Shiny chrome trim, vibrant enamel and a unique A Lange & Söhne watch

Winner of the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2016 receives one-of-a-kind timepiece

On 22 May 2016, Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid presented a special watch to this year’s winner in the “Best of Show” category of the Concorso d’Eleganza: a LANGE 1 TIME ZONE “Como Edition”. The prize for the most beautiful automobile of the tradition-steeped competition, graced with a special engraving, was handed over to the anonymous owner for the Maserati A6 GCS from 1954.

The presentation of the unique collector’s piece took place during the award ceremony within the scope of a gala dinner at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este. In his laudatory speech, Wilhelm Schmid praised the winner for devoting so much precious time to the preservation of cultural values: “I am convinced that every second which you spend restoring a classic automobile is time wisely invested. This applies all the more when, in the process, you prevent the deterioration of a timelessly beautiful work of art and safeguard it for posterity. For this reason, we are honouring the most exquisite sculpture on wheels with the matching sculpture for the wrist.”

Some 50 attendees presented their automotive rarities in the rambling park of the estate on sunny shore of Lake Como. A. Lange & Söhne has been sponsoring the prestigious vintage car competition since 2012.  Conceived explicitly for this event, the special ”Como Edition” model of the LANGE 1 TIME ZONE in white gold features a hand-engraved cuvette. Complementing the event’s coat of arms, the 1929 and 2016 year engravings trace an arc from the first Concorso d’Eleganza to the present. Paying tribute to the venue, Como represents Central European Time on the rotatable city ring in the dial.