A. Lange & Söhne is well known as one of the world's top five watch brands.
A leading German luxury watch brand, it is known for its beautiful and sophisticated watches, such as the Lange 1, Saxonia, and Datograph, and has captured the hearts of many watch fans. In Japan, it is less well known than Rolex and Omega, but it is very popular overseas.
This time, I would like to explain the characteristics, history, and recommended models of A. Lange & Söhne. If you are interested in A. Lange & Söhne watches or would like to know more about the brand, please refer to this article.
What is A. Lange & Söhne?
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A. Lange & Söhne was founded in Glashütte, Germany in 1845. Its greatest feature is, without a doubt, the manufacturing technology behind its beautiful movements. They develop dedicated movements for each model, and even manufacture the hairsprings, which are considered extremely difficult to manufacture, in-house.
When you ask people who like A. Lange & Söhne why they like them, they often cite the beauty of their machinery and their attention to detail in watchmaking. Watch enthusiasts unanimously agree that A. Lange & Söhne's mechanical watches are uniquely beautiful.
The History of A. Lange & Söhne
Founded in Germany in 1845 , the brand has had a long and winding history. Here we introduce the history of the brand from its founding to the present day.
Birth and Demise
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The brand's history began in 1845 when Ferdinand Adolph Lange established a workshop in Glashütte, Germany. Today, Glashütte is known as the mecca of German watches, but at the time, the once-thriving silver mines had dried up, and the industry was no longer viable, leaving the entire town in poverty. For this reason, Mr. Lange wanted to develop the watch business as an industry to revitalize the town.
Since Glashütte was a place where silverwork and other craftsmanship was produced, there were many people skilled in manufacturing, so he approached the government at the time to train watchmakers in his workshop, and after receiving approval, he opened a watch workshop.
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After 1868 , his sons joined the business and changed the name to the current A. Lange & Söhne (Lange and his sons). Mr. Lange passed away in 1875 , but A. Lange & Söhne flourished as one of Germany's leading brands thanks to the economic boom and the Second Industrial Revolution.
However, a major turning point came for A. Lange & Söhne. During World War II, the factory was hit by an air raid on the eve of the end of the war, and the headquarters was destroyed. Furthermore, after the war ended in 1948 , all of the company's assets were confiscated by the socialist East Germany. All of the watch brands in Glashütte at the time were absorbed into the Glashütte State Company. As A. Lange & Söhne was also integrated, the brand disappeared.
German unification and brand revival
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Although A. Lange & Söhne was dissolved when it was integrated into a state-owned company, Walter Lange, the great-grandson of the founder, was secretly waiting for an opportunity to revive the brand. He then established a cooperative relationship with IWC , whose headquarters are in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, near the German border. This revival plan seemed to go smoothly at first glance, but the quartz crisis occurred in the 1970s , and the plan was scrapped.
A turning point came in 1989. As soon as the Berlin Wall fell and East and West Germany were reunited, A. Lange & Söhne was re-registered and trademarked in order to rebuild the brand, and the brand was revived in 1990. In 1994 , the first collection to commemorate the new A. Lange & Söhne was released, with four models: the Lange 1 , Saxonia, Arcade, and Tourbillon "Pour le Mérite". These watches, which boasted an original and overwhelming presence like works of art, made a strong impression not only on fans of the brand but also on many other watch enthusiasts.
The reason why it is called one of the world's top five watch brands
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In 2000 , together with IWC , which assisted in the company's reconstruction, the company became part of the Richemont Group, and in 2003 , the company began producing its own hairsprings. Hairsprings are one of the most difficult parts of mechanical movements to manufacture, and most brands outsource their production to specialized companies. However, A. Lange & Söhne succeeded in producing its own hairsprings, and became known as one of only a few companies in the world that can produce their own hairsprings in-house.
In 2015 , they built a new workshop, which is now over 5,400 square meters larger, and succeeded in improving productivity. And thanks to their original and highly artistic designs and relentless pursuit of movements, they have become known as one of the world's top five watch brands in just 20 years since their revival.
Features of A. Lange & Söhne
A. Lange & Söhne is considered one of the world's top five watch brands, but what are the characteristics of their watches? Let's take a look at the characteristics of the brand.
