belt manufacturer like Rolex who makes 1 million watches a year and could easily increase production if they wanted to.
Only 5,500 watches per year! Even PP with 60,000 + watches per year looks like a conveyor belt manufacturer
A refreshing honest interview. Very informative.
The Mozart in the background is nice.
I am happy to read this!
A. Lange & Söhne is my favourite German watch manufacturer.
I can understand that! 😜
One day I’ll own one ,the best watches in the world
I keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏻
No compromises for quality and that’s the way it should be!
Absolutely! Every single watch coming from ALS is superb … Don’t forget: the movements are assembled twice …
Always enjoy chats with Wilhelm.
Me too! 😜
I got on the list for a Saxonia Thin with the deep blue face at my nearest AD. After the interview I thought Lange wouldn’t be making them but I got a call yesterday that the AD had gotten one in. I bought it and it arrived at my house about two hours ago. Really neat, sparkly dial but a little hard to see the time at a glance. It is a keeper but I’ll probably only wear it for special occasions.
Great brand, great philosophy, great CEO. One of the best watch brands in the world.
Yes, yes, yes and once again yes 👍🏼
Very well spoken Wilhelm. Appreciate how he notes the customer as both him or her. I think the only way to stop the grey market is the brand owners to stop acknowledging serial numbers that ends up in grey market. This will reduce the artificial inflated demand (that are profit driven) than for watch collectors.
Greedy business can only be stopped if you prevent ADs selling hot pieces directly to the grey/parallel market and by finding loyal customers not reselling them since they prefer wearing their watches…
Plot Twist: CEO himself is a flipper of 5500 watches a year. 🤷🙆
What do I not understand here? I don’t get the point…
@@WatchAdvisor I meant CEO himself is flipping watches so that none other flips 'em 😆
@@doperdr OMG 😱 … 😂🤣
Top top brand should be included in the holy trinity to create the big quartet
Of course it should, of course... But who really cares???
What an amazing company… One of a kind!
Well, true… do you have a favorite A.Lange & Söhne watch?
@@WatchAdvisor I have a simple Lange 1 in yellow gold that I enjoy a lot. However, I would love to have a Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite one day.
@@WatchAdvisor what’s your favourite Lange?
@@watchfan210 The “Datograph”
@@WatchAdvisor great choice! However, for chonos I prefer the 1815 as it appears to me a bit mor pure without the date and power reserve. Anyway, the Lange chronograph movements are one of a kind!
Thank you for this amazing and insightful interview! I really like ALS. Hoping I get to own one some day. Cheers!
Thanks for sharing our passion, I keep my fingers crossed...
So glad of what he said, this is exactly what I’m expecting from my favorite watch manufacturer.
Wilhelm so far made no mistake as the CEO of A. Lange & Söhne… on top he is a super charismatic leader…
8:26 Alexander throwing shade at Patek Philippe like a boss 😂
> 60,000 watches per year versus 5,500 … Any questions?
GOD BLESS YOU ALEXANDER. I AM VERY PROUD OF YOU AND VERY HAPPY FOR YOU. I HOPE ALL OF YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE MY FRIEND. I HOPE YOU HAD THE BEST AND HAPPIEST CHRISTMAS OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. 🙏
Take it easy Boy
1815 chronograph is the king of all chronos
Pure understatement on top!
Loved the video and the conversation. The CEO hit everything right with what he had to say on how to find genuine watch enthusiasts. Hopefully, I would be able to afford one in the future. Amazing content as always, Alexander.
Thank you.
Love your comment, thanks for sharing! I keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏼
@@WatchAdvisor 🙏🙏🙏
Once upon a time, I had a Dream ... working at A. LANGE & SÖHNE .-.
Nu is een deel van mijn droom geworden, om een A. LANGE & SÖHNE te mogen dragen .-.
Beautiful piece ... het streelt de ziel, echt.
Help us out please and translate this to English…
@@WatchAdvisor I wrote in Dutch, thinking that there would be a -translate-option- like in e.g. Instagram. My apologies sir.
"Now it became part of my dream, to own a A. LANGE & SÖHNE" .-.
Rooibos tea - wunderbar, grüße aus Kapstadt.
Grüße aus Wien zurück! 😉
You guys are great! Another insightful video
Thanks for sharing your passion and thoughts with us!
I have endless admiration and respect for A. Lange & Söhne. I also respect their approach to eliminating the flipper’s market.
