What the Lange 1’s 25th birthday means for watch collectors
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What the Lange ane's 25th birthday means for watch collectors
A. Lange & Sohne's iconic Lange i turns 25 this year, with express edition anniversary models to mark the festivities. Simply only how significant is the OG sentinel to Germany's Glashutte region, to the watchmaking industry, and ultimately to collectors? Noted Lange collector Peter Chong weighs in.
The Lange 1 – 25 years young. (Photo: A. Lange & Sohne)
09 April 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 04 Jul 2022 03:58PM)
The Lange ane is the quintessential A. Lange & Sohne watch. When first introduced to the press on Oct 24, 1994 in Dresden, information technology was an immediate success. Twelve major retailers from German-speaking countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland had booked all the 123 watches offered for lodge two days earlier. The printing reception was a success. The adjacent day, on Oct 25, 1994 the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung read, "The economy of Frg's East is suddenly get-go to tick differently: A Lange & Sohne is dorsum – the legend has come dwelling house."
The four watches introduced in 1994 were monumental. Each had its ain special characteristics: The Lange 1, with its off-centre hour brandish, subsidiary seconds, ability reserve display and the big engagement display; the Arkade, a ladies model, as well fitted with the outsized appointment; the Saxonia, a uncomplicated mid-sized aureate sentinel, also with the outsized date; and the Tourbillon Pour le Merite, the acme of the collection: A tourbillon with a fusee-and-chain manual arrangement, then a World Premiere.
While all are sectional, and highly sought after, the Lange 1 is Lange'due south Calling Carte. The iconic model which is representative of the values that the firm wanted to communicate in the early days. For the 40 years prior, the Glashutte region's watchmaking was reduced to making robust mechanical and quartz watches under the German Democratic Democracy (Due east German) authorities. They were strangers to the earth of luxury watchmaking. But in the masterstroke they displayed on Oct 24, 1994, Lange demonstrated to the earth that they are on top of the game.
Nonetheless, in the early days, unlike the German language speaking retailers and journalists who hailed the new watches, the international community was more restrained. Many were doubtful a small company from East Germany could produce watches which rivalled the all-time of Switzerland. "They make Trabants in Saxony, not luxury watches" was a common cry among the doubters. Trabants were basic, commonsensical cars that were prized possessions in the GDR, non luxury vehicles past any stretch of imagination.
Simply the watches spoke for themselves. The early retailers were all called not just considering they were well established in their corresponding markets, but also because they were Authorised Retailers for other pinnacle brands. This made it piece of cake to compare watches side by side. And slowly, the collecting community realised that this was a First Class act, and that the Swiss made great watches, but at present, so did the Saxons.
The Lange i is probably the about successful of all Lange models, and has been in continuous production since 1994. The original release had a example which was 38.5mm in diameter, in yellow gold, white gold and platinum. The pick of a solid case back in the same metal as the example was offered every bit an choice to the sapphire instance dorsum which was standard.
A pink gilded version was added circa 1998, and also about that time a series of approximately 20 Lange one'south in Stainless Steel were fabricated. These were mainly delivered as small-scale batches to the Authorised Dealers of Orologeria Pisa in Milan, Cellini in New York and Sincere in Singapore. However, a few special commission pieces were also delivered via dealers to individual collectors. The Lange 1A was a special series limited to 100 pieces, introduced in 1998. It came with a solid gilt guilloche dial and gilt escape lever and escape cycle.
The Lange 1 also spawned an unabridged family of watches, which currently counts 9 models. They come in various case diameters and are manually wound or self-winding. The family also included models with additional functions such as a moon-phase brandish, a second fourth dimension zone, or equally a combination featuring a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar.
The original Lange 1 had the in-firm calibre L901 which featured a double barrel mainspring and a power reserve of 96 hours. The motion remained until it was revised in 2022 every bit the L121. The new motion now features a shorter power reserve of 72 hours, but retained the double mainspring concept. A completely new wheel train was installed, including an in-firm manufactured balance cycle with eccentric timing weights.
Peter Chong is the Co-Founder, Editorial Manager and Chief Photographer of Deployant . He founded the Lange Forum on Timezone.com in 1997 and in 2022 published the book A. Lange & Sohne: The Cascade le Merite Drove .
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