After many years of shunning both sports watches and the use of stainless steel as a case metal - with very few and important exceptions - in 2019, A. Lange & Söhne released a stainless steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet: the Odysseus. The watch is named for the hero of Greek mythology, who endured a decade of travails after the Trojan war in the pursuit of returning home to his wife, family, and kingdom. Indeed, decades after Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin released their own stainless steel sports watches with integrated bracelets (the Royal Oak, Nautilus, and Overseas, respectively), Lange finally joined the party to much fanfare by collectors and Lange aficionados. The watch combined the classic stylings of the manufacture: oversized date apertures, elaborately finished movements, and German silver bridges. It introduced a completely new, in-house automatic movement, the L155.1 Datomatic ticking at 4 hertz, with a platinum-rimmed rotor.

The case shape itself is quite a novelty, subtly asymmetrical, combining a round case shape with faceted lugs and a boldly geometric bracelet. Incorporating a tripartite case, the bracelet and lugs are satin-finished, with each lug and bracelet link executed with precise chamfers. It is fully waterproof to 30 meters, and the bracelet was specifically engineered for ease of adjustment and comfort on the wrist. The dial integrates two finishes: a circular guilloche of the outer ring and a hammered inner ring, repeated on the subsidiary seconds at 6 o’clock. The dark blue color alternates between a vivid cerulean and a deep navy depending on lighting condition, and each white gold hand or hour marker is filled with luminous material for visibility in darkness.

The present Odysseus is in new condition, still bearing its factory protective plastic on the bracelet. It was consigned by the original purchaser with all its accompaniments having been sold in the United States on January 21st, 2020.

Consigned by the Original Owner