A. Lange and Sohne Watches

Lange quickly distinguished himself within Winnerl’s workshop and rose to the position of foreman where he oversaw operations and production processes. While holding down his position at Winnerl’s workshop, Lange also pursued studies of Astronomy and Physics at the Sorbonne. In contemporary times, modern Lange collections have memorialized F.A. Lange’s fascination with astronomic complications such as the moon phase and it is clear that his love for these complications originated with his studies of astronomy in Paris.

By the early 1800’s, a brand new network of railroads had expanded across Germany, and in 1839, the first German made steam locomotive was built in Dresden and named the “Saxonia”. The ensuing uptick in train travel by the general public drove a surge in demand for precision timekeeping devices. Lange eagerly stepped up as the country’s premier producer, crafting railroad pocket watches that helped increase the coordination of trains and schedules across the country.

While the Lange brothers and their watchmakers explored the limits of mechanical complication in the early 1900’s, real life adventurers and explorers were making history charting the remaining unmapped corners of the globe by plane and boat. To meet the growing demand for capable and durable pocket watches during this period, Lange developed the Scientific Pocket Chronometer featuring a fusee and chain constant force mechanism, and the highly accurate Observation Watch. These new pieces paired the fine finishing standards of Lange with a more robust case and escapement capable of combating the grueling demands of expeditions to the farthest reaches of the globe.

Towards the end of the war, a bomb decimated a significant portion of the company’s manufacturing facilities and soon after the end of the conflict, in 1948, all German businesses were nationalized under Soviet occupation. Stripped of sovereignty and unable to produce watches independently, the brand essentially disappeared. Most enthusiasts of the company assumed that it would be nothing more than a relic of the pre-war era in Germany. If the Lange story ended with World War II, the company would have been considered one of the greats with a rich legacy of one hundred years of innovative, high-quality watchmaking between 1845 and 1945. Lange established greater renown in its first hundred years than most brands ever achieve, but fortunately for us, the company’s story was not yet finished.

Rebuilding the company from the ground up, Blumlein connected Lange with Hartmut Knothe, another German native who had experience working with watch manufacturers within the region. Knothe became the managing director of Lange and worked alongside Walter to hand-pick the employees who would craft the relaunched brand’s first timepieces. To Lange and Knothe’s surprise and delight, many applicants turned out to be the grandchildren of employees who had worked at the company generations before. This created a familial bond among the staff and unified the workforce around a common goal: resurrecting the legacy of A. Lange & Sohne for modern collectors.

Lange’s most iconic piece to this day, the Lange 1, was the ideal first timepiece to present to the global market. The company needed a release that would attract attention, something original that would turn heads and immediately introduce collectors to the fledgling brand. With an asymmetrical yet surprisingly balanced dial layout (thanks to its adherence to the legendary mathematics of the Golden Ratio), the Lange 1 achieved its intended goal and more. The dial was unlike anything the market had seen before with an outsize date that harkened back to Gutkaes’ Dresden Opera House clock, hours, minutes, and seconds that were logically displayed within simple subsidiary dials. A power reserve indicator further balanced out the dial so as to ensure that no one portion of the layout felt too heavy visually. Seasoned collectors were impressed with the exceptional level of detail present in the model, including subdials that were sunken slightly below the main dial surface and decorated with delicate snailing that further accentuated the three dimensionality of the dial layout. The trim around the outsize date aperture received a mirror shine that drew the eye directly to the stark gothic lettering that served as a hallmark of the brand’s German heritage. With the Lange 1, Walter told the global market that a luxury timepiece need not come from Switzerland. The model was in no way attempting to be a Swiss watch, it was distinctly German and proud of it. On the movement side, the brand’s traditional three quarter plate was used, gold chatons set with blued screws, a hand engraved balance cock, and Richard Lange’s distinctive swan’s-neck regulator were all utilized. These traditional elements reminded the market that although the Lange brand might be new, they were also quite old. The subtle nods to the brand’s heritage established Lange’s authority within the space and reinforced the credibility of their craftsmanship. To this day, the Lange 1 remains the cornerstone of the Lange collection, and is arguably the best introduction to the ethos of the brand.

