For an occasion such as Christmas Eve, I can think of few superior choices to adorn your wrist as a white gold annual calendar. And of white gold annual calendars, there is almost certainly no greater head-to-head matchup than the Patek 5396G-011 vs. the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Annual Calendar 330.026.
While the two share nearly identical core functionalities, the subtle differences in execution culminate in a rather surprisingly stark contrast in wrist presence.
The Patek features a 24 hour (AM/PM) subdial, highly legible and utilitarian day / date / month apertures, a central seconds hand, and an unmistakable branded deployment clasp.
The Lange features a quirky gold & platinum miniaturized Sax-O-Mat rotor, a small seconds subdial with zero-reset hacking, dedicated day / month subdials resulting in a well-populated dial executed with stunning symmetry, and the iconic Lange outsize date as the centerpiece of the dial.
Both pieces feature a moon phase, classic smooth bezels, silver dials, blue accents complementary to the white gold aesthetic, and (of course) mesmerizing exhibition casebacks.
Which is your pick in one of the great all-time Geneva vs. Glashutte matchups? Merry Christmas to all — cheers!
Lange all day, every day.
Came to say that.
Lange. That Patek caseback makes the movement look so undersized
This. At this price, the movement needs to fit the case. Always. Sadly, it often isn’t the case across most brands.
Lange. The characteristic date, and overall better legibility and aesthetics (to me).
I lean toward the Patek because of the way the Lange represents the odd-numbered months. (Granted, the Patek does something similar on its subdial, but that seems less of a problem to me for some reason.)
I completely agree with this gripe. I’ve had the Lange for a while, and the #1 thing that irks me is that the months don’t start with “Jan” and alternate thereafter. They implemented the aforementioned in the superseding / current 1815 annual calendar — so whatever logic was employed for the decision on the Saxonia AC was obviously reversed after further consideration.
That said, I still think the Lange beats out the Patek all factors considered. Though I will say it is a MUCH closer race than I would have thought until I got my hands on the PP; its elegance is flooring in person and isn’t as seamlessly transmitted via photos as the Lange.
And I love actually start with par numbers. My brain works better that way. Everyone have a preference. So is good have some odd taste
Not even a contest. Lange all day.
Lange. I dislike how the different indicators for day of the week, month and day on the Patek are so close together. The negative space on the Patek dial looks unbalanced to my eye. The combination makes the Patek dial look cramped, whereas the Lange dial has a greater sense of spaciousness.
Patek from the front, Lange from the back.
Patek just seems less cluttered to me and I just don’t like date subdials. But the movement (at least in this photo) seems way more interesting on the Lange
There's a real beauty to having a grand complication with an uncluttered dial.. lets you focus on what matters most, the present day.
5396G for the win.
From Patek, I prefer the 5205G to this one.
And, while these all would be fantastic, I've always found myself drawn to the Rolex skydweller for annual calendars, but that's jumping toward sporty - especially on oyster flex. (The crown setting system is interesting mechanically and part of the draw - I'm a fan of unique mechanical solutions)
I prefer the case/lugs of the Patek, the case back and movement of the Lange, but neither dial really does it for me. Something about the PP almost looks cheap; ALS is slightly too busy, but I do have a mild preference for that one.
So I guess I’d go Lange, but of course would proudly wear either.
PP for the clean face, Lange for the micro rotor and everything else
Lange but I'd take either, thank you
The Lange’s segmented date window is awkward, especially in that position.
That’s kind of the point. When I was first introduced to Lange years ago, my initial reaction was that the outsize date was horrifically ugly… but after seeing it again and again, it “clicked” and became one of the most quintessential Lange design elements when making my purchasing decision.
Everything Lange is in acquired taste in my experience. Absolutely hated all 1815 models on introduction, now I think certain 1815 chrono models are worth committing a slew of misdemeanors for!
For me, it’s not the outsized date. It’s how it’s implemented. I prefer Glashutte Original’s date window design, without the segmentation and position. The Lange 1’s 2 o clock position is also nice.
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Agreed. They’re all nice regardless.
Curious - Can the Patek's 24 hour subdial be used as a GMT?
Purely based on aesthetics of the dial and movement window, the Lange for sure
No it cannot — think this was a miss with respect to functionality, but also GMT complications have historically been attributable to sport models, with very few exceptions.
These days, Patek (and other brands) somewhat blur the lines with travel time complications etc.
The automatic Lange models will just never sit right with me
ALuS for me, bc of the really beautiful dial, and back; the PP has a terribly untidy dial with almost crazy pushing in the middle, and the movement is optically really not „the yellow of the egg“.
I marginally prefer the top down design of the Patek, but its extra 2mm of thickness really makes the Lange the winner
Geez idk…..they both look like horse and buggy tech
It's a draw for me which I find surprising I usually gravitate to lange.
My pick is Geneva, but not Patek.
I’ll take a perpetual from Moser, please. I don’t think there’s a single watch out there that executes it so well. I find both the Patek and the Lange, and indeed every traditional calendar (annual or perpetual), awkward and overcomplicated in comparison.
The Patek's movement is undersized but features somewhat more hand work, and the dial is more legible as far as perpetual calendars go. Patek for me.
What’s the additional handwork? They both have some handwork for the anglage and polishing the screws. Only other thing in terms of handwork I would expect with these models is the engraved balance cock on the Lange. Well looking closer the Lange has an internal angle on the second bridge, which means there’s a certainty of some anglage which couldn’t be machine assisted there, so I would expect the Lange would be more handwork.
I don't like windows cut in the dial and I have thin wrists, so I'd choose a Tradtionnelle
y'all can @me, but neither of these looks all that good in my opinion. truly a grampa watch. the straps also look cheap
Ahhh you’ll come around… I remember thinking watches like these were “grandpa” watches when I was 16, too.
sure thing sure thing, or maybe they are just fugly
Out of genuine curiosity — what watch do you think is the most beautiful in existence?
tough one, there's a lot of gorgeous watches out there. maybe a tank or a navitimer.
These are reasonable answers — though the navitimer is a surprising answer. Do you think the Lange Datograph is a grandpa watch?
datograph looks meh, it's still not clicking for me. the bezel is too thick
Visit a Lange boutique whenever you get the chance — no shot you’ll hold the same view after seeing in person.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my collecting journey, it’s that online photos are so incredibly deceptive. Crap pieces can look amazing (I will refrain from citing them as they’re often popular among the masses) and “meh” pieces can be jaw dropping on wrist.
Candidly, I would have understood the view that the above Patek 5396G is fairly “meh” among options at that price point until you see it in the flesh. It’s all about the execution and culmination of design choices / quality, which are only fully apparent in person. The Patek is absolutely stunning in its simplicity and understated yet well-considered minutiae. It just works, and attempting to explain it further would be a waste of characters; just need to see it live.
EDIT: I think you’re just off your rocker about the Lange though.
Closing argument: an attempt to capture the in-person characteristics via the highly limiting photo
https://preview.redd.it/bheskktzef9g1.jpeg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=156bcb1c8eb117cd9106e685629a4825ed92425a
Not even close