However, it is an approach that still requires people to buy a few watches that were not on the top of their list in order to get the watch they really want. Then again, it is only fair to provide a watch such as the Odysseus to ALS existing customers. It’s a loop of controversy that leaves someone like me that is not really interested in the classic dress watch far far away from ever getting the only sporty watch Lange makes.
I hear and understand you… It's just so hard to please everyone...
@@WatchAdvisor it’s ok… collecting watches has become filled with disappointments nowadays, that situations like this have become the norm. Unless someone has millions to spend on black market watches that is.
I have learned to tune out and ignore the unattainable pieces, because I’m not a fan of chasing what I can’t get. But every now and then, one comes across a video like this and gets reminded of the unattainable. Cheers!
Only question is how can you make a new customer if you focus only on current ones?
u can buy other lange watches, just that odysseus can't be your first lange
The Odysseus is not a watch meant to be sold to a newcomer to the brand…
Are you serious Jayce Celestra??
I think that A. Lange & Söhne and those that work at their boutiques can make the distinction between an new client and a long term one. And regardless of your client status with them they'll provide you with the same level of service as they give all their clients. After all, just like any other retail business, their focus is on looking after every single client to the best of their abilities to ensure that new clients become long term clients.
They can recognize who's been with them for how long and to whom they'll allocate their limited production pieces.
Great Video, 2 real good friends talking great stuff
That is what I call a cultivated conversation... Thanks for sharing our passion!
So let me be clear. What should I do to get an Odysseus? I am an end buyer. Never flipped a precious watch and nobody loves me
It will be necessary to start your history with an A. Lange & Söhne boutique...
What I don’t like about that is that it is a elite kind of circle. I would never sell this watch but there is no place for new passionate watch lovers for a lange watch🥺
Of course there is! There are many available without waiting… But you simply don’t start with the most sought after ones…
I think if Lange start taking payments in advance for us watch enthusiasts they would benefit and that would eliminate flipping.
The main problem are greedy ADs reselling hot pieces to the grey/parallel markets directly… Collectors aren’t a problem since they as the name assumes collect watches…
@@WatchAdvisor I completely agree but I thought maybe if they take full payments then flippers won’t want to buy as they wont wait lets say 4-5 years for a piece when their money is stuck with an AD or Lange directly
Merci beaucoup !!
Avec plaisir!
I like the new Odysseus. Only 250 of them? 🤪
That's not new... Did you watch our video about the new Odysseus in titanium?
@@WatchAdvisor Klar habe ich das Video angeschaut. Und ich verstehe auch ganz genau, was der Herr Direktor dazu sagt. Dennoch...nur 250 Uhren? 🤪 Meiner Meinung nach ist das halt traurig.... (Übrigens: dass Lange über keine ausreichenden Arbeitskräfte verfügen - besonders was die Top-Watchmaker betrifft - ist auch kein sehr starkes Argument. Man könnte doch nur 100 von diesen Uhren im Jahre produzieren - und nach 10 Jahren gäbe es 1000 davon....oder?🤔)
@@j.burgess4459 ALS production needs to be balanced… The Odysseus is “only” one pillar… in a way it is the cherry 🍒 on the cake 🍰
No idea what people find so hard to grasp. Brands take care of their best customers. EVERY business operates like that...If you owned a business, you would do the same. Yes, you also need to gain new clients as well. But people just want the Odysseus, only because its the most sought after and the secondary is higher. Also remember this is a LUXURY product in a LUXURY sector. Work hard, buy a lange that you like, such as the datograph, 1815 chrono or even lange 1, iconic models from the brand. Then start a relationship, understand the brand, study the history of the brand, talk passionately with the reps and you will eventually get special stuff reserved for best clients.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and passion with us!
Lange is top top brand. BIG FAN.
One of the next videos will be about a Lange & Söhne
@@WatchAdvisor can't wait, you're one of the most genuine guys ive seen, passionate and your love for ALS comes through too!
Thanks for sharing our passion!
Selling the watches to "the right" people is, uff, yeah, controversial, I guess. I understand the brands and sellers that they don't want to have the watches flipped immediately. On the other hand, you can't buy what you truly want. I have heard that a couple of times already. You want to buy a watch X. The seller tells you: "Well, your record with us is not that great. Yes, you have bought something but below value ABC. We only want to sell to people that don't immediately flip. So, if you buy watch Y and watch Z, you might also be able to buy watch X." But what if I don't want Y and Z? Then, they will be sold by myself immediately, i.e. flipped. So, this practice has encouraged me to flip. Tough to solve, I know, but this situation can't stay like that...