The Saxonia model introduced in 1994 was a slightly more traditional, conservative option than the Lange 1. Unlike the Lange 1, the model employed a more conventional approach to the dress watch with a simple dial layout and complication. Nonetheless, the Saxonia still maintained the distinctive characteristics of the brand with diamond shaped indices and an outsize date. At 33.5mm, the first Saxonia was quite a bit smaller than the dress pieces being produced by other major manufacturers. Perhaps the most surprising feature of the piece, however, relates to the movement. The movement of the earliest Saxonia was the caliber L911.3, the same movement found in the Arkade meaning that the round case of the Saxonia concealed a rectangular movement! As the brand grew, a custom movement was designed for the Saxonia and the Arkade caliber was discarded, making first generation Saxonias very collectible today. While it was common practice at the time to place a smaller movement into a larger case to save money on development and production costs, after this initial example of a movement being adapted to power multiple models, Lange committed itself to the concept that each and every piece should have a movement that was sized to its specific case.

The Arkade Ref. 103.001

In an effort to round out their first collection and offer something for the ladies market, A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Arkade as part of the initial collection in 1994. The distinctive arched case shape was inspired by the arcades in the courtyard of the Dresden City Palace which is also what the piece is named for. The model uses many of the same design characteristics as the Lange 1, including an outsize date, a subsidiary seconds dial with decorative snailing, and a combination of diamond-shaped and Roman numeral indices. Because of this, the Arkade feels right at home within the 1994 collection, complementing the other pieces and providing a strong option for female collectors. The movement is based on a Jaeger LeCoultre design, but features the distinctive elements that are now characteristic of Lange movements including a ¾ plate, gold chatons, blued screws, and Glashutte stripe decoration.

While the previous 3 watches were created to establish a distinctive design language, connect “old” Lange with new, and relaunch the brand to the world, the ref. 701.001 Tourbillon Pour Le Merite was designed to show off the technical prowess of the reborn company and to provide a glimpse of what they aimed to accomplish in the future. In 1994, watches featuring a tourbillon were true rarities, but Lange was looking to wow the horological world and wasn’t satisfied with including just one show-stopping complication. They decided to also give their fourth and final model of the collection a fusee and chain mechanism which was designed to maintain constant force on the escapement throughout the entirety of the movement’s power reserve. This was the first time a wristwatch had ever featured both a tourbillon and a fusee and chain and the incredibly complex fusee mechanism alone contained over 600 components! The Tourbillon Pour Le Merite also established the fundamental attributes of what would later become the 1815 collection with a railway minutes track, stark Arabic numerals, and black gothic text. Only 106 examples of the model were made in yellow gold, making this piece one of the rarest and most collectible A. Lange & Sohne creations in history.

Another Lange featuring a platinum case, the ref. 101.035, came with a deep black dial that earned it the nickname “Darth”. The reference was in production from 1999 to 2006 and was powered by the original Lange 1 caliber L901.0. This model was made in exceptionally limited numbers and is beloved by serious Lange collectors around the world. In addition to the platinum pieces, an estimated 30 Lange 1 watches were fashioned from steel (ref. 101.026) with just a handful receiving a black dial. These pieces are true grails in every sense of the word and rarely (if ever) come up for sale.

In 1997, Lange expanded the 1815 collection with the ref. 221.021 1815 Up/Down. Characterized by a power reserve featuring the German equivalent of the words “up” and “down” (“auf” and “ab”) to refer to full and empty power reserve, the 1815 Up/Down balances the power reserve beautifully with a matching sub seconds dial.

Originally founded in 1878 as a small watchmaker's workshop, Wempe Jewelers was one of the first authorized retailers of A. Lange & Sohne watches, first partnering with them in the 1920s. Two limited edition references were made, 75 pieces of the ref. 222.048 in rose gold and 50 pieces of the ref. 222.049 in platinum. Both featured a deep black dial that contrasted wonderfully with the metal of the case and exceptionally ornate hand engraving on the 3⁄4 plate of the movement.

Introduced in 2004 at around the same time the company was developing the Datograph, the ref. 401.026 1815 Chronograph is something of a “little brother” to the Datograph. Opting to remove the outsize date in favor of a slightly slimmer case profile (10.8mm vs 12.8mm), the 1815 received less attention than the Datograph but offered the same quality Lange chronograph at a lower price point. The 1815 chronograph is prized for its clean aesthetic, simple, straightforward dial, and manual wind caliber L951.0 flyback column wheel chronograph movement.

