After a lobster-red sunburn and one too many glasses of Pinot Grigio, I’m finally back from the breathtaking shores of Lake Como, where A. Lange & Söhne kindly invited me to participate in the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza 2014  classic car competition.

Now for those of you who’ve been following me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’m not the biggest “car guy”. But then again the Concorso d’Eleganza simply isn’t your average automotive event. Held annually at the glorious Villa d’Este hotel on the shores of Lake Como, the Concorso brings together some of the rarest historic cars from as far back as 1908 and is regarded as one of if not the classiest and most elegant car event of them all. It’s also one of the most exclusive, as the criteria to enter are very rigid, and in total only 50 vehicles participate. Here, cars aren’t judged by their speed or performance,  but by their beauty, uniqueness and restoration work.

A. Lange & Söhne, a partner of the Concorso d’Eleganza since 2012, was present in the most discreet manner. In fact, unless you really looked for the brand, you couldn’t even tell that they were there at all. And that’s precisely what I love about A. Lange & Söhne: everything they do is so tasteful, so classy. I could tell you all about why this partnership is a perfect fit for A. Lange & Söhne, but I’ll leave it to CEO Wilheml Schmid to convince you in the interview I did with him at the Concorso, which I’ll be posting later this week.

Besides the A. Lange & Söhne terrace, where guests were able to admire the competing cars as they drove down in front of the jury, the brand had set up a pop-up showroom within the Villa d’Este, with pieces including  SIHH 2014 novelties such as the gorgeous and complicated Richard Lange Terra Luna.

The main attraction however was this this unique Lange 1 Timezone in white gold, complete with a hunter case-back engraved with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este crest and a dial that includes Como as one of the world-time cities, awarded later to the winner of the Trofeo BMW Group for “Best of Show”.

Besides A. Lange & Söhne’s official presence, many of the guests were spotted with Lange watches on their wrists. Clearly, this is the biggest confirmation to why the brand’s partnership with the Concorso d’Eleganza makes perfect sense. It’s all about the appreciation of classical elegance and a respect for tradition.

So that I wouldn’t feel totally out of place with my lesser Panerai, the people at A. Lange & Söhne were kind enough to lend me this grogeous Lange 1 Daymatic for the weekend, so that I wouldn’t feel out of place with my lesser Panerai.

And in case you’re wondering which of the 50 competing cars took home the Lange 1 Timezone Como edition, it was this Maserati 450 S from 1956 (which I just so happened to vote for in the “Public Prize” category).

Also drool-worthy was this Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS from 1931, which won the Public Prize.

Some of the other cars that caught my untrained eye included this Ferrari 250 GT LWB in Bordeaux from 1959.

A car that totally captured the Lake Como vibe was this Rolls Royce Phantom II from 1934, with a Riva inspired wooden boat-tail.

Even I recognised the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL! This is the rare “Alloy” version with an aluminum-alloy body.

Another German stunner, here’s a BMW 507 from 1957, one of only 253 ever produced.

Jaguar XK120 with a Perspex “bubble” cockpit canopy from 1952.

And now for something completely different, a one-of-a-kind Fiat Abarth 2000 Scorpione concept car from 1969.

And finally, because this is a classic car contest, here’s the oldest car from the Concorso, a 1908 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost.

Thanks again to A. Lange & Söhne for being such gracious hosts and for making the past weekend a very memorable one for this watch-loving lagomorph.

Stay tuned for my complete report on the event coming soon on www.watchonista.com, as well as a “watch-spotting” special on www.watch-anish.com.

More information on www.alange-soehne.com