Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/07/09/why-i-bought-it-a-lange-sohne-double-split-chronograph/
What’s so special about the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split – or as I started calling it as soon as I bought it, the “Mighty Double Split?”
In this latest edition of the “Why I Bought It” series, I hope to give you a good impression about why I chose this watch among the many ultra-complicated chronographs out there, why I’m still pleased with my purchase three years later, and what you might want to consider if you think that this stalwart of the Lange line could be the one for you.
Why I bought it
In my friend Terry’s collecting taxonomy (described in more detail in Why I Bought It: Vianney Halter Deep Space Tourbillon), the Double Split definitely falls in the “investment” realm: a piece with fairly predictable market value that is important in its own right and can be a foundational element within a collection.
One of the great things about these sorts of watches from a collector’s perspective is that they allow you to spend (note I didn’t say “invest”) more on your collection than you could otherwise afford.
But that’s not why I bought this watch. In fact, although I’d been a fan of A. Lange & Söhne’s watches for some time, already owned a Datograph, and had known about the Double Split for a while, it wasn’t at the top of my wish list until “the lunch.”
Our small group of Northern California collector crazies had gathered for one of our regular lunches, this time with a Lange theme. As usual with our group, any theme teases some pretty interesting watches out of members’ safe deposit boxes, and this time was no exception.
Pieces like one of the ten “Pisa” Datographs in existence and a rare Lange 1 in stainless steel were being handed around and tried on. The “Pisa” is an edition of ten pieces in platinum cases with both solid and exhibition case backs, a silver dial, and blued chronograph hands; they were made for the Italian retailer of the same name.
For me, though, the watch that riveted my attention didn’t actually belong to any of the members; it was a Double Split that belonged to the uncle of one of our gang. Turns out that “Unc” was in town for the day, met up with our buddy, and – by total coincidence – happened to be wearing a Double Split. He was kind enough to lend it to his favorite nephew for lunch.
It is on such small coincidences that collections can turn! My photos from that day are dominated by the Double Split, and I was soon on the hunt. Shortly thereafter, I found a suitable example at auction, and after some much-needed loving care back at the A. Lange & Söhne manufacture (which I reviewed in some detail in Why You Can’t Afford To Buy Your Watch If You Can’t Afford To Break It) found myself with a like-new Double Split that has been one of my very favorite pieces ever since.
————————————————————————————————————–
Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/07/09/why-i-bought-it-a-lange-sohne-double-split-chronograph/