The situation gets worse and worse… I agree it can’t stay like that… But what can be done? There is too much greedy business involved…
That’s an AD tactic to increase sales of less desirable pieces and in no way a guarantee of getting where you ultimately want to be. If you’re falling for it, you’re probably not doing anyone any favours as it will only encourage its spread. The secondary market is benefitting from what people believe to be a way of avoiding less legitimate or genuine or customers. The lack of honesty from both sides will only erode confidence in either market, but most damaging for makers and ADs themselves.
@@WatchAdvisor Yep. One solution is to produce more but this is not something all manufacturers can. Rolex probably could but they decide to not do that. Tissot does that pretty quickly (Swatch Group in general does ok keeping supply up). Brands like A.Lange probably can't (now). I mean, the problem is not only in watches but only with shoes, computers, cars, houses and flats and now also oil and toilet paper 😣. With all these goods it is not the case that there is not enough (there is plenty enough) but that very few people hold most of it trying to make profit.
@@yobgol Yes, I don't understand a lot of tactics going on. Let's assume, I have a brand and 100 pieces of anything in hand. Whom do I want to sell that to? Customers already having my product or 100 new customers? I would pick the 100 new ones because, let's face it, the old ones will not live forever and new clients are needed.
GREEDY ADs started these disgusting games! Since they may not sell for an overprice in their outlets they now have their own flippers and designated resellers to do the GREEDY business… You need to control you distribution by 100 % and act on a long term base and not just trying to maximize your profit and sales margins today…
So one can't buy Odysseus without any purchase history?
No!
He is absolutely right - however, you will still find the A Lange & Sohne in the grey market for 3 times the market … somehow isn’t working
There will always be someone who flips his watch…
Why 250 limited edition titanium, they can made platium case for 250 limited edition for price
Because Titanium Grade 5 is a very cool material! Super light and comfortable to wear… a platinum case and bracelet simply would be to heavy…
Because this was aimed at the middle eastern market
i’m not convinced it’s wisest to shut out new customers over those who might exploit relationship now secondary market is so highly priced, and i’m not sure how this sits with the forced bundling policy applied to the zeitwerk lumen - those surely were sold on very often?
Some hot pieces are simply not meant to be sold to new customers… that’s ok IMHO… Try to buy a sought after Porsche as a new customer… Good luck!
@@WatchAdvisor this i can understand, as it would be odd for higher priced items to easily find customers to buy. the car industry may have a lot in common, but they might also have techniques for dealing with resellers we don’t yet consider for watches - conditions on resale and clauses on profits from them placed in contract before purchase for example, i believe this might be the case at ferrari.
LOL!! You can still see lots of Odysseus or other watches in Grey market, because those people who are with you for a long time are flippers or grey market dealers..
something needs to be change. 🙏
How many Odysseus you can really buy did you find? Not too many I suppose…
👍
This is a common problem faced by luxury products where the demands is too high to cope with. I don’t see any issue with the policy unless someone can come up with a better solution, for now this will be how it works. For the mere mortals, we can just continue to lust after these “hot” pieces but seek to buy other nice timepieces out there. The fun of watch collecting apart from owning the watch is also the journey to acquire it. If you can’t own it, it means your fun journey continues eternally. Isn’t that awesome? 🤣
Love your approach! The glass is always half full… 😉 very sympathetic … Thanks for sharing your passion with us!
I would like to present all my idea of my mechanical design to realize some complications, so that u can believe me being a true watch lover instead of some flamboyant guy or one that just wants to make money out of it.
Do it! Send ALS an email… you never know… I keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏻
@@WatchAdvisor haha, I might do it when I visit their headquarter.
@@ProCelestialEmpire Let me know if you need any help…
@@WatchAdvisor thanks
I know why you are not unveiling something to Alexander. Because Alexander is a flipper it was joke!!
Hahaha! thanks for sharing our passion! Love your comment!
Frankly if supply is that limited against demand why doesn't manufacturers increase their list prices if they trust the demand is genuine and don't find this hype a great marketing machine for their brands , sorry but I really don't get it and no real watch enthusiast should relief any brand from their responsibility on what is happening in the market.
Faulty logic. Doesn't matter what the just price is, grey market is always higher
@@bdegrds the higher the price the less is the number of transactions in the grey market the less the appetite for buying to flip.
