Fratello Dress Watch Season: The Winner — The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34mm

Welcome, Fratelli! Over the past four weeks, it has been Dress Watch Season here at Fratello. We asked you to vote for what you thought was the best dress watch of the year. Now the results are in, and the word is out: the 34mm A. Lange & Söhne 1815 is the best dress watch of 2025! In the final, the modestly sized A. Lange & Söhne 1815 had the upper hand against the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 from the start. Over multiple days, it never gave up, which ultimately led to it becoming the victor of the inaugural Fratello Dress Watch Season. Let’s find out how this little Lange claimed its victory.

When we started our journey roughly a month ago, we had one simple goal — to find the best dress watch released in 2025. To frame that discussion, we selected 34 watches that came out this year and asked you, our readers, to pick your favorite from that large number. And you did that en masse! From the 34 watches, the eight highest-ranked ones proceeded to the quarterfinals. From that moment on, it was up to our writers to defend your picks in one-on-one battles until there was a winner. Let’s take a look back and find out how the 34mm A. Lange & Söhne 1815 won.

The Fratello Dress Watch Season preliminary round

When the idea of finding the best dress watch of the year emerged in the editorial meeting, we sought to approach it uniquely. In previous tournaments, the writers of the Fratello team would pick their favorites, and we would go from there with a series of one-on-one battles. This time, we decided that each of you, the Fratelli, should choose your favorite from the get-go. That’s why we selected 34 dress watches for the preliminary round so you could vote for your darlings. It was a mixed bag of watches from small and big brands at a wide variety of price points.

Ultimately, eight watches advanced to the quarterfinals after you voted for them. Among them were mostly watches from big brands, as you would expect. The one exception was Daniel Roth, but the recently revived brand is part of LVMH, so it is not technically an outlier. There were also reputable brands that surprisingly didn’t make the cut, such as Vacheron Constantin, Rolex, and Piaget. Let’s remind ourselves of the different quarterfinals and semifinals to find out how the Lange won our contest.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 1 — A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34mm Vs. Grand Seiko SBGH368

Our eventual winner showed up immediately in our first matchup. In what was deemed a clash of philosophies, the 34mm A. Lange & Söhne 1815 defeated the brilliant Grand Seiko SBGH368 with a respectable margin. The 1815 ended up receiving 62% of the votes, leaving the Grand Seiko with 38%. The comments only solidified the outcome, confirming that the smaller Lange was the only true dress watch of the two.

It was interesting, and some questioned how the Grand Seiko made the final eight, given that it is not an actual dress watch, according to several commenters. But besides the fact that the definition of “dress watch” has been subject to change over time, the Grand Seiko was picked by you, our readers. This was often the answer to many questions raised in the comments. In this case, though, it led to a clean victory for the A. Lange & Söhne 1815.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 2 — Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition Vs. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds

In our second matchup, I had to defend the Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition. This was not an easy task because the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds was the glorious winner of the preliminary voting round. Additionally, I was conflicted about this one because I adore the Reverso and it is one of my highlights of the year.

I tried to accuse the Reverso of not being a thoroughbred dress watch, as that was one of the main comments we saw in the first matchup. Unfortunately, that turned out to be futile because the Reverso ended up taking 64% of the votes against 36% for my Chopard. Once more, the Reverso lived up to its role as the heavy favorite in this contest.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 3 — Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription Vs. Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P

The third matchup featured another crowd favorite that we, the Fratello team, expected to advance to the final and potentially even win this contest. The start was promising, as the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P began its journey to the throne with a glorious victory over the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription. As you will undoubtedly know, this Calatrava was one of the highlights of Watches and Wonders 2025, and we expected it to do well.

In the matchup against the Daniel Roth, the Patek took 63% of the votes, leaving the Extra Plat Souscription with 37%. Surprisingly, there were fewer friendly words for the Calatrava in the comments, where some deemed it safe but boring. Some commenters even labeled it a “crowdpleaser.” While we could have a lengthy debate about that, it didn’t alter the fact that Calatrava easily won this match.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Round 1, Match 4 — Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 Vs. Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026

Our final matchup of the first round was the closest of all four. In this one, the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 beat the Omega Seamaster 37mm Milano Cortina 2026. While the winner was not surprising, the voting result of 56% versus 44% was slightly closer than we had anticipated. In the end, though, it didn’t keep the Breguet from proceeding to the semifinals.

