Walter Lange adored his great-grandfather’s watch company. He knew how much it meant to people who dwelt near Glashütte. Growing up, the watchmakers would remind the young boy every time he visited with the manufacture. They showed him bits his ancestors had created, and while they explained how they worked, his enthusiasm for the craft began to form. Walter joined them a few decades afterwards, sitting behind a bench like every bench in the construction, and working on bits that bore his family’s title. These were some best of those watches money could purchase.
In 1948, he watched helplessly as the company was captured by the East German government after the country’s separation. Almost immediately, the manufacture was turned into a mill of cheaply made watches, the majority of these battery powered.
Walter returned to Glashütte to rescue his family’s business after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Five years after, in 1994, he presented the initial A. Lange & Söhne resurrection collection–four watches powered by four new mechanical motions displaying an exceptional level of technical innovation and finishing, a high grade which has defined every single view the manufacture has generated since its relaunch. Watches signed Lange could once again become synonymous with creativity and quality. I met Walter Lange only once, on the occasion of the new 200th anniversary. A. Lange & Söhne had invited a small group for dinner at Dresden, not very far in the fabrication, to discover the company’s latest watches, and now I remember the joy with which Walter described the organization’s early years and the sway of his ancestor’s work on the present collection.
Among Walter’s final fantasies, which he very briefly mentioned that night, was to find that the manufacture integrate an independent moments complication, among his favourite complications, and one which arose in Lange’s pocket watches in the late 19th century. He saw the project through.
Walter regrettably passed away a year ago now, during the yearly Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva.
Twelve months later and to everybody’s great surprise, A. Lange & Söhne has delivered the opinion Walter hoped that they would.
The opinion is called the 1815″Homage to Walter Lange” and it joins other models in Lange’s classically styled 1815 collection. Like them, it steps 40.5mm in diameter and is 10.7mm top. But unlike the rest, the watch features a stoppable jumping seconds mechanism at a wristwatch, made possible thanks to a recently developed calibre.
The ancestor of the modern chronograph, the independent jumping seconds complication may time short intervals and measure such matters as one’s heart rate easily–timing longer events is much more complicated and one of the reasons today’s chronograph substituted this mechanism.
Calibre L1924, as noticed from the white gold version of the 1815’Homage To Walter Lange’
The watch includes a conventional rail-way minute scale, with subsidiary small seconds at 6 o’clock. Versions in gold is going to be offered with silver dials, printed numerals and blued steel hands, but Lange is also preparing a special piece in steel. More on that later.
According to Lange, the choice to start this bold project took shape following Walter’s passing. Against the odds, Lange’s watchmakers were able to finish the watch earlier this year’s view fair.
The new movement, calibre L1924, is average Lange in finishing and style using its three-quarter plate structure, broad stripes, hand-engraved balance penis and chamfered bridges. The title of the movement is really a nod to Walter Lange, who was born in 1924.
Lange will be supplying three restricted variations in white gold (145 bits ), pink gold (90 bits ) and yellow gold (27 pieces). All three will be available for $47,000.
But there’s one more, unique piece, that Lange is booking to our second auction in May.
Along with the bits introduced at SIHH, A. Lange & Söhne has made a decision to create a unique part in stainless steel, which is auctioned off May 12 through the Geneva Watch Auction: SEVEN.
This is going to be a rare chance to acquire a truly unique stainless steel piece out of Lange, since the producer barely ever uses that particular metal for cases.
Further however, the one-off is different to the restricted variations in a few other ways. It includes a black enamel dial, applied numerals, and polished steel hands. The opinion will also have a special engraving at the back, which reads”Unique Piece” at the top.
The opinion will have no book.
The dial is swathed in blue, showcasing an azure hour chapter and seconds display, a brushed case ring and small seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. In the center, two white gold lancine-style hands rotating above the appliqued indicators and timer on the silver bezel highlight the luminous hour and minute markers. On both sides of the dial, at 9 and 3 o’clock, a double aperture displays the abbreviated day name in English and date.
The 25 pieces of this limited edition engraved from 1/25 to 25/25 come with an alligator strap finished with a pin buckle.
Price: on request
Each piece is numbered and engraved from 01/25 to 25/25 and comes with a blue alligator strap with a folding buckle.
The limited edition of 100 pieces comes with a hand-sewn, dark brown alligator leather strap with a tang buckle.
Price: 89,000 EUR
Price: 95,000 EUR
This sophisticated luxury watch comes with a black alligator leather strap and platinum deployment clasp.
