Born on 18 February 1815, Saxon watchmaker, inventor, entrepreneur and politician Ferdinand Adolph Lange gave fine watchmaking a new home in Saxony and reformed the tradition-steeped craft. On his 200^th birthday, A. Lange & Söhne pays tribute to the eminent watch pioneer with an anniversary model of the 1815, while the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments in Dresden dedicates a special exhibition to this acclaimed personality, who managed to develop a successful business from the ground up and laid the cornerstone of a further hub, next to Switzerland, of precision watchmaking. One of his great accomplishments was the introduction of the metric system in horology. He invented measuring instruments such as the dial micrometer, which made it possible for the first time in watchmaking to measure hundredths of a millimeter. And he devised new tools that improved precision in parts manufacturing. With these parts, he was in turn able to improve the rate accuracy of pocket watches. Several patents confirm that Lange also boosted precision in fine watchmaking with new design concepts. The constant-force escapement, jumping seconds, a chronograph mechanism and a quarter-repeater are some noteworthy examples. The three-quarter plate he developed embodies his horological ideals and his quest for perfection in simplicity. It improves the stability of the movement. Even today, Ferdinand Adolph Lange serves as a role model. In 1990, the reunification gave his great-grandson Walter Lange the opportunity to revitalize and breathe new life into a family tradition that had been pursued across three generations and was then interrupted by destruction during World War II and expropriation. He chose the founder’s ideas and ideals as the yardstick. Today, Glashütte is the center of the German watch industry again and Lange is its biggest employer.

 

The legacy of Ferdinand Adolph Lange

For his 90^th birthday, which he celebrated in July 2014, great-grandson Walter Lange shared his feelings regarding nearly two centuries of family history shaped by joys and sorrows around the Manufacture that was initially founded by his great-grandfather, and in which he played as a child. The Manufacture was given a new lease on life by Walter Lange shortly after retiring. “When the Berlin Wall fell, my first concern was not to revive the name A. Lange & Söhne, but to give the people of Glashütte a new perspective. I wanted to give jobs back to Glashütte.” He therefore decided to create what he considers to be the best watches in the world in Saxony, by establishing his company Lange Uhren GmbH in his hometown on December 7^th 1990, and subsequently presenting the first new generation Lange on October 24^th 1994 with his business partner Günter Blümlein. “Günter Blümlein once said that the Lange watch was a combination of arts : a proud heritage, our team’s passion for precision watchmaking, the company’s style, respect for its traditions and finally, the unique technology and craftsmanship to which we are committed. I can only agree.” Twenty years later, the gamble has more than paid off, since the brand employs 700 people at Glashütte and has developed 70 references around the 50 Manufacture calibers, which in some cases have become watchmaking icons highly sought-after by collectors. A new wing is currently being built at the Manufacture and will be inaugurated in August 2015, 170 years after the original building was erected.

 

The new 1815 “200^th Anniversary F. A. Lange” in a limited edition of 200 platinum watches stands out for its purity and perfection. It is a horological monument created by A. Lange & Söhne to commemorate the anniversary of an eminent and charismatic founding father. Each detail of the timeless design and artisanal immaculacy of the L051.1 manufacture calibre pays tribute to the great Saxon watchmaking pioneer. Key hallmarks include the hand-engraved balance cock, the classic screw balance, the whiplash spring, the gold chatons that secure the bearing jewels, and the thermally blued screws. With its three levels and the subsidiary seconds at six o’clock, the face is reminiscent of the legendary pocket watches crafted by Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Like all the latest-generation A. Lange & Söhne wristwatches, it is also endowed with the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver and responsible for the stability of movements, an inimitable style and design element that can be admired through the sapphire-crystal caseback.

 

Datograph Up/Down in rose gold

Case : rose gold, sapphire caseback, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 41mm Movement : mechanical manual-winding (Caliber L951.6, 60h power reserve), 451 components, plates and bridges in non-treated Maillechort, hand-engraved balance-cock, anti-shock balance wheel with offset inertia blocks, in-house balance-spring Functions : hours, minutes, small seconds with stop-seconds, large date, flyback chronograph with jumping minutes precision counter, power-reserve indicator  Dial : black solid silver, rose gold luminescent hours and minutes hands, gilt steel central chronograph hand, blued steel seconds hand and minutes counter  Strap : hand-sewn red-brown alligator leather, rose gold Lange pin buckle

 

Lange 1

Case : platinum, sapphire crystal caseback, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 38,5mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (calibre L121.1, 72h power reserve), 368 parts, decorated and assembled by hand ; precision-adjusted in five positions ; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; balance cock engraved by hand, lever escapement, shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights, in-house balance spring Functions : hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds, power-reserve indicator, jumping outsize date  Dial : solid silver, rhodié Strap : hand-stitched alligator leather (black), platinum prong buckle

