eventshoch2 – Pre-SIHH Event for A. Lange & Söhne

Lange Uhren GmbH, Glashütte, Germany

The SIHH (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) in Geneva is one of the largest and most important events for luxury watches in the world. It is a private event and open only to experts in the craft of watchmaking, who are invited by the exhibiting companies.

In the lead-up to this event, on the anniversary of the founding of the company, the Lange Uhren GmbH every year presents the new model of the A. Lange & Söhne watch family to select journalists from all over the world. Therefore, on 7th December 2011, the new model “Datograph Auf/Ab” was presented within the framework of a stylish and exclusive event and effectively revealed to the specialist press. The model is a successful and impressive further development of the “Datograph”, which for many watch-lovers is “the most beautiful timepiece in the world”.

Sixty journalists from all over the world were flown to Dresden specially for this event and experienced two days full of entertainment and culture. Whether it was sightseeing in the city with a tour of the Semper Opera House or a festive lunch in Eckberg Castle – Dresden, with its impressive and interesting views of a European cultural capital, was once again the hit. The eagerly awaited revelation of the new watch model formed the crowning finale of these two days.

For this occasion, there could hardly have been a more suitable venue than the impressive Albertinum Museum, which gave rise to and which houses uncountable masterpieces in the history of art, from the Romantic period to the present. This unique combination of tradition and modernity formed the appropriate setting for the impressive presentation of the new watch model “Datograph Auf/Ab”. In the atrium of building, the participants were personally greeted at the beginning of the evening with a speech given by Wilhelm Schmid, the CEO of A. Lange & Söhne. Then it became dark, a bright spotlight shone on the ceiling, the amazed guests looked up expectantly, and, to great effect, the new model was lowered from the ceiling in a glass lift in the hands of a gorgeous model.

The new Datograph Auf/Ab was subsequently presented to the curious journalists on a tray. It was possible to handle this renewed masterpiece of the art of watchmaking, to inspect it close-up and to touch its delicate parts. In order to provide an opportunity for the technical discussions which this provoked, the guests were then invited to an exclusive dinner at an impressive 26-meter long, illuminated table, made by hand especially for this event. With champagne, Breton lobster and fitting live music from our band the guests quickly fell into conversation with each other.

A further highlight of the evening was the awarding of the “F. A. Lange Scholarship” prize for the promotion of the next generation of watchmakers. The prize consists of a scholarship to the amount of 10,000 Euro for supplementary training in watchmaking and was jointly presented in person to the winner by the CEO Wilhelm Schmid and by Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand A. Lange, the founder of the company.

Upon the successful conclusion of the event, the Phaeton shuttles, which had been specially branded with the A. Lange & Söhne logo for this event, brought all the guests back to their hotels, from where they then set out for the airport on the following morning. They will certainly remember this wonderful event for a long time and are greatly looking forward to coming back to Dresden next year, to once again hear the words, “Ladies and Gentlemen, A. Lange & Söhne proudly presents...”

We would like to thank the Lange Uhren GmbH for having entrusted this special task to our event agency eventshoch2. Our event agency was responsible both for the development of the complete event concept and for the special idea of the presentation. We also took care of the professional implementation of the event in accordance with the A. Lange & Söhne corporate design.