A. Lange & Söhne

[Karajan]

Hello!

I just recently found out about this watchmaking company and find myself completely mesmerized by their timepieces, in particular the Langematik Perpetual.

Please share your experience regarding the company and its watches. If you have a Lange timepiece or have seen one you'd like to own, please post some pictures.

Thanks

[Numismatist]

Fabulous movements with elegant detail. I am currently pursuing my Holy Grail watch which is:

[Karajan]

That is a beautiful watch Chris , Lange 1 Moonphase?

[Numismatist]

Originally Posted by Karajan

That is a beautiful watch Chris , Lange 1 Moonphase?

Yes it is!

There was one for sale here on TRF recently as well.

Jocke should be along shortly with beautiful pictures of his.

[Karajan]

I've never seen one IRL but I will be going to São Paulo next week where I believe they have an AD (I think there's only one AD. in the whole of Brazil).
Thanks for sharing Chris, it's an amazing watch. I look forward to seeing some pictures of Jocke's too =)

[Montexn]

Chris, that is a gorgeous piece....kinda puts me in mind of one of my Grails....produced by another German company from the same region.

[cr6man]

Man,that is BEEUUUTEEFULLL!...Lange will be my next acquisition....

[Karajan]

I like the moonphase on that dial, that's a cool watch Montexn.

[JRA]

Hi Karajan - A. Lange & Söhne is a German manufacturer owned by the Richemont group. While you can certainly google the name and find plenty of info here's a bit of intel for you. The company was founded in the mid-19th century in Eastern Germany and was taken over by the East German government after the 2nd world war, at which time I believe they stopped making watches. Under Richemont they've returned to their high-end watching making roots and put out mostly complicated pieces with a nice line of basic manual and automatic watches as well. They work exclusively in precious metals and tend to hold their value quite well compared to other luxury brands of the same caliber. Interestingly, they are connected to their other watch making countrymen vis-a-vis their home in Glashütte - which is also home to Glashütte Original (Swatch Group) and a nice, independent brand called Nomos. For you white gold aficionados, I don’t think they rhodium plate their white gold watches, which is nice if you prefer them without this coating.

[Zed Homme]

Lange is one of my favorites. I bought this Lange 1 Timezones last summer. I'd love to get a platinum Zeitwerk in the future...

[Karajan]

Hi JRA,

This is extremely interesting. I took a look at the Richemont group only to find that they own another dozen watchmaking companies, including: Vacheron, Panerai, Cartier, Jaeger, IWC and Piaget. I've also taken a look at Glashütte Original and seen some watches that follow a similar design to those of Lange.

I stumbled upon a website with Lange watch prices too I think it probably best to start saving now for my Langematik

Thanks for taking the time to research and post. A truly remarkable company with truly remarkable watches.

[Karajan]

Fantastic Chris

I see each time zone has a separate day/night indicator, the large date is just striking and the hands are mesmerizing.

The Auf & Ab I take it are power reserve indicators? (I should know better German after conducting the Berlin Philarmonic for so long)

Thanks for taking the time to share these pictures and congratulations on the beautiful watch.

[Montexn]

Phillip, I know what you mean...it seems like most watch companies nowadays are part of a larger corporate entity as you pointed out. GO is no exception in this either, as they are a part of The Swatch Group.

There are a number of striking similarities in L & S vs GO and this may stem from the fact that the Glashutte region of Germany became the horological center of influence when many of the premier Master German watchmakers settled in the Glashutte region roughly during the same time period in the mid-late 1800's.

The town of Glashutte enjoys a rich and exciting 160 year continuous history associated with the Watchmaking Industry. Amazingly, many of the original buildings that housed the manufactures of that era are either still in use, or once again in use, to produce Glashutte traditional time pieces.

The original building that was founded in 1878 to house the German School of Watchmaking was re-established in 2008 as The German Watch Museaum. This was accomplished with generous support from the town of Glashutte, GO, and The Swatch Group. Each “historical room” within the museum establishes the chronological context of the watchmaking town and present, at the outset, the famous figures and the founding fathers: Ferdinand Adolph Lange, Julius Assmann, Adolf Schneider and Moritz Großmann, who made Glashütte an important centre of fine German watchmaking and watchmaker training.

Without a doubt, the horological products produced in this region still exhibit the finest craftsmanship and quality for which it has become renowned.

[WatchTimes]

Lange and Glashutte are both beautiful pieces!
Lange is close to Patek in ranking for sure, some even say Lange over Patek.

If I was to get a Lange Id be about the Zeitwerk, but I dream of the Patek 5960P so Lange
has a LONG wait before my collection can afford it as well.

[Karajan]

Hi Richard,

I had no idea that the town of Glashütte carried so much history with it! I stumbled upon some pictures of the German Watch Museum , a visit to the birthplace of German haute horlogerie would prove a truly remarkable experience.

