# Classic as in Saxonia Thin



## Ernie Romers

A. Lange & Söhne was kind enough to lend me one of their Saxonia Thin watches in 18k white gold:​







The first comments I received when putting it on my wrist? "Wow, classic watch!" and "Very classy!". And I must agree, this is a watch to wear with a nice suit, going to a luxury show or party, meeting with CEO's, or to impress your girl friend. With a price tag of around € 20,000 this is no surprise.








The watch wears extremely comfortable, and to my surprise I would even consider the watch if it were smaller than 40 mm. Fact is, it looks bigger than that.








The Saxonia Thin is only 5.9 mm high. Is it the most thin watch you could get? No, probably not. There are even thinner watches out there. Nonetheless, the Saxonia Thin IS thin, thin enough, and perfectly in balance with its 40mm in diameter. 








And balance is to be found at the side of the watch as well. Although the case looks to be polished all around, the brushed part of the side of the case offers a nice surprise, from a design objective. A closer look:

















The hand wound movement, Lange manufacture calibre L093.1, can be seen through the crystal case back. Does that offer any value to the watch? Oh, yes, it certainly does. The movement is lavishly finished and decorated with various techniques. The end piece of the escape wheel is mirror-polished. The edges of the three-quarter plate and of the whiplash spring, and even the slots of the blued screws, are chamfered and polished. Of course, the balance cock of every watch is engraved by hand. Even parts hidden from view are sumptuously finished. ​







​
To reduce the overall height of the movement to 2.9 millimetres, the thickness of all calibre parts was reduced to the absolute minimum. Despite its slenderness, the movement features everything that can be expected of an A. Lange & Söhne watch: a three-quarter plate made of German silver, screwed gold chatons, a whiplash precision index adjuster, and the sublime finissage of all parts.​







Should the owner of this watch be worried about winding the watch often? Certainly not, the power reserve is a whoopy 72 hours!​







The baton and dewdrop appliques of the SAXONIA THIN enhance its legibility. A double applique graces the twelve-o'clock position. All appliques are made of solid gold. So are the case, the crown, the hands, and the buckle.

One of the most striking experiences I had when wearing the watch was the way the light plays with the solid silver dial, the hands and the appliques. I tried to capture the different contrasts in a few pictures:​


































See what I mean? The way the hands and appliques play with the light, going from a fresh white gold color to darker gray and sometimes even black is just beautiful. Beautiful is also the right expression for the way the hands are designed. Or "elegant" might express them even better. They have the right shape for such a classic and classy watch the Saxonia is.

As for the appliques, the right expression would simply be "stunning". If I had a macro lens for my Nikon, I probably would have caught the appliques in a close-up. Fortunately A. Lange & Söhne shows a perfect close-up on their website, as can be seen above.

Overall. This Saxonia Thin in white gold is a very desirable watch. Taken its price it will not be the watch for everyone, but if you ever considered a "grail" watch, one you want to pass on to your son or beloved family member, then you should put this one on your wish list. Highly recommended!

Thank you A. Lange & Söhne for giving me the pleasure to "own" this watch for two weeks. All pictures are copyrighted by A. Lange & Söhne and Watchuseek.

Visit the A. Lange & Söhne website​


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## mleok

Very nice, I just tried it on today at an authorized dealer, and the simplicity and elegance of the watch really appeal to me.


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## hkwatchguy

If only it had a date and was automatic.... Lange for some reason just doesn't like making thin, automatic dress watches with date function.


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## mleok

salemyang said:


> If only it had a date and was automatic.... Lange for some reason just doesn't like making thin, automatic dress watches with date function.


Because, by definition, a dress watch should not have a date. Also, the three-quarter plate is so characteristic of German watches, and a full sized rotor detracts from the aesthetics.


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## heuerolexomega

I own that watch and I have to say that I really love the way this watch morphs with the light. Is so elegant, but what I like the most is the fact this watch stunning attributes are derived from its simplicity b-)

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## sirgrotius

Love those photos. Thanks for sharing.


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## Skitalets

Just stunning. Thanks to both of you for the photos!


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## heuerolexomega

sirgrotius said:


> Love those photos. Thanks for sharing.





Skitalets said:


> Just stunning. Thanks to both of you for the photos!


;-)|>


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## GOJIN

Bloody brilliant. What a stunner!


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## Lightwater

Seriously nice!


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## solesman

That's a real beauty. Exquisite timeless design and its got serious presence. A real gentlemans watch.


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## monsieurxu

Wondering why the movement in this piece is so tiny compared to the case, I asked Lange. They checked among themselves and still couldn't give me an answer.


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## Shaunie_007

Gorgeous. One of my favorite companies in the business and this watch is an example of why they hold such a high regard in my book.


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## heuerolexomega

monsieurxu said:


> Wondering why the movement in this piece is so tiny compared to the case, I asked Lange. They checked among themselves and still couldn't give me an answer.


Case is 40 mm X 5.9 mm
Movement is 28 X 2.9 mm

Here is mine















Now to answer your question I might not be as qualified as the Lange guys but I will give it a shot.
My understanding is that yes the movement is smaller than the case but remember that the movement seats on the 3/4 platinum (not part of the movement per se). The 3/4 platinum plate is patented and designed by Ferdinand Lange. This plate was designed to improve the stability of the movement and esthetically show an elegant engraving of the balance bridge and the triggering device.

I could be wrong but that's how I see it
Hope it helps:-!


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## amine

You mean untreated german silver plate, i couldn't find any information on the platinum plate you're referring to.


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## GETS

Ernie Romers said:


> this is a watch to wear with a nice suit, going to a luxury show or party, meeting with CEO's, or to impress your girl friend


With respect I don't agree. If you are a non-WIS this would look like a Rotary or Timex. And this, by the way, is why I like it!