 

A new inner life for the brand icon with the 50^th new caliber in the portfolio of in-house movements

The Lange 1 has been the face of A. Lange & Söhne since the brand’s revival in 1994. Now, the new edition of the icon model has been endowed with a technically evolved manually wound caliber. It was clear from the beginning that the inimitable design of the Lange 1 would be preserved as it now ranks among the world’s great classics. A new Manufacture caliber (the 50^th in 20 years) writes a new chapter in the successful history of the cult model whose family now includes 15 different models. Conversely, the characteristic dial configuration remained practically untouched. A slightly narrower bezel is the only visible hint of a modification. It adds openness to the face of the watch despite its unchanged diameter of 38.5 millimeters. The familiar asymmetric dial with the outsize date display and the prominently positioned power-reserve indicator conceals the new manually wound movement with the calibre number L121.1. Quite a few things have changed in the new movement. Its precisely jumping outsize date display switches at midnight. The force needed for this action is slowly built up during a period of several hours. Additionally, the escapement of the Lange 1 has a balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and a free-sprung hairspring crafted in-house. Beneath the hand-engraved balance cock, it still breathes with a frequency of 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. The reliable twin mainspring barrel with a power reserve of 72 hours was retained as well. All brand-typical quality hallmarks are readily visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback. They include the Glashütte ribbing decoration of the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver ; this legacy component already protected the precious inner lives of pocket watches 150 years ago. It provides the perfect stage for the eight gold chatons that are secured with thermally blued screws. The Lange 1 is available in the classic case-dial pairings of yellow gold/champagne, pink gold/argenté and platinum/rhodié.

 

Saxonia Dual Time

Case : white or pink gold, sapphire crystal caseback, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 38,5mm

Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (calibre L086.2, 72h power reserve), 268 parts, decorated and assembled by hand ; precision-adjusted in five positions ; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; balance cock engraved by hand, lever escapement, shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights Functions : hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds, second time zone with second hour hand, 24-hour display and day/night indication Dial : argenté solid silver, rhodiumed gold hands (or pink gold), hour hand of second time zone and 24-hour hand in blued steel Strap : black (or brown) hand-stitched alligator leather strap, pink or white gold prong buckle

 

Saxonia

Case : white or pink gold, sapphire crystal caseback, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 35mm Movement : hand-wound mechanical movement (calibre L941.1, 45h power reserve), 164 parts, decorated and assembled by hand ; precision-adjusted in five positions ; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; balance cock engraved by hand, lever escapement, shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights Functions : hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds Dial : argenté solid silver, rhodiumed gold hands (or pink gold) Strap : black (or brown) hand-stitched alligator leather strap, pink or white gold prong buckle

 

Saxonia Automatic

Case : white or pink gold, sapphire crystal caseback, water-resistant to 30m Diameter : 38,5mm Movement : self-winding mechanical movement (calibre L086.1, 72h power reserve), 209 parts, decorated and assembled by hand ; precision-adjusted in five positions ; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver ; balance cock engraved by hand, lever escapement, shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights Functions : hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds Dial : argenté solid silver, rhodiumed gold hands (or pink gold) Strap : black (or brown) hand-stitched alligator leather strap, pink or white gold prong buckle

 

Since it was launched 20 years ago, the Saxonia collection has been a permanent part of the Manufacture’s repertoire. In their search for a more prominent face that would befit the new generation of the Lange classic, the designers sketched out numerous variations of the dial, most of them differentiated merely by subtle nuances. Particularly in a watch family innately characterised by such elegance and purity, each element, however small, has a visual impact on the overall appearance of the respective model. The tireless pursuit of the perfect watch has inspired the discreet dial design refinements of three 2015 Saxonia models that further enhance their intrinsic gracefulness : Saxonia, Saxonia Automatic and Saxonia Dual Time. The solid-gold applied hour markers have been moved toward the periphery of the dial and are executed as double baton appliques at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock. The slightly extended black graduations of the minute scale are also more striking. For the Saxonia Automatic and the Saxonia Dual Time, the tens markers of the subsidiary seconds dial have been endowed with numerals. All modifications were made in the interest of improved legibility. The designers slightly reduced the case size of two models. With a reduced diameter of 38.5mm the Saxonia Dual Time is now the same size as the Saxonia Automatic. All three models pay tribute to the homeland of A. Lange & Söhne, Saxony, where craftsmanship is a centuries-old tradition and which has a deeply ingrained penchant for asethetics. Their lavishly finished movements epitomise Saxon watchmaking artistry. The hand-engraved balance cock transforms each timepiece into a precious one-of-a-kind treasure.