Why I Bought It: US Swiss Luxury Replica A. Lange & Söhne Double Split – Reprise

What’s so special about the best quality fake 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 replica 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 high quality copy A. Lange & Söhne 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 black dial A. Lange & Söhne copy 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.
Why I love it

The reasons why I love the luxury online replica watches fall into two main categories: how it looks and what it does. Let’s start with appearances.

· It is indeed mighty! The massive platinum case is both hefty and sculpted in ways that to me communicate a real seriousness of purpose. One example: on the rear bezel, the brand name and serial number aren’t just engraved; they are etched into the bezel in deep relief, providing a striking frame for the movement.
Speaking of the movement: even if it weren’t a mechanical marvel, it certainly looks the part! The term I’ve heard over and over again from first-time viewers of my watch is that the movement side looks like a “city under glass.” Lange’s practice of building chronograph complications vertically isn’t to everyone’s taste, but I’m a sucker for this sort of deep dimensionality.

· The finishing is both purposeful and beautiful. A term that I sometimes use to refer to Lange’s style of finishing is “vigorous”: those Glashütte stripes on the bridges, for instance, will never be mistaken for the barely-there striping applied by Philippe Dufour. But for me it’s all part of a coherent Saxon style, like the screwed gold chatons that secure some of the jewels. It is especially appropriate for a masculine watch like the Double Split.
My fantasy

To my good friends at Swiss made copy A. Lange und Söhne: how about a Dato Double Split? Yes, I know you’ve already told me that it can’t be done for a variety of reasons, but I have faith in you!
Quick Facts A. Lange & Söhne Double Split
Case: pink gold; 43.2 x 15.3 mm; previously produced in platinum with black dial
Dial: argenté (silvered)
Movement: manually wound Caliber L001.1 with 38-hour power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, hacking seconds; flyback chronograph with double rattrapante and precisely jumping minute counters; “up/down” power-reserve indicator
Price: current retail price (pink gold) $128,400; recent auction prices as of 2014 (platinum) $77,000 to $87,000
Production years: 2004 onward

Swiss US Fake Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 90th anniversary Reverso has a telling detail

Like brake horsepower figures, 1:1 luxury replica watches brand anniversaries can attract a sort of unthinking, Pavlovian wonder. A number ending in a nice big zero – 10, 50, 100 years! – often delivers the illusion of significance without ever facing any real scrutiny. Anniversaries are sometimes, therefore, little more than marketing fast food – and they can get in the way of a good story (or, indeed, cover up a bad one).

What then to make of the 90th anniversary of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s lynchpin Reverso, which rolls into town next year, no doubt with as much fanfare as Covid allows? The rectangular art deco flippable luxury Jaeger-LeCoultre replica watch has been with us since 1931, created in response, as the romantic telling has it, to the whinnying of polo-playing British officers of the Raj who sought a watch they could wear during a chukka without fear of it getting smashed. Despite the passing of nine decades, the Reverso is still a modern classic, a watch wardrobe staple that is unequivocally one of the greatest ever made.

To mark it, Jaeger-LeCoultre will be releasing a number of new models, the first of which has just been announced, the 190-piece limited edition pink gold and burgundy-red Reverso Tribute Duoface Fagliano. And a lovely thing, it is, too.
The bare bones are familiar. Front-side up, it shows the time via Dauphine hour and minute hands, a small seconds and sword-tipped baton hour markers, all set against that sumptuous burgundy-shaded lacquer backdrop.

The B side has a second time zone with a 24-hour day/night indicator, this time with a hobnail “Clous De Paris” guilloché finish. Either way up, it’s a handsome thing, those Rubenesque fall-away case edges, triple-stacked grooves and balanced proportions giving familiar texture to the watch’s overall form. The mix of colours and materials is, frankly, gorgeous.
But what makes this watch interesting is neither its case, nor its dial, nor its movement, nor even its functionality. What catches the observant eye is that, for the strap, Jaeger-LeCoultre has gone for a cordovan leather and cotton canvas blend. Yes, you read that right. A Reverso with a part-canvas strap.

Of course, it’s not just any old army tent canvas. It’s crafted by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s long-time collaborator Casa Fagliano, the Argentine workshop known for its riding and polo boots, which provided the strap for the 80th anniversary of the Reverso Tribute model, too. We’re told each strap takes six hours to cut and stitch.
But it is still canvas, a distinct, deliberate choice and one that points to the softer, more casual approach to luxury we’ve been seeing from some of the more mainstream players in watch land. Even before this year’s pandemic-induced WFH chic became a thing, those brands were chipping away at the fusty veneer that still coats some quarters of the Swiss watch industry like a dozen coats of Ronseal. But it’s not something we had seen from the so-called grandes dames of Swiss watchmaking, where we find Swiss movement replica Jaeger-LeCoultre watches.

A part-canvas strap might appear small beer, but for a venerated brand such as aaa quality copy Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, it’s much more significant. Pushed on the matter at the virtual press launch, the company’s chief executive Catherine Rénier described the choice of canvas as “modern” and “versatile”, which is true. And given the eternally modern feel of the Reverso’s art deco form, it’s a natural complement, too. But it feels like more than that. And it feels good. More of the same please, Jaeger-LeCoultre.