Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/10/13/heavy-metal-great-and-not-so-great-watch-bracelets-2/
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Top of the heap: Wellendorff bracelets for A. Lange & Söhne
When I think of bracelets that make me smile, at the top the list are the chunky precious-metal pieces made for A. Lange & Söhne by German jewelry brand Wellendorff.
Inspiration: Wellendorff/A. Lange & Söhne bracelet on a friend’s “yellowjacket” Datograph (photo courtesy @thebrokendato)
I’d seen photos of the A. Lange & Söhne bracelets before, but it wasn’t until mid-2017 when I saw one in person on collector Jeffrey Binstock’s Tourbillon Pour le Mérite that I got the fever.
Shortly thereafter, I had the chance to try on the white gold 1815 Chronograph with its fitted bracelet owned by my friend “tahoeblue.” And by the time I saw the yellow/black Datograph owned by pal Robert (aka @thebrokendato) with its own yellow gold bracelet, I was pretty much foaming at the mouth.
Out of the darkness: A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph in white gold with matching fitted bracelet
In late 2018, Robert proved his true mettle as a friend by letting me know that he had seen a yellow gold Wellendorff/Lange bracelet for sale in Germany – on eBay, of all places. I won’t take you through all of the ins and outs of the transaction, but I ultimately took the plunge and the seller sent the bracelet to a good friend of mine in Germany.
We were both expecting it to arrive in a securely tracked shipment, but as it turns out my friend found it in a padded brown envelope in her ordinary mail! She brought it to SIHH in January of 2019 where Robert Hoffmann of A. Lange & Söhne installed it on my PLM at the little watchmaker’s bench in the Lange booth. And I haven’t taken it off the watch since.
The author’s A. Lange & Söhne Pour le Merite Tourbillon on its Wellendorff/Lange bracelet
For me, the bracelet totally transforms the look of the watch, taking it from a calm classic on dark leather to a timeless – if slightly ostentatious – and proud statement of what makes A. Lange & Söhne, and the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite, so unique. I’m not 100 percent sure that Herr Walter Lange would have approved of the look, but it is fun to think about whether he might have considered putting one of these bracelets on his own yellow gold Tourbillon Pour le Mérite.
One famous figure who apparently didn’t need any convincing was the GOAT, Michael Jordan, who in this photo surfaced by Quill & Pad contributor Nick Gould is looking dapper with a platinum Datograph and accompanying bracelet.
What about that other A. Lange & Söhne bracelet?
Of all of the aspects of A. Lange & Söhne’s release of the Odysseus, its first-ever steel active-wear watch, the one that drew the most attention was the somewhat unconventional “integrated” bracelet. How does it stack up against the other bracelets we’ve been looking at here?
Adjustment mechanisms, A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus bracelet
The pros:
- It’s wonderfully adjustable, both at a macro level (the small circular buttons seen in the photo above can be pushed with the supplied tool or a toothpick to add or remove links in seconds) and a micro level (a push button on the rear of the clasp allows the bracelet to be lengthened or shortened over a range of 7 mm without removing it from the wrist).
- It’s very comfortable – although it’s a good thing that shuffling links around is so easy as the single-sided clasp is long enough that it took me a decent amount of fiddling to find that “just right” spot for the clasp under my wrist.
- It is consistent with the design concept of the watch; in particular, A. Lange & Söhne made a commitment to retaining the traditional Lange case profile with its curved lugs, and the bracelet both fits between the lugs and swoops out to meet the lugs at their outer ends.
- It uses brushed and polished elements to good advantage to draw the eye without being too flashy.
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus, showing the dividing line between first and second links
The cons:
- Even though there are spring bars that allow the bracelet to be removed, A. Lange & Söhne doesn’t (yet) offer any alternative straps – unlike Vacheron Constantin, for instance, whose latest Overseas models not only come with metal, rubber, and leather straps but also with a clever quick-release system that allows them to be swapped in seconds without tools.
- Unlike the Parmigiani Kalpa bracelet, the visual effect when you look at the spot between the first and second links is one of separation, not connection, despite the two small central prongs that extend across the gap. Also unlike on the Kalpa bracelet, the second links on the Odysseus lack the pronounced rounded bevels that would provide a smooth visual transition regardless of the angle at which the bracelet drapes around a given wearer’s wrist.
- As mentioned above, the single-sided clasp giveth (marvelous adjustability) but it also taketh away (some wearers may find that the long underlying blade is uncomfortable on the wrist).
Parting shot: another favorite, the Milanese bracelet on the Omega Ploprof
What are your favorite (and least favorite) metal watch bracelets? I have so little experience with the Nautilus and Royal Oak bracelets, for example, that I haven’t ventured to opine on them here – but my guess is that those, and others, either delight or frustrate you. I’ll look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below.
* This article was first published on June 20, 2020 at Heavy Metal: Great (And Not So Great) Watch Bracelets.
Gary Gertz is the founder of The Collectors Room, a private educational and social platform for watch collectors and aspiring watch collectors. You can learn more about that at https://thecollectorsroom.net/
You may also enjoy:
Why I’m All About That Case, That Case . . .
Why I Bought It: A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus (A Photofest!)
Watch Design: Originality, Similarity, Or Imitation?
Milanaise Mesh Watch Bracelets: What’s The Attraction?
Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/10/13/heavy-metal-great-and-not-so-great-watch-bracelets-2/
