BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
We love doing interviews here at WristReview. We love wristwatches and make no secret of that, but speaking to the folks working behind the scenes is always special. A. Lange & Söhne is the presenting partner of the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, and its CEO Wilhelm Schmid entered his AC Ace-Bristol into the competition. We’ve already published a whole write-up about the event, so click here to read it and get up to speed. In that write-up, I mentioned that I got to sit down with Mr Schmid for a short 20-minute interview in the sunny grounds of King Henry VIII’s monumental palace.
Harlan’s questions and statements are written in bold.
How are you?
All good, I’m always good, actually. I simply believe that if you’re in a bad mood it doesn’t make the world any better and certainly doesn’t make it nicer for the people around you, so I prefer to stay in a good mood.
I agree, and with all these people and cars around us [at Hampton Court Palace]…
Absolutely, with all these people and cars and this great weather, what’s not to love?
Yeah! And [A. Lange & Söhne] has been [partnering with Concours of Elegance] for eight years now? How did that come about?
Yeah, eight years is about right. As I arrived [as CEO of A. Lange & Söhne] about 16 years ago, we did a lot of tiny partnership bits here and tiny bits there. We did a lot of different things, but I couldn’t really see the focus or a strategy. We sat back as a team and discussed what we wanted.
We decided that, first of all, it’s watches: 90% of what we do is watches. However, as a brand, you also need a different platform that is close to your values but distinct. You need that for two reasons: it’s good for entertaining your customers, which is always a good idea, and it’s a good way to recruit some new clients. Believe it or not, I’m not the only person on the planet who loves cars and watches.
So that’s how it started. We were quite happy with [the Concorso d’Eleganza] Villa d’Este, but we also realised one event doesn’t form a strategy; it doesn’t give you a footprint, and then we looked into what else is available. And back then, it wasn’t like you could do what you wanted because everybody else was already doing what you might want. [The Concourse of Elegance at] Hampton Court, for us, looked like the new thing to support, which we did, and so we grew basically with [the Concourse of Elegance at] Hampton Court into what it is today.
And the cars are a natural connection… I understand you’re a fan of British cars?
I have two Porsches, so I’m not – I do like well-made cars that look good and drive well. I usually like the oddballs more than the mainstream, maybe the exceptions to Porsche.
Yeah, I see, because you’ve entered a car [into the concours], haven’t you?
Yeah! The red one, which is somewhere around.
That’s a pretty odd choice I’d say, most people don’t know about Bristol cars.
No, people don’t know what it is. Most people who do know that the Ace is the father of the Shelby Cobra, because Carroll Shelby raced these cars in the period. He realised the chassis and body were good enough to handle more horsepower. The AC Ace had no engine supply, as Bristol had stopped producing engines. They’d tried a six-cylinder Ford engine for a few years, but it was a lump. And then they shoehorned the V8 engine in it, and the rest is history.
Indeed. Did you know that Bristol cars have come back again? They were revealed at Salon Privé.
I don’t know about that, I haven’t seen it. I just believe that these historical brands don’t exist for a reason. Unless you eliminate that reason, why would you believe they’re successful? The same with watches by the way.
That was going to be my next question.
The world is so full of watch brands… I don’t talk about it much. I think you have to define who you are, and define where you want to go. You have to tell your team which direction you want to take, get there, and tell your team what to do when you hit obstacles. There are only two moments when you can lose your brain: when the market is very buoyant or when the market is very slow. It’s very important not to lose it either way.
Right. How do you keep focused?
We have a great team of people who are very passionate about what we do and who we are, and I rely on them. I know that they will tell me if they think something is good. For the next step, I like progress, but I don’t want to lose myself. I like moving forward but not losing myself.
I spoke with Anthony de Haas the other day and he said you communicate with everyone very openly and easily. Do you think it’s important for business to do that?
I believe so. I strongly believe in a great team spirit – like a soccer team. You have a great defence, a great goalkeeper, a great centre – that’s how it works. If you have one star, or even five stars, that don’t talk to each other, then there’s no direction. We all know the French team from a few years back, they were the best on the planet, but they didn’t make it. It’s important to have that alignment.
At the same time, you need different strengths and perspectives to look at things, and a space where you can share them and find the best way forward.
And you generate that in A. Lange & Söhne’s watchmaking school, right?
You know, I’m the old bugger in the company – if I can say that. I think our average age is 37 or so, not half as old as me, but almost!
So, what do you think you bring to the table, as you’re talking about team spirit?
I believe that my job is a little bit like a conductor in an orchestra. I don’t need to play the best violin or trumpet, but I need to understand the strengths of each team member and who’s best. I need to make sure they all talk to each other to make the most of what we want to achieve. It needs a facilitator to ensure there’s a balance – everybody can speak, and everybody has to listen. We come together and decide what to do next. We disagree sometimes, but once we agree, we move forward. That, I think, is my job.
I think that’s a really good way of looking at it. In preparation for this, I’ve read a few interviews where you say this, and I think that’s the best way to go about these things.
At least for us, there’s no golden recipe. There are different companies with different characters, different cultures. For us? Sure, it made us what we are today, and we’re not unsuccessful as you probably know. For us, it turned out to be the right way.
And where do you see the company progressing in the next five years?
We have three big challenges that guide us. One is that 80% of our people live and work in Glashütte, but 100% of our customers don’t, so how do we connect between our world and the others? Also, if we don’t feel the breath of our competition anymore, complacency can come quickly, and that’s when you become unsuccessful. It’s small, but it’ll paralyse you.
Secondly, we need to explain what we do. How do we explain what we do to ensure that the new generation sees that as relevant for them? It deserves different communication methods, not necessarily different content, but to connect with them. It’s different to how watch companies communicated to me when I was young, as the internet didn’t exist then.
