Traditional watchmaking and classic cars have long gone hand in hand, both a celebration of craftsmanship, style, precision and engineering. Since 1929, the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy has been a mecca for some of the finest vintage motors. More recently it has become a showcase of accomplished haute horlogerie too, as each year since 2012 A Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid has presented the owner of the competition’s most elegant vehicle with a unique timepiece.

For 2021, this special watch is a 18ct white gold take on the 1815 Chronograph, a core piece in the watchmaker’s collections that combines a classic and refined aesthetic with the latest innovations. The watch is a fitting choice to celebrate the rich historical connection between motorsport and timekeeping, powered by the highly accurate manual-wind calibre L951.5. Beating at a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour (2.5 hertz), it delivers readings of stopped times to an impressive accuracy of one fifth of a second.

Here, the watch has been presented with a solid pink-gold dial, bringing a vintage feel that recalls traditional pocket watches, and enhanced further with the contrasting brown sub counters. Turn the watch over and the rare nature of this one-off piece is further denoted by hand-engraving on the hinged cover, including the name of the event and its coat of arms, alongside the founding and current year of the competition.

alange-soehne.com