After graduating from the Faculty of Business & Economic Sciences at Université Saint Joseph in Lebanon, Ramzi Nael joined Richemont group in 2005 and gained valuable experience in the watchmaking industry. Passionate about watches, he drifted into this field and has now become the brand director of A. Lange & Söhne for Middle East and India.
Azyaamode had the opportunity to interview him, so let’s find out what he had to say about this year’s novelties.
As a bearer of a degree in Macroeconomics, how did you become interested in timepieces?
As we say: “A degree is not a life sentence!” I was lucky enough that life drifted me towards the watchmaking industry at an early start in my career; I always had a great affinity for mechanical objects and their functionalities.
According to your experience, how do A. Lange & Söhne’s timepieces stand out in the world of watchmaking?
Every A. Lange & Söhne timepiece is an unmistakable blend of design, technology, materials and craftsmanship, an expression of our drive to create discreet yet distinctive designs and optimal technical solutions. There is a certain German matter-of-factness and solidity, which can be perceived immediately. Every watch is equipped with an in-house movement that features inventive ideas and the highest degree of finishing. One of the key elements of our movements is the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, which was introduced by Ferdinand Adolph Lange more than 150 years ago.
Can you tell us a bit about A. Lange & Söhne’s novelties for this year?
This year’s highlight is the TOURBOGRAPH PERPETUAL “Pour le Mérite”, which brings together five traditional mechanisms in one watch: fusée-and-chain transmission, tourbillon, chronograph, rattrapante function and perpetual calendar. The product family also features an 1815 ANNUAL CALENDAR with a manually wound movement and analogue date, weekday and month, as well as a moon-phase display.
With a chiming movement, that acoustically signals the time in ten-minute intervals, the ZEITWERK DECIMAL STRIKE comes in a honey gold case exclusive to Lange and makes time audible in a new way.
At the beginning of December 2016, A. Lange & Söhne presented the new LANGE 1 MOON PHASE with a day/night indication. This LITTLE LANGE 1 MOON PHASE has been provided with an elegant companion in pink gold featuring a guilloched, argenté-colored dial.
The SAXONIA family is growing with the addition of two new models with a mother-of-pearl dial. This product family is also complemented by a LANGE 31 version in white gold with a grey dial, which has a power reserve of 31 days and a patented constant-force escapement that provides uninterrupted operation.
What is the inspiration behind this line?
Every year we surprise the public with timepieces across all product families to enrich our offerings and to be true to our motto: “Never Stand Still”.
Which watch would you choose to invest in as a stylish man who likes high-end complications?
We have timepieces for every occasion, which makes it difficult to pick. All the Lange timepieces are a good investment without a doubt. At the end of the day a timepiece is a very personal choice and has to answer your needs and fulfil your taste but if I had to choose, my top-three would be the Datograph Tourbillon, Terraluna and 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar.
Mirella Haddad