Browsing through the comments, the Classique Souscription 2025 is generally considered the superior pick as a dress watch. But there was also one sentiment that kept arising — the fact that its one-handed display is not always the most practical to read. Understandably, its defining feature would lead to practical objections, but that pales in comparison to the historical significance and romance of the brand and the watch. In the end, these factors ensured a win for Breguet, making it our fourth semifinalist.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Semifinal 1 — Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Monoface Small Seconds Vs. A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34mm

And then there were four watches left from Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, and Breguet — not a bad list of names! These four brands are likely among the first five that most of us would mention if asked to name makers of traditional dress watches. That said, the semifinals saw some surprising results that raised an eyebrow or two. In our first semifinal match, we were in for the biggest surprise. The rose gold Reverso won the preliminary vote with a substantial margin and also comfortably beat the Chopard L.U.C Qualité Fleurier 20th Anniversary Edition.

But in a match-up against the A. Lange & Söhne 1815, the Reverso unexpectedly lost. It was a close call, with the Lange taking 53% of the votes versus 47% for the Reverso. Reading through the comments, the main argument made was simple: the Lange 1815 is the true dress watch out of the two, and the full-gold Reverso was deemed too loud and flashy. While we understand that argument, it wasn’t one that we necessarily thought the Fratelli would support, considering the outcome of the first two rounds. I was also particularly bummed since that was the exact argument I made in the matchup of “my” Chopard against the Reverso. In the end, it secured a spot in our grand finale for the 34mm A. Lange & Söhne 1815.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: Semifinal 2 — Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P Vs. Breguet Classique Souscription 2025

For our second semifinal, we predicted that the Patek Philippe Calatrava 6196P would win, but we also thought it would be a close call. It would have made sense for the Calatrava to win because it was one of the most talked-about releases of the year and easily won its first-round match. Additionally, the Patek also features the practicality of two hands, a characteristic that was heavily debated in comparison to the Breguet, as we have just found out.

However, despite all the reasons we could think of why the Calatrava would win, the Breguet ended up receiving 51% of the votes, leaving the Patek with 49%. In the comments, that sentiment was reflected with strong opinions on both watches. The comments touched on everything from the Breguet being too big to be a dress watch to the Patek being too bland and simple to be the winner in this semifinal. In the end, the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 took the win because, according to many, it is the classier and more stylish option.

Fratello Dress Watch Season: The Grand Finale — A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34mm Vs. Breguet Classique Souscription 2025

This brings us to the final of the Fratello Dress Watch Season. As mentioned, we didn’t expect these two watches to be the finalists before we started this contest. We did predict that they would go far, though, and it’s hard to deny they are deserving contenders for the title. The final score reveals that the 34mm A. Lange & Söhne 1815 received 60% of the votes versus 40% for the Breguet Classique Souscription. As a result, it was a relatively comfortable victory for the Lange.

We always knew the smallest of the 1815 models would do well in this contest. Seeing them and hearing the positive feedback from fans and the press alike showed that A. Lange & Söhne had created something special with these modestly sized three-handers. It opens a door for potentially more small dress watches from the German brand. The 36.8mm Little Lange 1 was always the smallest series, but with the success of these new 34mm models, it will be interesting to see what is next for A. Lange & Söhne in terms of new sizes.

We found the best dress watch of 2025

For now, A. Lange & Söhne’s venture into smaller sizes has led to a glorious victory in our search for the best dress watch of 2025! We congratulate the brand and, of course, Fratello’s Thomas van Straaten for successfully defending the 1815 in various matchups against its competitors. Additionally, we would like to thank you for participating by voting and sharing your thoughts on the multiple watches and matchups. The Fratelli have spoken, and the 34mm A. Lange & Söhne 1815 is the best dress watch of 2025!