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A. Lange & Söhne

Saxon watchmaking at its most exacting - German silver plates, hand-engraved balance cocks and a movement finished on both sides. Haute Time covers the Lange 1, the Datograph and the Zeitwerk out of Glashütte.
191Stories published
1845Maison founded
5Current collections
A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 with outsize date and German silver movement
The Answer
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A. Lange & Söhne is a German watch manufacturer founded in Glashütte, Saxony, in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Expropriated after the Second World War, it was relaunched in 1990 by his great-grandson Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein, and released its first modern collection in 1994 - including the Lange 1, whose asymmetric dial and outsize date became the brand's signature. Its movements are made in-house from untreated German silver, assembled twice, and finished with a hand-engraved balance cock; the Datograph flyback chronograph and the Zeitwerk jumping numerals are widely considered among the best-executed complications in modern watchmaking.

A. Lange & SöhneFounded 1845GlashütteSaxonyLange 1DatographZeitwerkGerman silver

The Collection

Lange 1
Asymmetric dial · 38.5mm
L121.1, outsize date
Datograph
Flyback chronograph · 41mm
L951.6, precisely jumping minute
Zeitwerk
Jumping numerals · 41.9mm
L043.x, constant-force escapement
Saxonia
Time only · 35-40mm
L086.x, three-quarter plate
Odysseus
Steel sports · 40.5mm
L155.1, day and outsize date

Latest A. Lange & Söhne Coverage

All 191 Stories ›
News

The A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret Tourbillon Returns in Honeygold®

By Andre Frois · May 16, 2026
Events

A. Lange & Söhne Calendar Watches Didn’t Just Shine at Watches and Wonders 2026‒They Glowed

By Andre Frois · April 14, 2026
News

Inside the New A. Lange & Söhne Chicago Boutique

By Haute Time · February 20, 2026
News

Honeygold Makes It Glow: The Lange 1 Daymatic’s Radiant Transformation

By Andre Frois · December 7, 2025
News

A. Lange & Söhne’s Saxonia Thin Returns in Platinum and Honeygold®

By Andre Frois · October 4, 2025
News

The A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds and 1815 Tourbillon Return with Ravishing New Dials

By Andre Frois · September 5, 2025
All 191 A. Lange & Söhne Stories

Milestones

1845
Ferdinand Adolph Lange founds the manufactory in Glashütte and trains local watchmakers.
1948
The company is expropriated under East German rule and the name disappears.
1990
Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein re-register the brand after reunification.
1994
The relaunch collection arrives, led by the Lange 1 and its outsize date.
1999
Datograph sets the modern benchmark for a flyback chronograph movement.

Frequently Asked

Is A. Lange & Söhne Swiss?
No - it is German, based in Glashütte in Saxony, and that is central to its identity. Saxon watchmaking has its own conventions: three-quarter plates, German silver rather than plated brass, screwed gold chatons and a hand-engraved balance cock unique to each watch.
Why is A. Lange & Söhne so expensive?
Volume and finishing. The manufactory makes only a few thousand watches a year, every movement is assembled, disassembled and reassembled after finishing, and the decoration is applied to surfaces the owner will never see. It is one of the few houses whose movement finishing is routinely rated alongside Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
What is the Lange 1?
The 1994 relaunch watch and the brand's icon: an off-centre dial layout where hours, seconds, power reserve and the outsize date each occupy their own space without overlapping, all sized by the golden ratio.
Which A. Lange & Söhne should a first-time buyer look at?
A Saxonia Thin or a Lange 1 for classical Saxon watchmaking, or the Odysseus if a steel bracelet sports watch is the requirement. The Datograph is the connoisseur's choice, but it is a chronograph bought for the movement rather than for daily wear.
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