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## heuerolexomega

amine said:


> You mean untreated german silver plate, i couldn't find any information on the platinum plate you're referring to.


Yes I know is geraman silver, I post about these plates on the HE forum if you remember. Don't know why I keep calling it platinum, I probably was referring to nickel-finished effect that these plates have. Thanks for the correction.


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## monsieurxu

The 3 /4 plates are on all the Lange handwind watches, but the Thin is the only one with this problem. See the RL for instance.

I find 40mm far too big for such a watch, with a plain 2 hand dial.


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## heuerolexomega

monsieurxu said:


> The 3 /4 plates are on all the Lange handwind watches, but the Thin is the only one with this problem. See the RL for instance.
> 
> I find 40mm far too big for such a watch, with a plain 2 hand dial.


Nope, RL same issue:

*Movement*
Diameter	:	30.6 millimetres
Height	:	6.0 millimetres

*Case
*Case. : 40.5 millimetres
Height	:	10.5 millimetres


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## monsieurxu

Perhaps in numbers, but look at the actual RL. The movement fits the case. Same with the Dato, Cabaret, Arkade etc.


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## heuerolexomega

Saxonia thin 








Dato








I really don't know what's the big deal about this, but this is last thing I am going to say related to this topic.
Yes I can see how the case fits a little better the movement on the Dato compared to the Saxonia thin, but everything is proportional to the complication. And again I am not an expert, so I hope that if I wasn't able to answer your question at least I gave some insight to this.
Now, to me Patek Philippe is the king of sizing small movements on big cases, just look at the Calatravas.
Anyway, I love my Saxonia thin, love the size, the look, everything so I am gonna be very bias, in any event I wish you the best of luck figuring out your dilemma.
Cheers!:-!


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## not12bhere

heuerolexomega said:


> Saxonia thin
> 
> Now, to me Patek Philippe is the king of sizing small movements on big cases, just look at the Calatravas.


That is so true. After a long research process which involved trying on many of the Calatravas and ALS offerings, it became harder to find the value in the PP other than at resale (which I would hope to never do anyway). The PP offering which compares/competes with this ALS in this dress watch battle, while one of the most respected watches, had a VERY small movement and a VERY high price compared to the ALS. To be fair, it is a bit of an odd comparison though with Swiss vs. I/SA movement finishing. Still a Calatrava with a date complication versus a Lange 1 at the same price. . .


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## Kid_A

this is amazing timpiece. simple and so effective. perfect sice, super thin. enjoy....


Ernie Romers said:


> A. Lange & Söhne was kind enough to lend me one of their Saxonia Thin watches in 18k white gold:​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The first comments I received when putting it on my wrist? "Wow, classic watch!" and "Very classy!". And I must agree, this is a watch to wear with a nice suit, going to a luxury show or party, meeting with CEO's, or to impress your girl friend. With a price tag of around € 20,000 this is no surprise.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The watch wears extremely comfortable, and to my surprise I would even consider the watch if it were smaller than 40 mm. Fact is, it looks bigger than that.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Saxonia Thin is only 5.9 mm high. Is it the most thin watch you could get? No, probably not. There are even thinner watches out there. Nonetheless, the Saxonia Thin IS thin, thin enough, and perfectly in balance with its 40mm in diameter.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And balance is to be found at the side of the watch as well. Although the case looks to be polished all around, the brushed part of the side of the case offers a nice surprise, from a design objective. A closer look:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The hand wound movement, Lange manufacture calibre L093.1, can be seen through the crystal case back. Does that offer any value to the watch? Oh, yes, it certainly does. The movement is lavishly finished and decorated with various techniques. The end piece of the escape wheel is mirror-polished. The edges of the three-quarter plate and of the whiplash spring, and even the slots of the blued screws, are chamfered and polished. Of course, the balance cock of every watch is engraved by hand. Even parts hidden from view are sumptuously finished. ​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> To reduce the overall height of the movement to 2.9 millimetres, the thickness of all calibre parts was reduced to the absolute minimum. Despite its slenderness, the movement features everything that can be expected of an A. Lange & Söhne watch: a three-quarter plate made of German silver, screwed gold chatons, a whiplash precision index adjuster, and the sublime finissage of all parts.​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Should the owner of this watch be worried about winding the watch often? Certainly not, the power reserve is a whoopy 72 hours!​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The baton and dewdrop appliques of the SAXONIA THIN enhance its legibility. A double applique graces the twelve-o'clock position. All appliques are made of solid gold. So are the case, the crown, the hands, and the buckle.
> 
> One of the most striking experiences I had when wearing the watch was the way the light plays with the solid silver dial, the hands and the appliques. I tried to capture the different contrasts in a few pictures:​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> See what I mean? The way the hands and appliques play with the light, going from a fresh white gold color to darker gray and sometimes even black is just beautiful. Beautiful is also the right expression for the way the hands are designed. Or "elegant" might express them even better. They have the right shape for such a classic and classy watch the Saxonia is.
> 
> As for the appliques, the right expression would simply be "stunning". If I had a macro lens for my Nikon, I probably would have caught the appliques in a close-up. Fortunately A. Lange & Söhne shows a perfect close-up on their website, as can be seen above.
> 
> Overall. This Saxonia Thin in white gold is a very desirable watch. Taken its price it will not be the watch for everyone, but if you ever considered a "grail" watch, one you want to pass on to your son or beloved family member, then you should put this one on your wish list. Highly recommended!
> 
> Thank you A. Lange & Söhne for giving me the pleasure to "own" this watch for two weeks. All pictures are copyrighted by A. Lange & Söhne and Watchuseek.
> 
> Visit the A. Lange & Söhne website​


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