Between 2001 and 2004, 500 examples of the Langematik were made in platinum to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the brand’s relaunch. The ref. 302.025 Jubilaums Langematik received a new dial fashioned from white enamel with black painted Roman numerals, outer railway minute track, and a distinctive red index at the 12:00 position. Very few Lange watches feature enamel dials, making the limited edition Jubilaums Langematik a unique piece in the extensive Lange catalog.

In 1997, Lange announced the release of their first rectangular watch - the Cabaret (the Arkade, by contrast, featured rounded profiles at the corners). The very first Cabaret introduced to the market was the ref. 107.031 in 18k rose gold with a contrasting black dial. In 1998, yellow and white gold variants were added with champagne and blue dials respectively and soon after, a platinum model with a black dial joined the line. The original Cabaret featured an outsize date and subsidiary seconds, with later models incorporating such complications as tourbillons and moon phases. The Cabaret is one of the more unique and collectible Lange models with some variants even featuring bracelets to match the case.

Continuing their expansion of the Datograph line, the ref. 410.025 Datograph Perpetual was introduced in 2006. Lange’s interpretation of the perpetual calendar chronograph paired the incredible beauty of the Datograph movement with the practicality of a perpetual calendar complication. In Lange’s continual quest towards ever higher complications, the Perpetual Calendar Chronograph was the natural next step. Originally offered in platinum with a silver dial featuring Roman numeral indices and a moonphase indicator, the Dato Perpetual has become a mainstay of the model line.

Although no competitors had been able to match Lange’s exceptional double split mechanism, the brand moved the bar even higher when they released the ref. 424.038 Triple Split in 2018. The piece allowed the user to split not only the seconds and minutes, but also the hours as well! Limited to just 100 pieces, the model was powered by the manual wind calibre L132.1 movement featuring a 55-hour power reserve and was the first mechanical watch to offer a flyback chronograph with a rattrapante feature.

Further expanding on the principles established by the original, the ref. 260.025 Richard Lange Pour le Mérite demonstrated what would happen if Lange brought their best technology to one of their simplest designs. Introduced in 2009, the Pour le Merite looked nearly identical to the original ref. 232.021 using the same 40.5mm case and simple dial layout. However the new model made use of Lange’s highly accurate, manual wind caliber L044.1 movement featuring a fusee and chain mechanism comprised of more than 600 parts. Produced as a limited edition, 200 pieces were made in rose gold and 50 in platinum. With the Richard Lange Pour le Merite, collectors were offered the mechanical advantages of a fusee and chain constant force mechanism all with the simplicity of one of the purest representations of the Lange design aesthetic.

A few years later in 2016, the ref. 252.025 Richard Lange Jumping Seconds debuted as a limited edition of 100 pieces cased in platinum. F.A. Lange was particularly passionate about the jumping, or dead-beat, seconds complication and the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds placed the dead-beat seconds hand at the center of the timepiece, proudly displaying the complication in classic German styling. With a subdial for hours at the 8:00 position, another for minutes at 4:00, and a low power indicator where the circles intersect, the dial layout is reminiscent of an early pocket watch from the company with overlapping dials and boldly contrasting text.

Released in 2015, the ref. 145.029 Zeitwerk Striking Time was the world’s first wristwatch with a jumping digital display and visible striking complication. Every quarter hour, the watch’s right gong chimes, while at the top of each hour, the left gong chimes. The gongs are made from hardened steel for better pitch and to prevent damage from striking. The piece also had a button on the ride side of the case that disabled the striking mechanism on demand.

Under his leadership, Lange began to market to and entertain a crowd that were not yet familiar with the quality and precision of German watchmaking. Schmid also brought a sense of modernity to the brand, focusing on communication and interaction with collectors and pushing for the development of more complicated pieces than the brand had previously offered. As of 2022, Schmid was still the CEO of the company and has capably ushered in a new era for the brand which has seen a further refinement of the Lange story and a reaffirmation of its commitment to the company’s core values.

After bucking the trend and not following its competitors towards ever sportier designs, Lange finally decided to join the party with the ref. 363.179 Odysseus Datomatic in 2019. The brand’s first production piece cased in steel, the design proved to be highly polarizing. Featuring a 40.5mm case and an integrated 5-link steel bracelet with a single folding deployant clasp the model was powered by the all-new in-house calibre L15.1 Datomatic movement with a platinum rotor and 50-hour power reserve. Now offered in white gold and titanium as well as steel, collectors have since come around on the model’s bold and legible displays that make it unmistakably a Lange.