Rare cars, rare watches, and in the grounds of a royal palace
Russell SheldrakeLast week, I had the pleasure of attending one of the world’s finest car shows, the Concourse of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, with A. Lange & Söhne. The German brand might not be the first that springs to mind when the crossover between horology and motorsport is brought up; however, the company’s CEO, Wilhelm Schmid, is a massive car fanatic. Having started his life as a mechanic, Wilhelm is well and truly embedded in the car world, and has often brought one of his classic cars to the Concourse of Elegance to display; alas, this year he wasn’t able to. But that didn’t mean he came empty-handed. Lange had two new releases to show us gathered press and clients, and they brought some real heat this year.
The Richard Lange Jumping Seconds with a rose gold dial is a study in restrained complication design. The ability to control the power delivered to the jumping seconds hand through a one-second remontoir is not only deceptively complex but extremely satisfying to behold. It builds on Lange’s expertise in jumping time displays, as we have seen in its Zeitwerk models. However, this regulator display breaks that complexity down into an extremely calming and almost therapeutic vision.
We also had on hand the 1815 Tourbillon with its incredibly deep black enamel dial. This stole a lot of hearts at the Concourse with its delicate yet impactful dial that’s punctuated by the glittering, rotating tourbillon. These two paired together make a wonderful capsule collection, and placing them next to some of these exotic and rare vintage cars made for an even more exciting experience. The black tourbillon dial went perfectly with the black bodywork of a Mercedes-AMG Project 1, while I felt the Jumping Seconds would not have felt out of place inside the hand-decorated interiors of the 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I, better known as the Phantom of Love.
We were also lucky enough to get a tour of the royal palace, climbing onto its roof and getting to explore its perfectly manicured gardens. And I must say, there is nothing like getting to see this kind of event from the air, looking down on the perfectly arranged rows of cars while parked amongst the shaped yew trees that stretch towards the man-dug long water pond.
While Lange is certainly not an automotive brand, their presence at a show like this makes perfect sense. The elevated aura of the German brand goes seamlessly with the pristine motors we were surrounded by, and that was evident by how many of the owners and admirers of the cars were also taken with the horological creations that were on show. While attending the Concourse of Elegance meant I was unable to attend Geneva Watch Days this year, it was an incredibly pleasant way to spend a few days in the English countryside. Enjoy your weekends!
Russell and the Time+Tide Team
Watch meme of the week: Labubus are everywhere
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It’s a pandemic, and it needs to be stopped!
Wrist shot of the week: handmade goodness
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This might not be a new release, but getting a clean, well-lit shot of the Greubel Forsey Hand Made 1 is always worth a pause in your constant scroll.
Time+Tide shop pick of the week: Beaucroft Element
Designed in Cambridge and constructed in Maidenhead, the wonderfully compact Beaucroft Element offers one of the best value propositions you can find in our Studio range. With its excellent proportions, clarity in layout and colourful dial options, there is a good argument for this English darling being one of the best everyday watches you can buy on a budget.
The Beaucroft Element range is available right now from the Time+Tide Shop, both online and in-store at our London and Melbourne Discovery Studios. Price: £649
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
A Matter of Time EP 05: What women really think about your watch choice on a first date…
The gang are back for episode five, and this time Ele is taking the lead and telling us all what we’ve been pondering: what do women really think about watches? If you thought that the Rolex you paid well over retail for would secure you a date, you might want to think again and watch the full episode now…
Panerai revives a military-exclusive dive watch icon with the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218
A largely faithful recreation of a military-exclusive model released in the same year that Panerai first became available to civilians, the Luminor Marina Militare PAM05218 ticks a lot of boxes. This new release feels like a true Italian military watch from a bygone era, and for a simple watch to be able to transport you back, that’s pretty impressive. Read Jamie’s full review here.
Audemars Piguet marks 150 years with 38 mm QPs and stone‑dial tourbillons
Shrunken-down perpetual calendars and the combining of semi-precious stones with tourbillons prove to be a recipe for success at Audemars Piguet in its latest batch of releases. The 38mm QPs in both the Royal Oak and Code 11.59 make one of the brand’s signature complications now available in that Goldilocks case size, something many have always liked about the brand’s vintage models. Read the scoop here.