• Partager

On 6 December 2012, the F. A. Lange Watchmaking Excellence Award 2012, the third such prize, was presented by A. Lange & Söhne. For the first time, there were two runner-ups instead of one winner. Bennie R. L. Hernandez (24) from Texas, USA and Daniel Neugebauer (29) from Munich each received 5,000 Euros in prize money for their date display constructions. The company’s founder Walter Lange and Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid presented the awards to both young watchmakers at a press event in Dresden.

Of the apprentices from 36 watchmaking schools around the world who had been invited to take part, eight budding watchmakers from Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, the USA and the Netherlands qualified for the project. At a week-long workshop in the Lange Watchmaking School last summer, they familiarised themselves with the design and craft specialities of the Saxon manufactory. The competition task was set on the final day: The candidates were given four months to construct and build a fully functioning date indicator based on an ETA 6498 movement.

Seven of them submitted designs for evaluation in November by a five member jury of experts. Alongside Walter Lange and Anthony de Haas, Director of Product Development at A. Lange & Söhne, the judges included trade journalists Gisbert L. Brunner and Peter Braun as well as the Director of Dresden’s Mathematics and Physics Salon, Peter Plassmeyer. Marks were awarded for originality, innovation, functionality, technical prowess and quality of craftsmanship, as well as the aesthetic qualities of the execution.

As there was no clear winner in all categories, the jury decided to award two joint second prizes for two designs which distinguished themselves by originality of concept and attention to detail in the construction respectively.