Editor’s pick — Accessory quick take: key highlight (movement/specs for watches, materials/finish, limited run, pricing tier) in 1–2 lines.
Earlier this month, I took a train up to the absolutely stunning town of Newport, Rhode Island, where I spent a weekend with A. Lange & Söhne, as the German brand sponsored the Audrain Newport Concours d’Elegance for the third consecutive year. The Concours d’Elegance, held every year on the Sunday of the weekend, is a culmination of Audrain Motor Week’s many days of gatherings, showcases, and talks, and is one of the best places to be if you’re a car enthusiast in the United States.
A. Lange & Söhne is an interesting brand when it comes to its activations—it has no celebrity ambassadors, nor does the brand sponsor sporting events or pay for placement on red carpet events. But the one type of event that Lange does like to support is automotive events, sponsoring or being involved in four different Concours d’Elegance events around the world each year—Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and of course, the Audrain here in the United States. It makes a ton of sense when you see the cars laid out on the lawns and the overlap in attendees’ appreciation and philosophy with the watches on display at the giant A. Lange & Söhne booth in the background. Plus, Lange’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid is a bit of a car nut, so it’s only natural to see the brand’s involvement continue to develop in this space.
The Audrain Concours d’Elegance is always such a curious event for me, even on my second time attending the event. Yes, the strength of the cars on display is incredible, with over 150 cars ranging from pre-war models to race cars and motorcycles competing on Sunday for the Best of Show trophy. I absolutely loved the “30 under 30” category, aimed at enthusiasts under 30 who spent less than $30,000 on any build or restoration. At the same time, this car event is probably one of the few places in the world to take in an absolutely breathtaking assortment of Langes.
Each year, Lange invites plenty of collectors to join the brand and the festivities over the weekend, which means that you get to see watches at their best—on someone’s wrist. With folks like Wilhelm Schmid, Tony De Haas, and automobile-slash-Lange enthusiast Jay Leno wandering around, it’s the Lange nerd’s perfect place to be, no matter how much or little you know about cars. Yes, you could theoretically attend this extravagant car event and spend your entire Sunday doing watch spotting alone.
But we’re here for both the cars and watches, so I hope you enjoy this set of photos from my day of wandering around the Audrain Concours d’Elegance!
Kicking off with a triple split!
We sat down and chatted with Jay Leno about — you guessed it — cars and watches.
Mr. Leno’s Lange 1 Timezone.
A matching Lange 1 Timezone on the couch.
Lange’s Director of Product Development Tony De Haas wearing this year’s Watches and Wonders novelty, the A. Lange & Söhne Minute Repeater Perpetual.
An absolute masterclass in double-wristing by @alangejourney, with two of Lange’s most epic black-dial limited editions.
The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Limited Edition in platinum.
Robert, one of Lange’s Glashütte-based engravers, identifies the artist responsible for the balance cock engraving of a Lange 1.
Lange’s freehand engraving in action.
Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid sporting the 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar with pink gold dial.
Photographer extraordinaire Troy Barmore spotted with his Submariner.
Lange 1 and yellow gold is a winning combo.
Trying on one of my grails, the Datograph Perpetual in white gold.
A gorgeous vintage Girard-Perregaux triple calendar on a Spiedel bracelet.
A Zeitwerk Date in the wild.
Dreamy mother-of-pearl dash on this 1936 Mercedes 540K Special Roadster.
Two-tone is epic on a vintage Cartier Santos.
The roll-back roof on this 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante by Gangloff.
Omega Seamaster Diver Chronograph 2225.80.00.
The black dial variant of the Lange 1 Moonphase is my favorite iteration of the model.
A familiar name in horology graces the dashboard’s speedometer.
Grand Lange 1 Moonphase, with the big ol’ moon disk.
Is this the Rolex hang tag equivalent for the Mercedes 300 SL?
Matching watch for the 300 SL!
A collector pulled out this vintage Omega from his jacket pocket to show me.
Rolex Deepsea ref. 126067.
A super cool Swatch Irony Chronograph from 1998 on the wrist of the same gentleman who pulled out the Omega.
Seen on one of the Concours judges, the Autodromo x Hodinkee Group B Rallysport Chronograph H01 in the best dial color.
A classic 1815 Up/Down.
A perpetual calendar works so well in the Lange 1 dial layout.
A vintage Lucien Piccard Dufonte watch.
Mandatory wristcheck from yours truly.
A Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164R-001.
Nothing beats a trusty Seiko 5!
A 1932 Auburn Twelve Dassault Douze Special, complete with the promotional ad for compressed natural gas.
A Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date (ref. 19018) passed down from the wearer’s father, now shared between the wearer and his brother.
Patek Philippe Nautilus ‘Jumbo Comet’ ref. 3710/A-001. Is this the most underrated Nautilus?
1981 Lamborghini Countach Monaco Grand Prix Pace Car.
The chill motorbike section.
The Rolex Day-Date 40 ref. 228235, with baguette dial.
A collector trying on the 1815 Chronograph.
A vintage Audemars Piguet Royal Oak in yellow gold.
The classic Zeitwerk, with a splash of red.
New York collector Michael also brought the double-wristed heat — Zeitwerk Date and Lange 1 Onyx Dial.
Though I mostly associate the Datograph Up/Down with platinum, in rose gold, it’s absolutely stunning.
The Little Lange 1 Onyx dial is such a stealthy watch.
No stoplights on the lawn.
Speedy sighting!
This is how you properly wear the Little Lange 1 Moonphase.
A trio of matching pink gold Lange 1 Moonphases.
Source: www.hodinkee.com — original article published 2025-10-31 13:00:00.
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