Ferdinand Adolph Lange, a Dresden watchmaker, established his watch manufactory in 1845, and it was there and then that he would lay the foundation and build the sterling reputation for Saxony's precision watchmaking.
The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly fell into oblivion. It was only in 1990 that Lange's great-grandson Walter Lange relaunched and breathed life back into the brand.
Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum per year. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and assembled by hand. In a short twenty-five years or so, A. Lange & Söhne has impressively developed 51 manufacture calibres and secured a top-tier position among the world's finest watch brands.
A 2nd Generation Lange 1
One of its keys to success is the innovative #lange-1">LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a series produced wristwatch, produced merely four years after Walter revived the shop.
2015 marks the 200th birthday of its founder, and the manufacture has found the occasion to reveal the second generation of its iconic timepiece with a new movement inside.
The manually wound L121.1 calibre now features a precisely-jumping outsize date display. Its escapement consists of a balance wheel with eccentric weights to keep it in poise, as well as a free-sprung balance spring crafted in-house.
The new calibre utilises a twin mainspring barrel to maintain a power reserve of up to three days, and possesses classic Lange hallmarks such as the three-quarter plate, the hand-engraved balance cock and gold chatons secured with thermally blued screws.
Clearly, the technical refinement is a physical manifestation of the brand's determination to keep reinventing itself.
An instant collector's item, this exquisite timepiece is now available at boutiques worldwide.
A. Lange & Söhne ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn, Singapore 238801
(65) 6509 1712
