The streets of San Francisco’s central Tenderloin district have become so overrun with drug dealers and vagrants that the city’s mayor is proposing a curfew on businesses from midnight until the morning.
That has not deterred A. Lange & Söhne from opening a beautiful new boutique in the area, but might explain why that boutique is located on the third floor of the Sachs Building at 140 Geary Street, upstairs from a street-level Van Cleef & Arpel showroom.
The San Francisco outpost is the second point of sale for the brand in the Bay area and the first Lange Salon to open in United States.
Lange Salons, similar in concept to Audemars Piguet’s AP Houses, are off-street lounges where customers can try out the latest watches in a secure, elegant and relaxed space.
They qualify as the highest tier of Lange retailer, giving them access to boutique exclusive watches.
The San Francisco Salon has 1,539 square feet of retail space divided into three lounges with a central community area and a stylish bar.
The layout allows for private consultations or collectors’ events.
A. Lange & Söhne’s history is told though an Experience Library, which presents key landmarks and important timepieces from the German watchmaker.
There is even a media room with a 98-inch screen where those swanky videos that get under the hood of fine mechanical timepieces can be viewed.
“There is no substitute for the experience of holding an A. Lange & Söhne watch in your hands, and feeling it on your wrist,” says Wilhelm Schmid, the company’s CEO.
“The customers of A. Lange & Söhne admire the finest details of our watches, and our Northern California collector community has long demonstrated a keen interest in the design choices and mechanical ingenuity applied by our watchmakers in the quest to achieve the highest level of craftsmanship. We are proud that our manufacture has produced 72 in-house movements since 1994, and we invite our customers and friends to consider the San Francisco Salon a sanctuary where it is possible, over time and at one’s leisure, to explore what makes our timepieces so special and different,” he adds.
Rudy Chavez, president of A. Lange & Söhne Americas, says the opening of a Lange Salon was a response to the growing community of collectors that value the brand in San Francisco. “Our Maison is only as strong as the dedication and passion of the community that supports it,” he says.
“For nearly 30 years, the stories behind A. Lange & Söhne timepieces have been a source of joyful exploration and spirited debate by Bay Area watch enthusiasts. We look forward to continuing our tradition of kinship and approachability with existing collectors and new members of the community, at our new home in the heart of San Francisco,” he concludes.
The Lange Salon is open to walk-ins but Lange says customers will get the best experience if they book an appointment.