The third, I think, is also quite unique – we need to protect our general brand “unawareness”. A lot of our clients buy our watches as it’s a good way of pleasing themselves, it’s a very educated decision after a long purchasing process. They don’t want everybody to know what they wear, as they could put a value to it. But they do like it when someone recognises their watch, as they can start a discussion and they probably have something in common.
How do you keep that balance? Because if you open up Instagram, as an example, and search for ‘watches’, there’s likely a Datograph there.
I think it’s quite easy and we’re good at it. You have to create content that will attract the right people. It’s like when you go fishing: you can have the nicest bait, but if it’s not the bait the fish are after, you will go home empty. On the internet, the choices are endless, so you have to create something not appealing to somebody who isn’t into watches but is appealing to someone who is. It’s an art in itself, really.
It’s interesting that you mention fishing, is that something you like to do?
No, I just say it because we’ve all been there! Nothing bites because you’ve got the wrong bait for what you’re after.
So what do you do in your spare time?
I have a lovely family, and a lovely wife and dog, and they keep me busy. I love golf but don’t go there; it’s very addictive! I enjoy swimming in the morning in the summer, in the winter, it’s too cold, though.
Have you been able to enjoy a round here in the UK?
No, these days go by so quickly, and I don’t have time for it.
Perhaps when you get home?
These next two months are really packed, but maybe after that!
Do you like being busy?
I don’t mind it, actually, my whole life is like that. I like it when things slow down too, but I like having my calendar full. I can’t really call what I’m doing work because I enjoy it. Somebody said once that if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life, and I believe there’s a bit of truth in that.
What’s your favourite part about being at the Concours of Elegance other than the cars?
Look around here, the setting is unbelievable, the people are very nice, and I get to meet a lot of new people. There are customers here and journalists; it’s a total package, which makes it a good weekend. The one thing not in our hands is the weather, but even that has played into our favour this year!
I get that! I live here with the British weather and could have moved, but I didn’t!
Exactly, home is where your heart is.
So is your heart at A. Lange & Söhne then?
It’s always been. I wouldn’t have left BMW if it weren’t for A. Lange & Söhne. I was very happy there, and I have great contacts at BMW, and I never would have left it for anything else.
What did you do at BMW?
By the end, I was heading operations in Southern Africa from Namibia to Mozambique.
I had noticed the accent!
I know, I’ve picked it up! I love it there, we still go there quite often.
Presumably you enjoy the wine from South Africa?
I like a glass of wine but I try not to drink too much. At my age you have to watch yourself, and alcohol is a way not to look after yourself. I’m quite picky, I love a glass of wine but not a bottle.
Is it always South African wine?
I do have a lot of that, I believe it’s underrated, as it is unbelievably good and it offers great value for money.
Do you see yourself retiring in South Africa?
I’m not a winter person at all, although I don’t see myself retiring anytime soon. When I do, I’ll be following the seasons that I do like by flying between countries, like a swallow!
I haven’t been lucky enough to go to South Africa yet, but I plan to.
It’s God’s land; it’s so beautiful. They have everything you want there except a ski resort! They have mountains and jungles, the desert; where else can you see lions and whales in one country?
Which part would you recommend people see first?
I would always go to Cape Town and go from there, unless you want to go to a game reserve; then go in the winter months rather than the summer months to see more animals. I’d also recommend Botswana.
Is there a big market for A. Lange & Söhne?
No, not at all, I just like going there.
What do you think is an unexpectedly popular market for A. Lange & Söhne?
That’s a very difficult question to answer because our real market isn’t geographic. Our market is the market of watch collectors, and you find them everywhere, and they find us everywhere. We only have 50 points of sale, so we’re close to some customers, but most have to travel to us. We opened our own boutique in Australia recently, and that’s going very well, but that’s not surprising because I know we have Australian collectors.
That’s fair, I imagine you can’t predict where people will pop up?
Not at all, they sometimes go to one place and then to another. We have a good [customer] database, so when they do come, we give them the treatment they deserve, as we know them.
What would you say is your favourite complication in a watch?
The chronograph. Something is happening in the watch because you activated it, and it’s nice information to have. I think that chronographs are more appealing for me than a tourbillon or a perpetual calendar. I’d say a minute repeater is appealing.
I get that! I used to annoy my teachers in school by endlessly taking apart my pen and putting it back together while in class, so a chronograph scratches that itch too.
Yep!
Do you think there will be more chronographs coming soon?
That’s a dangerous question because whatever I say, people will read into it. We always have what we have, and what we have next we will see.
You’ve already released the Triple Split today.
Yeah, it’s going well, but when I get back to the office we’ll get a rundown of the weekend and see how we did.
And the 1815 UP/DOWN, that’s being well received, no?
That one I do know is already extremely well received. It has a nice price point and a great complication. It’s a nice watch.
I agree, it’s a good size, and you don’t really chase fashion, do you?
No, it’s impossible. It takes us three to five years to develop a watch. I don’t know what people want in five years time, even I don’t know what I want in five years time! Our only approach was that we wanted to have a smaller watch, and we started that six years ago, and now we have the outcome. I’ve said it many times, though, that I don’t care about the watch’s size. I only care whether it suits my wrist and my personality, and the only way to know that is to put it around your wrist. And if it’s there and you’re happy with that, then go for it!
I agree with you! Well, that’s the end of our time together, thank you so much for meeting with me.
It’s been great to see you, enjoy your time at the Concours!
We’d like to thank Mr. Wilhelm Schmid again for his time. Soon, we will publish our interview with A. Lange & Söhne’s Director of Product Development, Anthony de Haas. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be notified when we release new content.
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