The A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus | family history
The Odysseus launched in 2019 as the most surprising watch Lange had made since the Zeitwerk: a steel case, an integrated bracelet, and a day-and-date complication in the proportions of an integrated sport watch. For a brand that had never made steel and had never made a bracelet watch, the Odysseus was a statement about where Lange intended to compete. The cal. L155.1 Datomatic is an in-house movement built specifically for this watch; the outsize date display at 12 o'clock is executed in the Lange tradition with a disk-switching mechanism rather than a conventional date wheel.
Lange’s 2019 entry into the integrated-bracelet category. Steel case, fluted bezel, day-and-date apertures flanking the dial center, the in-house cal. L155.1 Datomatic. Lange’s only sport-watch family and the brand’s most-contested release: trade opinion split on whether the design language belongs alongside the Lange 1 and the Datograph.
2019–present · The founding generation
The Odysseus launched in a single steel reference, immediately triggering secondary-market premiums that reflected both the novelty of Lange in steel and genuine demand for a German-made integrated-bracelet alternative to the Royal Oak and Nautilus tier. Current retail waitlists remain active. The titanium variant added in subsequent years offers a different weight and finish profile while keeping the same movement.
How to read this family
Two honest questions for any Odysseus buyer:
- Steel or titanium? The steel Odysseus is the original and the market reference. Titanium is lighter and has a different surface character; the brushed finish reads slightly softer than the steel version. Both run the same cal. L155.1. On the secondary market, steel has the longer history and broader trading activity.
- Odysseus or Nautilus/Royal Oak? The Odysseus is more expensive than the Nautilus at retail and trades at a premium that reflects Lange's smaller production volume. The Nautilus and Royal Oak have deeper secondary-market liquidity. The Odysseus is the right answer for the buyer who wants the German movement finishing and the Lange name, and who is willing to accept that the market for the Odysseus is narrower. It is the technically superior watch by most objective measures.
Related families: 1815 · Lange 1
References in this family
Which ref to buy
The Odysseus is Lange's only sport watch -- introduced in 2019 to significant controversy among Lange purists who felt it violated the brand's dress-watch identity. Steel case, integrated rubber bracelet, in-house L155.1 movement, date and weekday display. Waitlists at launch exceeded five years.
- 1Open
Odysseus -- Lange's controversial sport watch, technically exceptional, the most capable sport watch movement in its price category.
- The case for it:
- The L155.1 movement is Lange manufacture at full quality: three-quarter plate, outsize date, weekday display, Lange-finishing on all parts. The Odysseus offers Lange quality in a sport format that no other reference in the catalog provides. Secondary market appreciation has been significant.
- Consider instead if:
- The Odysseus is controversial for good reason: it does not look like a Lange. Buyers who want a Lange should consider whether the Datograph or Saxonia better expresses what the brand does. The Odysseus is the Lange for buyers who want a sport watch more than they want a Lange.
Rankings last reviewed 2026-06-07. Editorial perspective only. Not financial advice.