The A. Lange and Sohne 1815, along with some of Lange’s other early models, can be found pre-owned around the $10k budget, making them an absolute steal for the quality. Sporting the L.941.1 movement, the watch ticks away at 21,600 bph. It has a 45 hr power reserve, is handwound and has 21 jewels.

The first thing you’ll notice about the 1815 (or any Lange for that matter) is the weight. At 36mm, this is no large watch. Nevertheless, when you pick it up, it’s heavier than you’d think, thanks to the beautiful gold case. Winding the watch every morning and setting the watch is a privilege. The feel of the click and setting mechanism could be compared to closing the doors on a Mercedes Pullman. Solid, quality, very German.

The 1815 sports a silver dial with painted Arabic numerals and a countersunk small seconds. The blue steel lance hands contrast with the dial, making it easy to read even in low light.

One of my favorite things about Lange, is that their entry watches get the same finishing and attention to detail as their complicated watches. It is true that Lange makes no entry-level watch. They make complicated watches, and simple watches. The anglage is polished by hand (using a touret). The movement has heat blued screws, gold chatons, expertly applied Glashütte striping and a unique hand engraved balance cock. In the spirit of German tradition, the movement uses a 3 quarter plate because in the old days of watchmaking before modern machining, this provided a much sturdier plate for the gear train. The movement is made of German silver that by now has started to develop a beautiful champagne hue.

The A. Lange and Sohne 1815 is a great example of haute horology and comes in yellow, rose, white, and platinum (if you’re willing to do a lot of searching). The yellow gold models are relatively easy to find on the second hand market for a good price and are esteemed by even the snobbiest of watch snobs.