# I'm over the moon!



## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

In 2010 Lange brought out a collection of LE's to pay tribute to founder FA Lange. Not everybody likes moon phase watches but I go crazy for 'em. This 
was one of the models in that series and it was instant love and covetousness. But there were to be only 265 in the world and they were grabbed up in short fashion so I had to settle for lusting from afar. Over the past few years, a few have come up for resale (at almost double original MSRP o|) but one thing or another (like lack of hard, cold cash ;-)) came into play and the watch kept eluding me.

This one came up on the bay recently and thankfully the gods were benevolent as all fell into place. Case crafted from Lange's proprietary honey gold, a stronger/harder alloy than gold or platinum. Lighter hued than other gold metals, almost whitish and/or light brassy (word?) in different lighting. Warmer and more subdued aesthetically, it resonates with me much more than yellow or pink gold. Typical ALS solid gold argente dial with a beautiful guilloche engraving and that deep blue moon phase setup to die for, accurate for 1058 years and delivered with a moon phase table, allowing the display to be set precisely to not just the day, but the minute (I will never use it ). Typical Lange movement with a special outer motif and gorgeous sunburst pattern at the center to add small differentiation from other Lange movements. 

I so love it! Some recent candids for your viewing pleasure . . . .


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## TheWalrus (Mar 16, 2009)

Well, that's just an utterly stunning watch. Closely rivals the MUT Moon as my favorite moon phase.


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## Cannonball (Apr 14, 2013)

Really nice moon phase display!!


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Thank you kind sirs for the nice words and taking the time to post!!


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## Dancing Fire (Aug 16, 2011)

Congrats, a beautiful rare watch.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Mahalo DF!!


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## Omjlc (Dec 19, 2011)

Beautiful pick up drhr. You certainly have a fantastic collection.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Appreciate that Omjlc, it has been quite an interesting ride I will have to admit but with this one I may be reaching equilibrium, time will tell of course . . .


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## Domo (Sep 20, 2013)

Nothing beats when a bit of patience, good timing and pot luck combine to get you what you've been hunting. I've got more than a few that continue to elude me at the right price, LOL. That's a keeper for sure that one. Congratulations!


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Thx Domo, well said, appreciate the comments. Would be interesting to hear/see about those elusive ones. GS's?


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## phunky_monkey (Dec 9, 2008)

Stunning pick up mate, congratulations! Great to see when patience pays off. It's such a satisfying feeling to obtain something you've been lusting after for a long time...enjoy it :-!


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## ZachB (Jan 29, 2012)

Such a great piece to have on your wrist. I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous!


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## Heinz (Jul 16, 2013)

Wow... THAT is awesome.


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## Horoticus (Jul 23, 2011)

Beautiful find drhr! Congratulations on a most stunning watch and cheers to your patience. :-!


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## Outlawyer (Feb 21, 2009)

Wow, that movement looks like it belongs in a museum!


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## antilucem (Aug 16, 2014)

The back is so sexy you could wear this watch upside down.............


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Hey you guys, thanks so much for the kind words, they add another layer of icing on a very delicious cake, I'm humbled . . .


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## flyingpicasso (Jun 28, 2010)

What a fantastic watch to add to an already fantastic collection! And that honey gold--it's always been my favorite ALS case material. Very subtle and beautiful. And eBay of all places. I don't know if I would have had the nerve.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Thank you flyingpicasso! Yes, the honey gold is really nice and gives the watch added "one of a kind look" to me. I've actually purchased a handful of watches off of ebay. There are many established, long time sellers (some with actual b&m access, too) that I feel comfortable dealing with. So far, so good, big/loud knock on wood ;-). I appreciate the post!!!


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## meloie (Oct 24, 2013)

Congrats!

Pure work of art.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Mahalo meloie!!!


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## Professor S (May 6, 2014)

Holy mother... I'm speachless!


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## meloie (Oct 24, 2013)

drhr said:


> Mahalo meloie!!!


Well it would be rude of me not to say "Mahalo drhr for sharing!"


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## shendizadeh (Apr 6, 2015)

moonphase is far and away my favorite complication


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## okumonux (Dec 14, 2006)

Simply wow!


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## Babka (Aug 11, 2012)

It looks great on you. It is a rare bird. Hence, congrats and ENJOY!


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

Thx guys . . . still one of my favorites, a few more current pics


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## Ferdinance (Mar 8, 2013)

Wow. what a watch. Nice.


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## Emospence (Feb 18, 2014)

Mother of God


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## CFR (May 13, 2006)

Great pics! The gold color of your bezel in the wrist shot looks like brand new, polished honey gold, with no patina (i.e., only a hint of color -- not yellowed). Was your bezel polished at some point, or has it actually been unpolished for the past 5 years?