That’s true! But not all brands can afford doing this… Rolex should increase its prices too, but can’t doing it since the official prices Rolex asks for its watches are the absolute correct ones… Everyone buying for more is stupid IMHO…
@@WatchAdvisor Those buying Rolex in recent years aren't doing it because they love the brand. They're doing it to make a lot of money in the shortest possible time. You can tell that those that get the privilege of buying an Odysseus are doing it because they sincerely love A. Lange & Söhne and the quality and craftsmanship it represents. As of today there are only 11 Odysseus for sale on Chrone24 compared to the thousands of the highly sought Rolex pieces that are listed on there. Buying a Rolex has become a mug's game. There's ZERO love for the brand. It's the profits their buyers are interested in and nothing more!!!
However, I do think that the Rolex bubble WILL burst and a lot of greedy Grey Market dealers are going to be left holding the baby!!
@@lion6460 the dramatic secondary market increases may start with rolex, but they then quickly spread + now impact all brands that can be considered to be easily identified online as having a desirability + limited availability. figures on FPJ are mostly under six figures at retail, but just under and mostly over six figures on the secondary market - often $250-$500K from those i’ve seen. FPJ now hire staff to pick out customers to reduce reselling, and know they’re giving away profit if they choose wrongly, yet still manage to see reselling relatively rarely occurring. ALS secondary prices are probably ten times what they were (for the same limited early pieces) 15 years ago, and it’s one of the central targets for those who can’t get their first choice for a secure investment via a rolex.
If i dont have the history with lange, it does not mean that i am a flipper. Lange used to make rather classic looking watches in the past and those were not in my interest. Now, suddenly, you have a model that marks my interest and expect from me to have a history with the house of ALS? With all due respect, this is what all brands are doing: Pushing clients into other models (e.g. code 1159 for a royal oak, etc). For me its clear: I will never be a client of ALS. Your "old money" clients can keep those steel/titanium Oddyseus and flip them whenever they want. With such approaches, most companies push you ij corners you dont see yourself and it kills the fun.
And at 6:34 exactly i stopped the video. Couldnt care less what he said afterwards. Aleandre is great of course. Doing a good job as always. Thanks
ALS is not pushing anyone to buy anything… The Odysseus came only two years ago … then ALS collectors already had bought different watches and they didn’t do it for an Odysseus since it did not exist yet… now that it does of course long term loyal customers are the ones who get one easier than others… that’s nothing abnormal and that does not kill the fun…
If they only make the Odysseus in very limited numbers every year and you don't have a long standing history with them as a loyal customer & supporter of their brand, then why should they give you, a complete stranger to them, one of their most limited & highly sought timepieces over others who has been buying their timepieces year in & year out for years & in some cases even decades and who've patiently waited for their opportunity?
I completely understand where A. Lange & Söhne are coming from in regards to the allocation of their most prized timepiece. If they started dishing out these limited pieces to every Tom, Dick and Harry that walked through their doors then it's highly likely those customers are only there to buy these highly prized pieces to flip them the very next day in the hopes of making themselves a very handsome profit.
It's because of their strict policy that you only find a handful of pre-owned Odysseus on the Grey Market. Compare that to how many BRAND NEW highly prized Rolex pieces like the GMT Masters and Daytonas that are on the Grey Market the very same year they're released to the market!!
A lot of these highly sought Rolexs are coming straight from the hands of corrupt Authorised Dealers looking to make far more than the measly commissions Rolex gives them or the same long term customers of these ADs WHO GET THE VERY SAME PIECES ALLOCATED TO THEM EVERY SINGLE YEAR!!
In the case of the Odysseus they are not going to the same customers every single year but to different clients who have been building strong relationships with the A. Lange & Söhne brand and have been loyal to them.
If you really want one & you can't be bothered taking the time building a relationship with the brand then there's nothing stopping you from going on to Chrono24 and getting one. Albeit at a highly inflated price. Simple!!
@@WatchAdvisor They do, dear Alexandre,l and they communicate this actually quite openly. I happened to hear this at two different boutiques. One actually told me that one need to spend at least 0.25 Mio USD to have a good enough history to get on the list for the Odysseus.
@@lion6460 on your first part you sound pretty much like the CEO of lange. If i am unknown to LANGE, it does not mean that i am a flipper and does also not mean that i am not a watch collector with other brands. What i am trying to say is here that when the oddyses got introduced and this piece triggered your interest as a collector and only this piece, how do you want to build a history if you dont like the other pieces?
There is no right answer to how you manage this First World supply problem. As mentioned by @affe gorilla, as it stands an elite circle is created but what can you do? As it stands I would have a Lange in a heartbeat IF my budget could stand it. It can't. So the good news is I don't have to worry about how I can get my hands on one.
You never know… Go for it! I keep my fingers crossed 🤞🏼
Do a lottery.
That is the luxury and not gambling industry...