A. Lange & Söhne Opens a Landmark Destination Boutique in Chicago
Not only did the opening present a superb opportunity for a second look at the esteemed watchmaker’s latest novelties, but the location itself also gives us insight into the Maison’s respect for important architecture and its delightfully unexpected retail approach.
By Mike Espindle
Executive Editor
I was perfectly satisfied with our coverage of new timepieces from A. Lange & Söhne during the recent Watches and Wonders show in Geneva. However, with a show as big and hectic as Watches and Wonders, it is always nice to have an opportunity for a second look, and, more to the point, an opportunity to unobtrusively witness real watch customers interacting with them is something we are always up for.
While we observed smiling faces of customers viewing both the stately glow of the new Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar Lumen and the purity of the two new Saxonia Annual Calendars, our visit to the Windy City gave us so much more to report.
Location, Location
Conventional wisdom might have predicted an A. Lange & Söhne boutique along Chicago’s traditional “Watch Row” on Oak Street.
That said, the brand’s new boutique’s address of 435 North Michigan Avenue is only a bit more than a mile away from that timepiece retail mecca, standing just over the Chicago River at the very foot of the city’s fabled “Miracle Mile” luxury retail stroll.
At this corner ground-floor location, the boutique is not only a prominent and elegantly appointed new stop for watch fans but also a billboard for people who may be relatively uninitiated about the watchmaker. Plus, as it is within the Windy City architectural icon of the Tribune Tower, it carries even more gravitas.
“At A. Lange & Söhne, we often find ourselves with the freedom not to have to do what might be expected of us,” winked CEO Wilhem Schmid during our time in the boutique. “The idea of opening a dedicated boutique in Chicago was always something we were considering, but the unique opportunity of doing something at this particular location played a big part in our decision.”
Schmid continued: “As more of a timepiece ‘destination,’ this boutique represents not only an exciting place for the city of Chicago, but for the whole of the US Midwest.” Let’s just say the Saxony watchmaker has found an apt, 1,400-square-foot home here, with multiple seating areas and private viewing lounges.
The Power of the Press
The 36-floor Tribune Tower was built by Chicago Tribune owner and media magnate Robert R. McCormick after the original headquarters burned down during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
The result of a fabled international design competition that began in 1922 (Fun Fact: Innovative Scandinavian architect Eliel Saarinen’s plan came in second), the imposing neo-Gothic edifice, with its ornate details and prominent, buttressed top tower, became an instantly recognizable part of the city’s growing skyline as an early “skyscraper.” The gigantic, ever-present “Chicago Tribune” sign became a riverfront landmark when it was added in 1964.
Over the years, the structure grew into a four-building complex that housed the newspaper’s printing press and offices, facilities for other Tribune Company radio and television ventures, and additional leased office space. Additionally, the building’s exterior is well-known for its inclusion of embedded stones from over 150 global landmarks (from the Great Pyramid of Giza to the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica to a piece of the Berlin Wall).
The Luxury of Today
Today, the entire complex, the gorgeous top tower, and iconic sign continue as architectural landmarks in the form of the Tribune Tower Residences, home to 162 incredibly luxurious condominiums with 56 unique and spectacular layouts (residents get a reverse view of the “Trib” sign from the development’s indoor pool, in fact). That conversion started in 2018 under the loving direction of the CIM Group & Golub & Company developers, with the first residents moving in in 2020.
During an exclusive and honestly breath-taking tour of the complex, we learned that there is still some availability in the Tribune Towers Residences, with pricing ranging from about $1.4 to over $7 million (for penthouses).
During an exclusive and honestly breathtaking tour of the complex, we learned that there is still some availability in the Tribune Towers Residences, with pricing ranging from about $1.4 to over $7 million (for penthouses).
Just as A. Lange & Söhne proudly stands apart as an exquisite watchmaker, this new boutique location also tells its own unique, outlying story.
To learn more about the brand, check out the A. Lange & Söhne website.