The Odysseus marks A. Lange & Söhne's bravest step since the early 2000s, a steel sports watch with reserved, teutonic confidence. Released in 2019, the Odysseus is a departure from every other A. Lange & Söhne, yet fully at home in the catalogue. It is the first A. Lange & Söhne with a screw-down crown for 120m water resistance. And yet, the Semper Opera house influence and fine watchmaking threads have not been diluted. The Odysseus is the very first German watch to take fine watchmaking and sporting wear-ability with equal seriousness.
The unique steel case of the Odysseus measures 40.5mm and a refined 11.4mm thin. The two geometrically-complex 'guards' flanking the crown are in fact pushers for its day and date discs. The case finishing is intricate with contrasting mirror and brushed surfaces, still in the traditional 3-body style. The Odysseus bracelet is brushed on the outside with polished bevels, meant to recall the bridges of the movement. Every link on the Odysseus bracelet is removable with a push-button micro adjustment built into the clasp.
Interestingly, this very early production Odysseus does not have an integrated bracelet. On the very earliest productions, the bracelet end link included access for a springbar tool. Sometime mid-2020, this was changed and the bracelet became truly fixed to the case. Only the first year of production, such as this example, could theoretically be worn on a non-custom strap if one wished. This is not yet fully appreciated by collectors. Total production of this first generation period is estimated to be just 250 examples before fully integrated bracelets took over.
Its blue dial is brass, galvanically colored and frosted with a three-layer construction. In a rare touch of exuberance, the 60 minute mark is bright red. Interestingly, the date digits for the Odysseus are on separate discs, just like a Lange 1. Combined with the pusher mechanism, this seemingly simple Day and Date requires 99 components for that sub-system alone.
The 312-component automatic calibre L155.1 builds upon the L086.1, but varies in a few important ways. The rotor is made of ARCAP, an alloy more stable than gold yet just as heavy, rhodium-coated for a sporting touch. There is a gold chaton as a nod to history, on top of the escape wheel. In an effort to increase shock resistance, there is now a full balance bridge. Unlike the usual floral motif, Odysseus balance bridges are hand-engraved with waves, fittingly. The beat rate has been raised to 4 Hz. It is a thoughtfully made calibre fit to the task it was designed around. All the traditional Glashütte striping, anglage, and black polishing remains.
The Odysseus is much more than just the first production steel A. Lange & Söhne or credible competitor to the 'Holy Trinity' sports watches. It is the first new A. Lange & Söhne collection in the truly modern era, stemming from a much more confident and secure brand than the Blümlein era. It is a Lange to be lived in without consideration, and that's not something we've really had up until now.
