Credits: Article and images by Elizabeth Doerr @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/07/15/lang-1943-field-watch-edition-one-gerd-rudiger-langs-fascination-of-mechanics-continues-reprise/
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Why the LANG 1943 launch watch is not a chronograph or a regulator
Aside from being a watchmaker, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang was always a collector of watches. He appreciates all kinds of timepieces, but chronographs have always been his one true love, which is reflected in his 850-piece collection of chronographs. He wrote the book on the chronograph. Literally.
Yet the LANG 1943 team chose to launch the new brand with a rejuvenated field watch design. And the reason why lies in the nature of these movements that Lang had the foresight to buy entire stores of in the 1980s at the height of the quartz crisis.
LANG 1943 Caliber L431, which is based on Marvin Caliber 700 from the 1960s
One of the rescued reserves of movements is the entire remaining stock of Marvin Caliber 700, which was made in the 1960s. Lang bought the whole inventory of these movements, only a few of which were used in limited editions of Chronoswiss watches like the Orea and the Régulateur 24 (Lang was also the first to use the regulator style in a wristwatch). Lang wanted to keep these movements for special occasions. “That was our good luck,” Bartkowiak explained of the remaining movements. “At the same time, we have also invested in their further development and executions. There will be chronographs and regulators based on this Marvin movement in the future, but that all takes time.”
Chronoswiss Régulateur 24 from 2009 was powered by a refurbished and modified Marvin Caliber 700
I have learned that independent watchmaker Andreas Strehler is involved in the development of LANG 1943’s Marvin-based regulator, which is an excellent sign of quality as well as a nod to Lang’s past: Strehler was involved in developing the Chronoswiss Chronoscope, which was incidentally also introduced in 2009. The new regulator will probably be arriving as early as 2023. The chronograph, however, which will be integrated into the Marvin ébauche, needs about two more years. “It’s a logical watch for us to make, considering our history,” Bartkowiak added.
Bartkowiak has spent the bulk of the last couple years finding the right partners to help refurbish these manually wound movements for use in LANG 1943 watches, beginning with the 2022 field watch.
“When Rüdiger [Lang] told me he had this stock of vintage movements, I asked how many. And he answered, ‘Well, until the end of your life’,” Bartkowiak laughed. “These were only ébauches, though, so we’ve had to build and refurbish them – nightmarish work like getting the pittonage for the balance springs [very precisely positioning the stud that determines the regulating point between the curb pins]. We also had to buy ruby bearings, get the movements finished and decorated, and so on.”
LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One
“We are turning this raw gem into a sparkling diamond,” Bartkowiak explained. “Just collect the best cherries for your brand and you will have a fantastic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte [Black Forest cake]!”
And all of this work on the movements was begun during the pandemic, a truly dreadful time to work with suppliers, who have been struggling over the last two years, a situation that is still ongoing. It borders on miraculous how well things have worked out for the LANG 1943 team.
Everything about LANG 1943 is created, crafted, and manufactured in Switzerland and Germany. A lot like the way Chronoswiss used to work, but with one major difference: there is no “Swiss made” on the dial of these new watches. And that even though this watch would easily qualify to carry the label.
“Newcomers all arrive with a ‘Swiss made’ label,” said Bartkowiak. “I just don’t trust in it anymore. We only say ‘designed in Germany, made in Switzerland.’ But it’s not on the dial. I want to be a German brand and we are authentic this way: I am German, Rüdiger is German; it’s our heritage.”
The LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One
Is this the right time to bring a new brand to the market? That’s a good question. But one thing is certain: the Swiss watch industry has gone through a lot of crises, and the coming recession is probably just the next speed bump along the way. “There is certainly space for us in the market in this price range,” said Bartkowiak. “At under $4,000 with a manufacture movement and no Far Eastern parts – we are entirely German and Swiss – we have very good chances.”
LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One on a variety of wrists
Despite the recession, this new brand does have good cards: limited production, accessible pricing, comfortable unisex sizing, beautiful design, high-grade manufacturing, enthusiastic people behind it, and a pedigree that hardly any other new brand would be able to enjoy: Gerd-Rüdiger Lang as mentor and ambassador.
The Field Watch Edition One is the premier introduction. But it won’t be the last new watch we see this year: variations of the Field Watch are slated to arrive as 2022 progresses.
“Rüdiger’s birth decade is the 1940s, so we decided to bring the design of our Field Watch Edition One to a logical place: the Dirty Dozen, which has become a topic again at auction. And you’ll see that the Jaeger-LeCoultre Dirty Dozen had a huge subdial for seconds, which we used as our inspiration, transferring this cherished design of the 1940s into the 2020s. It was a long journey. And we have invested a lot in what I call the ‘Rüdiger DNA’.”
LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One
The dial of the LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One is a surprising fumé with luminous hour markers in an old radium-style color. The fumé style has experienced something of a comeback thanks to brands like H. Moser & Cie and anOrdain. Most recently, Patek Philippe released its own version of the fumé. LANG 1943’s fumé dial is different yet again from all of these – and in no way inspired by that of the Patek Philippe timepiece, which only came out at Watches and Wonders 2022. Though I would say that in a year in which Patek Philippe also releases such a dial, there is no way that LANG 1943 can go wrong.
The fumé dial finds its roots in the 1960s and 1970s, which fits perfectly with the era of this Marvin movement from the 1960s. “I started working on the dial about three years ago, thinking to bring a cherished design with a modern update. This is now our interpretation and has its own character,” explained Bartkowiak. “The behind-the-scenes work in bringing a dial like this to fruition cannot be underestimated.”
LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One
The brushed stainless steel case, which is sized to perfectly house its manufacture movement, is silky to the touch and wears like a dream. It is available in 39 mm, a size that the markets very much appreciate today due to the trendy decrease of case sizes and the ability for it to be worn ubiquitously. “We wanted more of an elegant sporty case rather than a pilot’s case,” added Bartkowiak.
The LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One comes with two straps that can be easily exchanged using a quick-release pin: one in a beige-colored woven textile and one in a naturally tanned leather with no chemicals used in the tanning process. This leads to the strap receiving a “patina” over the course of time that is unique to the wearer. The quick-release straps are lined with skin-friendly Alcantara. And they are supremely comfortable.
LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One with both straps (photo courtesy Miguel Seabra)
“Legacy is one of the things we wanted to bring to this ‘new brand with heritage’,” noted Bartkowiak. “We are a newcomer, but we are not really a startup. And the brand is built around the aura of Rüdiger, an advantage money can’t buy.”
The “fascination of mechanics” continues . . . and if you weren’t around to know what I am referring to, then know that “the fascination of mechanics” was classic Chronoswiss’s tagline. But it was also more than that. It was a way of life.
For more information, please visit lang1943.com.
Quick Facts LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One
Case: 39 x 8.4 mm, stainless steel
Movement: manually wound Caliber L431 based on Marvin Caliber 700 from the 1960s, appx. 46-hour power reserve, 3 Hz / 21,600 vph frequency,
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Price: $3,700
* This article was first published 08 July 2022 at LANG 1943 Field Watch Edition One: Gerd-Rüdiger Lang’s Fascination Of Mechanics Continues
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Credits: Article and images by Elizabeth Doerr @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/07/15/lang-1943-field-watch-edition-one-gerd-rudiger-langs-fascination-of-mechanics-continues-reprise/
