For the past 15 years, A. Lange & Söhne has partnered with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, supporting one of the world’s most prestigious and exclusive events dedicated to historic automobiles.
Held annually in the gardens of the historic Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como, this year’s edition took place from 15 to 17 May 2026 and brought together around 50 exceptional classic cars competing across eight categories before an international jury and an enthusiastic audience of collectors and enthusiasts.
The event concluded with the presentation of the “Trofeo BMW Group – Best of Show”, awarded this year to a 1937 BMW 328 “Bügelfalte” owned by Stefano Martinoli.
During the closing gala dinner, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid presented the winner with a unique version of the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 CHRONOGRAPH created specifically for the occasion.
Crafted in white gold and distinguished by a solid pink-gold dial, the one-of-a-kind chronograph also features a hinged cuvette engraved by hand with the coat of arms of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este as well as the founding year 1929 and the current event year.
Inside the watch beats a manually wound movement composed of 306 components, assembled and hand-finished in Glashütte according to the manufacture’s traditional standards.
Commenting on the anniversary partnership, Wilhelm Schmid underlined the shared values linking the German manufacture and the concours, notably the appreciation for technical craftsmanship and the commitment of those who preserve mechanical and automotive masterpieces across generations.
Helmut Käs, Head of BMW Group Classic and President of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, also emphasised the continuity of a collaboration that has accompanied the event since 2012.
Alongside the prize-giving ceremony, A. Lange & Söhne also presented a selection of recent timepieces during the concours weekend, including the debut of the new A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Honeygold. Limited to 50 pieces, the rectangular model combines a case and dial crafted from Lange’s proprietary Honeygold alloy with a black-rhodiumed relief dial manufactured entirely in-house.
Powered by the manually wound calibre L042.1, the watch incorporates Lange’s patented stop-seconds mechanism for the tourbillon and offers a power reserve of up to 120 hours.
Introduced during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, the model represented one of the principal horological highlights presented by the Saxon manufacture during this year’s edition. alange-soehne.com