I think it fantastic and very important that some of the original town buildings have been preserved and are used today for the same purpose and activity as they were before, in a way like La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle and Vallée de Joux in Switzerland.

Some more research into both A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original has provided me with some fresh insight on their watchmaking process as well as their current range of masterpieces.

It looks like the Germans are giving the Swiss a good run for their money!


Thanks again Richard,

All the best.

[B. Doggy]

Man, those are some sexy a$$ watches!

[Zed Homme]

Originally Posted by Karajan

Fantastic Chris

I see each time zone has a separate day/night indicator, the large date is just striking and the hands are mesmerizing.

The Auf & Ab I take it are power reserve indicators? (I should know better German after conducting the Berlin Philarmonic for so long)

Yes the auf and ab refer to the power reserve. The smaller of the two sundials will show the time in any timezone that is selected by one of the buttons.

Please tell me more about your time in Berlin (by pm if you prefer). My mother lives in the new beisheim center development across the street from the symphony hall. I try to visit the philharmonic as often as I can. Perhaps I've seen you conduct in the kleine kammer? Best symphony I've ever seen although I'm yet to go to the one in Vienna....

[Karajan]

Hi Chris,

Ahh unfortunately I can't really conduct music, I aspire to amateur status.

The bit about the Berlin Philarmonic was only a reference to Herbert Von Karajan, who conducted the BP for 35 years and to whose memory my avatar and username pay homage.

On another note I have been to Berlin a couple of times, I think it's a great city and first visited while backpacking with friends some time ago. Granted, we shouldn't have underestimated the winter weather and packed more suitably but we still had a lot of fun, it's a beautiful city.

Take Care

[snowbird]

Originally Posted by Karajan

The bit about the Berlin Philarmonic was only a reference to Herbert Von Karajan, who conducted the BP for 35 years and to whose memory my avatar and username pay homage.

I was thinking when I saw your other post, wow, conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, that's really something . . .

Great avatar though.

[Karajan]

Hi Yogi!

Both the Zeitwerk and the 5960P look like spectacular watches, I especially like this picture of the Zeitwerk.

http://www.watchtime.com/editors/jth...erk_blk_lg.jpg



My choice would be 5135R for a Patek and a Langematik Perpetual for a Lange.

http://alang.watchprosite.com/img/wa...ge.1001401.jpg


Thanks for sharing

[Karajan]

Hi Snowbird,

Thanks , I really like your avatar too, it's a beautiful picture. I've often wondered where it was taken.

[cr6man]

Originally Posted by Zed Homme

Lange is one of my favorites. I bought this Lange 1 Timezones last summer. I'd love to get a platinum Zeitwerk in the future...

[Montexn]

Originally Posted by Karajan

Hi Richard,

I had no idea that the town of Glashütte carried so much history with it! I stumbled upon some pictures of the German Watch Museum , a visit to the birthplace of German haute horlogerie would prove a truly remarkable experience.

Some more research into both A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original has provided me with some fresh insight on their watchmaking process as well as their current range of masterpieces.

I agree, visiting such a place would be an awesome experience. I started looking into it when I was comparing the 2 brands and noticed so many similarities. It piqued my interest enough to read what I could find out there on it. I love GO's line-up and they seem to be quite a bit less expensive compared to L & S. PP or L & S are way too rich for my wallet, so all I can do is drool all over them, but a GO is within my reach.

[Karajan]

Hi Richard,

Yes, I know what you mean. L&S watches start at about 14K and work their way up, Patek also starts around that price range (maybe a bit higher). The problem is any watch with more complications (say a moonphase or power reserve indicator) will make the watch at least 50% more expensive. I was taking a look at GO's line-up and stumbled upon a myriad of fascinating watches (starting at around 8K), these have the complications but are made of less expensive material (SS instead of YG/RG/WG/P).
Below is the Pano Reserve:

http://www.chronophage.com/img_revue...Reserve_08.jpg

[Spencer]

My Grail

A. Lange & Sohne Double-Split

[Karajan]

Fantastic watch Spencer

Thanks for sharing.

[Paul7039]

L&S make incredible watches. I think their watches are more nicely finished than any others I have ever owned. You should check them out at an AD, as you can only appreciate the quality when you inspect one of their pieces in person. Good luck in your quest for the Langematik perpetual - that is my favorite perpetual.

Paul

[mtrunner]

Originally Posted by Spencer

My Grail

A. Lange & Sohne Double-Split

What an unbelievable watch. I am a big fan of Lange and have more than one of their watches on my wish list.

[boa2]

Magnificent watches. Impeccable quality, and a unique design. The one on my radar is this, the Richard Lange:

[mtrunner]

Howard - I really like that Lange as well!