A close-up of the titanium case and bracelet of the 2022 A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus, a brand first
Meet A. Lange & Söhne’s first titanium timepiece, an ingenious low-key blockbuster.
The versatile Odysseus from A. Lange & Söhne performs beautifully in leisure and sports settings.
If you had to describe the ideal watch, what would it look like? How would it feel?
Perhaps a watch that tells the time simply and clearly, something lightweight, wearable for every occasion, but exclusive. The latest release from A. Lange & Söhne (alange-soehne.com), the titanium Odysseus, is one such watch.
Sports watches have reached peak demand, and with good reason. Our office time has diminished as workers spend more time at home. Dress codes have evolved alongside these changes. After the past few years of casual work-from-home attire, it isn’t very likely suits and ties will return to our lives any time soon. Long live the sports watch and the lifestyle it accompanies.
Aptly named for the hero of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the Odysseus survived a challenging journey to get to where it is today. Launched in 2019, the Odysseus debuted to controversy. At the time, a casual stainless steel sports watch from Lange felt almost blasphemous. Now, only three years later, attitudes have caught up with the times.
To understand the significance of this watch, it’s worth noting what makes a watch from A. Lange & Söhne so special. In about 30 years, A. Lange & Söhne has become synonymous with high-end precision, uncompromising values and an elegant style characterized by understated magnificence. Discretion, for Lange, is in the DNA.
The titanium Odysseus is a boutique exclusive, limited to 250 pieces, but not because A. Lange & Söhne couldn’t sell 10 times this amount, but because the manufacture can only produce so many watches per year. Upon release, the unprecedented demand for this watch was swift and immediate. The watchmaking artistry and casual elegance check all the boxes of what collectors are looking for today, a stealth blockbuster if there ever was one.
The Odysseus’ beautiful ice-blue dial and clear functionality hold a solid, no-nonsense appeal. Time is indicated with central hour and minute hands, a subsidiary seconds display at 6 o’clock, and date and day-of-week displays at 3 and 9, respectively. The self-winding Lange manufacture caliber L155.1 DATOMATIC powers the Odysseus. It’s decorated and assembled by hand in typical Lange fashion, with movement components also engraved by hand. Integrated pushers on the case’s flank allow for easy adjustment of the day and date.
The interplay between a matte finish and polished surfaces give the watch a slightly more modern feel than past versions. The icy dial sports a contemporary look, perfectly paired with anything from Brunello to Balenciaga. Around the edge of the ice-blue dial, gently curved guilloche lines appear in the hour ring, giving the dial a three-dimensional look, a Lange signature.
The Odysseus’ exceeding style and functionality are equaled by the surprising lightness of the titanium case and bracelet, so far as the wow factor is calculated. Weighing 43% less than the stainless-steel version, the titanium Odysseus sits light and comfortable on the wrist. Titanium is also corrosion-resistant; the metal produces a thin and natural oxide coating that protects itself against external factors when exposed to atmospheric oxygen. The bracelet even has an easy-to-use mechanism that allows the length to be easily adjusted by the wearer on the fly.
Beautiful finishing is a hallmark of A. Lange & Söhne, even on a sporty watch made for an active lifestyle. The Odysseus is available in stainless steel and white gold, with titanium new for 2022.
The screw-down crown contributes to a very water-resistant case, secure to a depth of 50 meters (approximately 164 feet), and pressures up to 12 bar. A 50-hour power reserve allows the watch to be set down for a few days without skipping a beat, but I can’t think of a single reason why the Odysseus should ever come off your wrist.
