If the name Lang & Heyne is familiar to you, congratulations, you are a certified watch nerd. Based in Dresden, Germany, Lang & Heyne is a small watch company that produces only a handful of watches annually. Production is said to under 50 pieces a year, and that’s because they spend a lot of time working on their watches to make them beautiful. And when I say a lot, I do mean, a lot. For example, it takes 40 minutes to polish a single screw, which cost about 100 euros each. Consider the number of screws in a watch and you can imagine how long it takes for them to make a single watch. For 2017, Lang & Heyne is introducing a new watch called the Georg and it features a brand new rectangular movement that is absolutely gorgeous.
The name of the watch, Georg, comes from the 16th century Duke of Saxony. Saxony is the state in which Dresden is located. Dresden, in case you were wondering, is only about 20 miles north of Glashütte, arguably the center of German watchmaking.
The Lang & Heyne Georg comes in a 32mm-wide case that measures 40mm tall, and thickness is a very moderate 9.4mm. There will be three versions: platinum, white gold, and red gold. The case looks deceptively simple, but upon closer examination, you will see that it is actually quite angular. Also unique is the triple-lug design, which is a signature for the brand. Water resistance is a mere, but unsurprising 30 meters.
All models will come with white enamel dials that feature Art Deco-style Arabic hour markers and a railroad minutes track. Along the railroad minutes track at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, you have small blue diamond markers. And at 6 o’clock, you have a fairly large subsidiary seconds dial, which is actually a separate piece of white enamel attached to the bottom of the main dial. Running along the lower periphery of the subsidiary seconds dial is the label “Made in Saxony.” The platinum and red gold models will both feature blued lancet-style hands, while the white gold model will come with rose gold lancet-style hands.
The best part of the watch is the movement. Called the Caliber VIII, it is a brand-new movement that Lang & Heyne developed, and it is a work of art. In place of conventional bridges, you have stainless steel cocks that hold the gear train. This leaves the movement completely exposed, which in turns gives it a three-dimensional quality that is just mesmerizing.
The large screwed balance wheel beats at a leisurely 2.5Hz and the single barrel offers a decent 55 hours of power reserve. Look closely at the balance wheel and you will see that there’s a small diamond used as the endstone for the balance staff. And as you would expect, the movement is hand-finished to very high standards and includes work like black and mirror polishes, beveling, brushing, and more. All in all, it is one of the prettiest movements I have ever seen.
The new Lang & Heyne Georg is the epitome of understated luxury. Unless you are a bona fide watch nut, chances are you will never know or realize that the Lang & Heyne Georg is something special. It truly is simple on the outside, but complex on the inside. The dial is simple but legible, and the movement is unique in its construction and just wonderful to behold. I hope I have the chance to see the watch in the flesh at some point and marvel at its movement. The Lang & Heyne Georg is priced at €26,410 in 18k red gold, €27,830 in 18k white gold, and finally, €53,280 in platinum. lang-und-heyne.de
