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In its journey of more than 175 years, German watchmaking company A. Lange & Söhne has witnessed several ups and downs in the horological world especially during World War II. Founded by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in the region of Glashütte in 1845, this iconic company was initially called A. Lange & Cie.
Having already trained as a watchmaker in the mid-1830s, the company founder had embarked on travels through France, Britain, and Switzerland to learn more about the different watchmaking styles. Apart from adopting the metric system measurements into watches, the visionary founder of A. Lange & Söhne also invented various watchmaking tools. Always one for collective growth, Ferdinand Adolph trained apprentices in his company with the sole aim that they would have the knowledge and expertise to open their own companies in the region.
Once the revolutionary founder of A. Lange & Söhne retired, Richard Lange and Emil Lange took up their father’s mantle. Under the salesmanship of Emil and the inventive watchmaking of Richard, the company grew leaps and bounds. The brand was preferred by German royals, including Emperor Wilhelm II. He presented a unique A. Lange & Söhne pocket watch to the Ottoman Sultan during an official visit in 1898.
However, German watchmaking was hit hard by the First World War, and A. Lange & Söhne suffered as well. Now, in the hands of Emil Lange’s son, Otto, the company struggled to meet expectations in regards to sales. Respite to this problem came in the form of manufacturing precise observation watches for the German military in the 1930s.
Unfortunately, the 1940s were a scathing decade for the German company. The last day of the Second World War saw the A. Lange & Söhne manufacturing house and headquarters in Glashütte destroyed due to Soviet air raids. After Eastern Germany fell under the control of the Soviets, A. Lange & Söhne became part of a newly merged nationalised company. As a result, the A. Lange & Söhne name quickly vanished without a trace from the 1950s.
Despite not being in existence for over 40 years, the fall of the Berlin Wall got the ball rolling on the revival of A. Lange & Söhne. Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, along with the ingenious watch executive Günter Blümlein, brought back the company and brand into life through Lange Uhren GmbH. A. Lange & Söhne was up and running and, in 1994, they presented their first collection of wristwatches to the world. Through their revival, the great German watchmaking city, Glashütte and the region of Saxony, slowly returned to being the centre of German watchmaking.
Firmly positioning itself as a maker of exquisite and luxurious wristwatches, the turn of the new century has been incredibly beneficial to A. Lange & Söhne. Having produced more than 60 in-house movements in tandem with collections such as the LANGE 1 TIME ZONE, the company opened its first boutique in 2007. Since then, the brand has expanded and now has stores all around the globe. However, this growth has not put a stop to the exclusive nature of the A. Lange & Söhne watches, with only around 5000 pieces manufactured every year. In 2011, they offered the HANDWERKSKUNST models, a collection in which each watch piece goes through a meticulous design and finishing process that takes them to the next level. These models also bring back the skillful art of enamelling - a popular technique used during the pocket watch era. Ensuring absolute cleanliness while preparing the enamel, A. Lange & Söhne meticulously goes through the process of creating enamel dials for their HANDWERKSKUNST models, a complicated design feat few watchmakers could pull off.
The eventful revival and return of A. Lange & Söhne to Glashütte proves to be vital for the brand. Under the work ethos laid down by Walter Lange, watches in the Glashütte factory are produced with extreme care and dedication. Hallmark innovations included blued screws, the hand-engraved balance cock and spring, the three quarter plate - all are created and manufactured in-house with utmost precision.
The iconic blue screws of the company are obtained by coating them in a particular magnite and then heating them till 300 degrees Celsius. The Up-Down Power Indicator on the dial is another innovation that has been used to great success by the company. This innovation, coupled with the blue dial hands made of steel, adds to the charm and elegance of A. Lange & Söhne. Paying tribute to their glorious past, the winding mechanism wheels closely resemble the finissage present in pocket watches of old. Elite artisans then assemble the components to make a consumer-ready watch. Current collections of the company include the LANGE 1, 1815, RICHARD LANGE & SAXONIA. In 2021, debut models were released under the “Made in Saxony” collection, featuring watches with luminous numbers, or stop-seconds mechanism, or Zero-Reset mechanism and even more features.
Although Walter Lange passed away in 2017, he always believed that watches never stood still. True to his motto, A. Lange & Söhne enriches their legacy with each passing day by integrating newer technology to produce state-of-the-art wristwatches that reflect the heritage and precision of this iconic German company.