A consistent manufacturing system
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A manufacture refers to a brand that manufactures its own movements. Some may think that this is normal for watch brands, but in fact, it is said that there are very few manufacture brands. Most brands outsource the manufacture of movements to specialized companies, and it is said that they rarely manufacture movements in-house.
A. Lange & Söhne has been committed to a manufacture system since the first revived collection in 1994 , and has even developed its own hairspring since 2003. As mentioned above, their commitment to developing a dedicated movement for each model is also not to be missed. If the case size and functions are the same, it is common to reuse the same movement, but A. Lange & Söhne manufactures a dedicated movement for the Saxonia and a dedicated movement for the Lange 1 .
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The dial design of a watch is determined to some extent by the construction of the movement. In other words, models with the same movement often have dials with similar designs, but A. Lange & Söhne is not bound by the movement, which allows them to enhance the originality of each collection.
Not only is the brand committed to a thorough manufacturing system, but it is also hard to imagine any other brand that is so particular about the production and development of movements.
Functional beauty that is the foundation of German watches
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Today's German watches have a standard called the Glashütte style, which is a mark of high-end watches made in Glashütte, Germany. The Glashütte style has distinctive features in the way the movements are made and decorated and finished, and the foundation for this style was laid by none other than A. Lange & Söhne.
Originally, the Glashütte style referred to a movement base plate called a 3/4 plate, and a large and stable bridge. It is said that A. Lange & Söhne adopted the 1A quality specifications, which Adolph Lange established as the highest quality standard in 1867 , and other brands followed suit.
[ Four representative specifications of the current Glashütte style ]
・3/4 plate
・Glashütte stripe
- Screw-fastened gold chatons
・Engraving decoration
The fact that it has all of these features is one of A. Lange & Söhne's major features and attractive points.
Recommended models from A. Lange & Söhne
From here, we will introduce some recommended models from A. Lange & Söhne, a brand that continues to pursue mechanical watches with relentless dedication.
"Saxonia"
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The Saxonia was released in 1994 as the brand's first revival collection.
Named after the state of Saxony in Germany where Glashütte is located, this watch is a popular standard and entry-level model among those who are purchasing an A. Lange & Söhne watch for the first time. It features a beautiful, classical design with a simple finish that eliminates all unnecessary elements. There are also many derivative models, such as the Grand Saxonia, Saxonia Thin, and Saxonia Moon Phase.
"Lange 1"
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[ A. Lange & Söhne] The Lange 1 is known as the collection that symbolizes revival.
This is one of the most popular models from the brand, competing for first and second place. With two subdials, a power reserve, and an oversized date, this watch is designed based on the golden ratio, and is not only beautiful to look at, but also highly legible, giving the viewer an intellectual impression. The main dial is off-centered, and while it is asymmetrical, it maintains an exquisite balance, which has had a major impact on the watch world. It also has a stop-second function that allows you to stop the second hand by operating the crown, making it a practical design.
"Odysseus"
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The collection "Odysseus" was launched in 2019 .
This is the first sports watch from A. Lange & Söhne, a brand that has previously focused on dress watches, and it caused a big stir when it was released. The new movement, which took nearly 10 years to develop, features a push button that allows you to advance the date and day of the week in one-day increments, a power reserve of approximately 50 hours, and high earthquake resistance.
The Datograph
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The Datograph was released in 1999 as a derivative model of the Saxonia.
It is said to be the world's best chronograph, and is now often seen as an independent collection. Although it is equipped with functions such as a date display, chronograph, and tachymeter, the dial gives a clean impression, and it combines overwhelming beauty and functionality. The beauty of the movement, which is the brand's strength, is also overwhelming, and while the regular model is sufficiently multifunctional, it also offers models that combine the three major complicated mechanisms of the perpetual calendar and tourbillon, and continues to have a major impact on the watch industry.
summary
What did you think.
Founded in Glashütte, Germany in 1845 , A. Lange & Söhne once faced the misfortune of being wiped out, but in just under 20 years it has made a comeback and become one of the world's top five watch brands. The combination of its beautiful, classical design and high-quality movement makes it a watch that will last a lifetime.
This is a top-of-the-line watch, made with the utmost care for mechanical watches, so why not try it out for yourself?