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## Chase16 (Oct 11, 2011)

Amazing peace congrats!!!


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

CFR said:


> Great pics! The gold color of your bezel in the wrist shot looks like brand new, polished honey gold, with no patina (i.e., only a hint of color -- not yellowed). Was your bezel polished at some point, or has it actually been unpolished for the past 5 years?


I see you're taken the time to know more about the metal. Not yet polished and I'm hoping the patina stays at bay for as long as possible since I love the subtlety of the honey gold. Haven't had the opportunity to place it side by side with a new Lange honey gold model but I'm sure mine would have darkened some what. As it does turn more though I'm sure it will still bring me great joy in wearing it . . .


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## Pisquare (Dec 14, 2015)

Exceptional. Truly. Congrats.


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## carpentk37 (Sep 19, 2013)

I'm also a moonphase lover. That's a beauty and very exclusive. Congrats!


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## MJACLA09 (Nov 11, 2015)

Love it. 
The moon phase is the reason I added my Emil Lange in Rose


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## Aggiez28 (Jan 18, 2012)

damn, that is a nice moon phase. Id love to pick up a rare watch one day.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

MJACLA09 said:


> Love it.
> The moon phase is the reason I added my Emil Lange in Rose


Now that is one hell of a looker, congrats on that!!!


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## CFR (May 13, 2006)

*I hope your color stays true to the original as well...*

... and that you continue to enjoy your beautiful watch! Patination rate depends on environment, so I'd imagine there's a large variation there depending upon where you live, where the watch is stored, how much you wear it, etc.

Below is what honey gold looks like as it patinates. My local Lange AD just received a new honey gold 1815 200th anniversary (ref. no. 236.050) and was gracious enough to let me compare it with a 5-year-old honey gold 1815 moonphase (ref. no. 212.050) that was sold in early 2011. As you can see below, Lange's honey gold can become quite yellow over time. I like yellow gold a lot, so this isn't a big problem for me, but I did kind of like the more unusual color of new honey gold. Your old 1815 moonphase looks more like the brand new honey gold 1815 200th anniversary watch shown below.

The darker, separate honey gold tang buckle is what's really surprising. It came with the 5-year-old honey gold 1815 moonphase. This buckle has been stored in a small plastic zip-loc bag for the past 5 years. I detached it from the watch head when I first got the watch because I greatly prefer deployants over tangs (I stuck a rose gold deployant on the watch). One of the salesmen at the AD said that the tang buckle darkened so much compared to the watch head that's the same age (but which was not stored in plastic) because of the buckle's proximity to petroleum products (maybe some sort of sulfur compound?) that were used to make the plastic storage bag. As you can see, that older tang buckle is VERY dark. I was pretty shocked by the color and had to double-check to make sure it wasn't really a YG buckle. I suppose it's also possible that the buckle and the watch head are made of slightly different honey gold alloys (since I believe the buckle and case were made by two different manufacturers).

Also note in the top photo that Lange used the smaller 16mm buckle in the old honey gold 1815 moonphase, whereas they used the significantly larger 16mm buckle in the new honey gold 1815 200th anniversary. Lange has used 2 different sizes of 16mm tang buckles for many years depending upon the watch.


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## drhr (Mar 14, 2011)

*Re: I hope your color stays true to the original as well...*



CFR said:


> ... and that you continue to enjoy your beautiful watch! Patination rate depends on environment, so I'd imagine there's a large variation there depending upon where you live, where the watch is stored, how much you wear it, etc.
> 
> Below is what honey gold looks like as it patinates. My local Lange AD just received a new honey gold 1815 200th anniversary (ref. no. 236.050) and was gracious enough to let me compare it with a 5-year-old honey gold 1815 moonphase (ref. no. 212.050) that was sold in early 2011. As you can see below, Lange's honey gold can become quite yellow over time. I like yellow gold a lot, so this isn't a big problem for me, but I did kind of like the more unusual color of new honey gold. Your old 1815 moonphase looks more like the brand new honey gold 1815 200th anniversary watch shown below.
> 
> ...


Awesome info and pics, thx much CFR!!!


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## watchlover105 (Sep 21, 2015)

Very nice Its simple in a way(no chronos)yet looks very sophisticated!!!Congrats


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## MJACLA09 (Nov 11, 2015)

That simple 1815 makes me want one so bad.


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## NathanielGoodtimes (Jul 22, 2014)

Simply stunning, a true work of art!

Sent from paradise!


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