A. Lange & Söhne is the only non-Swiss brand among the world’s top five brands. The reason why A. Lange & Söhne is one of the world’s leading German manufacturers lies in its unique dial design and movement manufacturing process. In this issue, we introduce the charm of A. Lange & Söhne!
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About A. Lange & Söhne
A. Lange & Söhne (A.Lange&Söhne) was founded in 1845. In 1994, A. Lange & Söhne was revived with the introduction of the ” Lange 1 ” and other collections. Today, the company is considered one of the world’s top five watch brands, along with Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, and Breguet.
History of A. Lange & Söhne
The founder, who honed his skills during his apprenticeship and became a successful German court watchmaker
The founder of A. Lange & Söhne, Ferdinand Adolph Lange, started his career in watchmaking in 1830. He learned watchmaking from Johann Friedrich Gutkaes, a renowned German watchmaker.
left: Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkes (1785-1845), right: Adolf Lange (1815-1875)
Adolphe, who had a dexterous hand and a sharp mind, set out on an apprenticeship in 1837 to further develop his watchmaking skills. In Paris, France, he entered one of the best watchmaking workshops in Europe, run by Joseph Thaddeus Vinnel, a pupil of the genius watchmaker Louis Breguet. While studying astronomy and physics at the Sorbonne University in Paris, he became the head of the workshop. He then studied cutting-edge technology in England and Switzerland before returning to Germany in 1941. The following year, he married the daughter of his mentor, Gutkes. Together with Gutkes, who became the court watchmaker of the Duchy of Saxony, he immersed himself in watchmaking at the workshop in the clock building of the Royal Palace in Dresden. The techniques and original ideas that Adolph acquired during his three-year apprenticeship are recorded in his ” Traveler’s Notebook “, which remains the A. Lange & Söhne bible for watchmaking to this day.
The “Record of Travels” carefully describes numerous tables, blueprints, mechanisms, and calculations, showing how voraciously Adolph Lange was engaged in researching new watchmaking techniques.
A. Lange & Söhne established the watch industry in the Erz Mountains of Germany
After a successful career as a court watchmaker, Adolph Lange decided to set up a workshop in a mountain village in the Erz Mountains, which was impoverished due to an abandoned mine. In 1845, after obtaining a merchant position from the Ministry of the Interior of the Duchy of Saxony, Adolph Lange moved from Dresden to Glashütte in the Erz Mountains, where he founded a workshop with 15 young men. He founded a workshop with 15 young men. This was the birth of A. Lange & Söhne. The family struggled for a time to make ends meet, but eventually, the watchmakers who had honed their skills became independent workshops, each specializing in a particular component. The poor, deserted mountain village was transformed into a precision watchmaking center with A. Lange & Söhne at its center.
Brand disappears due to the Cold War between East and West
In 1846, Lange & Söhne developed the three-quarter plate, which is still a major feature of A. Lange & Söhne movements today. In 1868, Lange & Söhne took on his son, Richard Lange, as a partner and trained him to become the next generation of watchmakers. From that time on, the name of the workshop was changed to the current ” A. Lange & Söhne (Adolph Lange and Sons). After Adolph’s death, the skills were passed on to his sons and grandsons, but the Nazi regime, World War II, and postwar occupation played havoc with the watchmaker’s fortunes. On the eve of the war’s end, the headquarters building was destroyed by a direct hit from an air raid. Furthermore, in 1948, the workshop in the Erz Mountains was nationalized because it was located in a Soviet-occupied East German district. This resulted in the disappearance of the A. Lange & Söhne brand.
Rapidly developed into a top manufacturer after the brand’s reemergence
Walter Lange, the fourth-generation owner of the company, fled to West Germany, and was finally allowed to return to his homeland when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, reuniting the East and West. In 1994, the new Lange collection was launched, including the Lange 1, Saxonia, Tourbillon, Pour le Mérite, and Arcade. In 2001, Lange’s headquarters workshop was restored after being destroyed in an air raid, and in 2015, a new factory equipped with the latest technology was built in an adjoining location. In less than 20 years, the company has grown to become one of the world’s top five manufacturers.
Walter Lange (1994) is the man standing on the far left with his hand on the ” Lange 1 ” plate.
The ” Lange 1 ” bears the iconic A. Lange & Söhne name with its iconic dial
The ” Lange 1 ” is the first collection of the new Lange and is still considered an iconic model. Its most distinctive feature is its ” off-center dial ” where the hours, minutes, seconds, date, day of the week, and all other indications are not superimposed on each other. The size and position of each display is based on the golden ratio and perfectly balanced.
The calendar display is the ” outsize date “, a proprietary mechanism patented by A. Lange & Söhne. By displaying the date with the ” 10 ” and the ” 1 ” digits separately, it achieves a higher degree of legibility than ever before.
Various mechanisms such as moon phase, world timer, tourbillon, and perpetual calendar are equipped depending on the model, but the layout of the dial, which serves as the basis for the watch, remains unchanged, and the iconic presence of A. Lange & Söhne can be recognized at a glance.
“Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar “Handwerkskunst
A. Lange & Söhne’s royal dress watch ” Saxonia
Like the Lange 1, the ” Saxonia ” collection was introduced at the time of its reincarnation and refers to A. Lange & Söhne’s roots in the state of Saxony. With its simple design of bar indexes, it has the style of a royal dress watch. There is an annual calendar model with calendar adjustment only once a year and a second dual time model, but the most iconic model is the one with small seconds at 6 o’clock.
Some of them have ultra-thin models with a case thickness of only 5.9 mm. Incidentally, A. Lange & Söhne watches are exclusively made of gold and platinum. The brand’s unwavering concept as a brand of the highest caliber is another of A. Lange & Söhne’s charms.
“Saxonia Flach
The “1815”, a design loved by the founder of A. Lange & Söhne
The ” 1815 ” collection is named after the year in which the founder, Adolph Lange, was born. All models share the same Arabic numeral indexes, giving a classic impression. The railway-track-style outer circumference and blued-steel hands are the design favored by Adolph Lange.
The top-of-the-line model with a date display mechanism is equipped with three complications at the same time: minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and split-seconds chronograph. Only one piece is produced per year, and it is limited to six pieces worldwide. The price exceeds 200 million yen.
” Grande Complication
Watchmaking at A. Lange & Söhne
A. Lange & Söhne is renowned as an integrated manufacture. A. Lange & Söhne manufactures every component of the movement in-house, including the baseplate, bridges, levers, springs, gears, canards, and other parts that make up the movement. A. Lange & Söhne was one of the first German brands to start manufacturing its own balance springs.
A. Lange & Söhne is known for producing one exclusive movement for each model. For example, the basic Lange 1 model uses the Cal. L121.1, a highly durable movement with a blinking outsize date, while the Saxonia uses the Cal.
These movements are composed of hundreds of parts. The highest precision is pursued in each and every component, and the engineers do this using the latest milling machines and wire EDM machines, which have extremely low errors in the manufacture of parts.
A. Lange & Söhne’s “Twice-Through System” that does not tolerate even the slightest dust
A. Lange & Söhne’s manufacturing policy is the ” Twice-Twice-Through ” method. The movement, including the barrel, escapement, balance, and ankle, is assembled, the dial and crown are oriented, and mechanisms such as the outsize date and perpetual calendar are set and adjusted.
Normally, this would be followed by the movement’s final assembly into the case, but not at A. Lange & Söhne. Once completed, the movement is disassembled and cleaned once again. Then, each component is given a surface finish and meticulously decorated. A. Lange & Söhne believes that no matter how meticulously a movement is assembled, it is impossible to eliminate the possibility of slight scratches or small particles of dust during adjustment. No other company in the world of luxury wristwatches assembles all movements twice, including those that are not see-through back models, let alone complicated complication models. Despite being a prestigious brand, A. Lange & Söhne produces only a few thousand watches a year. This is because A. Lange & Söhne pursues “quality” in each and every watch, not “quantity.
The completion of the new Manufacture takes A. Lange & Söhne watchmaking quality to new heights
A. Lange & Söhne has developed rapidly since the launch of the revival collection in 1994. In 2001, the lost headquarters atelier was rebuilt, but it was still too small for the 200 watchmakers. However, in 2015, the 170th anniversary of the company, a new factory was finally established. The completion ceremony was attended by Chancellor Merkel.
From left, Walter Lange the fourth, Chancellor Merkel, Governor of Stanislav Tillisch Saxony, and Wilhelm Schmidt, current CEO of A. Lange & Sohne headquarters
The production team, which had originally been forced to split into five factories, was consolidated in the new factory. State-of-the-art machine tools and a vast workspace were secured. Of course, these facilities are not for mass-producing watches, but for improving quality and safety. The air conditioning system is also state-of-the-art, free of dust and debris, and runs on clean energy to keep the room temperature at an appropriate level throughout the year.
The building on the left is the new factory. The building on the right, connected by a corridor, is the headquarters workshop built by the founder in 1873. The building on the right, connected by a corridor, is the main workshop built by the founder in 1873, and is still affectionately called ” the main house ” by the employees.
Introducing A. Lange & Söhne’s classic models
A. Lange & Söhne ” Grand Lange 1
The ” Grande Lange 1 ” is a modern, larger version of the famous Lange 1. The off-center layout, in which the displays do not overlap, has been retained for improved legibility. It also retains its beauty based on the golden ratio.
A. Lange & Söhne “Saxonia Thin
Among the simple bar-indexed Saxonia models, the ” Saxonia Flach ” is the most minimalist model without small seconds. This dress watch has an ultra-thin body with a thickness of 5.9 mm, which makes it stand out even more for its sense of luxury.
A. Lange & Söhne “1815
The ” 1815 ” pays homage to the year of the birth of Adolf Lange, founder of A. Lange & Söhne and father of the Saxon watch industry. The classic Arabian indexes and blued-steel hands shine luxuriously. The exquisite movement, which can be admired through the see-through back cover, is also a thing of beauty.
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