SimplyAbuDhabi XLII

LANG 1943 is the brainchild of Georg Bartkowiak, an experienced, behind-the-scenes creative force in the watch industry and former CEO of boutique brand Grieb & Benzinger. Georg Bartkowiak looked up to Gerd- Rüdiger Lang for the entirety of his career, appreciating all that he did for watchmaking and admiring his creations and encyclopaedic knowledge, before finally meeting and becoming friends with him almost 20 years ago. “I like to call Gerd-Rüdiger Lang my ‘subconscious’ mentor,” Georg Bartkowiak jokes. “I’ve looked up to him my entire career. It’s an honour for me to be able to pay tribute to his legacy and heritage with LANG 1943 and our products.” The LANG 1943 launch series is inspired by historical field watches, a modern take on the classic “dirty dozen” of the 1940s. The so-called dirty dozen was a set of 12 timepieces for Army personnel commissioned by Great Britain’s Ministry of Defence. These watches, manufactured by Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger- LeCoultre, Lémania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor, and Vertex had to adhere to strict specifications such as water resistance, luminosity, chronometer-level regulation, and a rugged case. The dial was required to be black with Arabic numerals and subsidiary seconds. Three-quarters of a century later, the meticulous details of LANG 1943 watches – such as the signature textile strap and the luminous hour markers in old radium-style colours – pay tribute to the design of the “dirty dozen”, featuring retro-style dials and case. 168 | Simply Abu Dhabi