Watch: A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid Talks About New Releases And Digital Shift In Watch Industry

A. Lange & Söhne CEO Wilhelm Schmid joined Haute Time in the latest edition of “Talking Time” for a conversation on the importance of time, the digital shift in the watch industry, and the brand’s latest releases.

Hosted by Haute Time’s Seth Semilof, Schmid spoke from his home in Germany. Watch the webinar below.

The conversation touched on how the brand has engaged its select and passionate clients in an age where social distancing has put a temporary hold on interacting with them in person. Said Schmid, “Now that we all know we cannot meet physically for a while, there is a hunger to connect and interact, through Zoom or other digital tools. “Once we are through it, I believe two ideas will remain: that we can do more digitally than we ever thought we could, and the value of relationships matters more than ever before.”

Schmid and Semilof also spoke about A. Lange & Söhne’s latest and magnificent releases: the Odysseus and the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, both introduced in 2020.

The Odysseus has a white gold case. The grey dial features white-gold hands and appliques, and the strap is made of black rubber.

The 30-piece limited edition Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, also in a white gold case, has hands made of rhodiumed gold. The dial is made with solid silver and the time bridge of rhodiumed German silver.

Schmid loves cars and watches. After Semilof asked what car he would compare to the brand’s watches, Schmid said, “the Mercedes-Benz Gullwing or the BMW 507.”

On the outlook for the remainder of 2020 for the brand and watch industry, Schmid said, “I do believe life is coming back. It’s still very early days. We do everything we can to protect our people. We try to stay close to our clients, and we will see how markets come back.”

He continued, “For the foreseeable future, the digital world will complement the physical one.” Nevertheless, Schmid believes in the irreplaceable feeling that comes from trying on a watch one is in the process of considering. “Before you come to a conclusion, never forget the natural habitat of a wristwatch is the wrist, not the digital world,” he said.

As the transatlantic dialogue was coming to a conclusion, Schmid, who has been with the German watchmaker since 2011, emphasized his pride in the role that A. Lange & Söhne clients represent in the world. He said, “Our customers are our brand ambassadors.”