A. Lange & Söhne 175th Anniversary

A Closer Look At A. Lange & Söhne’s Stunning 175th Anniversary Watches

This week, the storied German watchmaker introduced three watches that’ll blow collectors’ minds.

By Hyla Bauer
Contributor

It’s been a full 175 years since Ferdinand Adolph Lange opened his watchmaking business in Glashütte, Germany, in 1845. At the time, Lange’s pocket watches were highly sought after, and a few remain to this day. Towards the end of World War II, the company was unable to exist in its original form, and the history of the Lange brand was largely forgotten in the ensuing decades. 
 

This all changed, however, when Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson, Walter Lange, set out to revive the brand. The rest, as they say, is history. And in celebration of one-and-three-quarters of a century since its founding, A. Lange & Söhne has gone all-out, introducing three new commemorative timepieces. 

“A Lange watch is a fusion of the arts,” co-founder Günter Blümlein said in a statement. “It melds the passion of watchmakers for mechanical solutions and craftsmanship with the inimitable style of the manufactory and its venerable history.” 

Saxonia Thin

Limited to just 50 pieces, the new Saxonia Thin is a white gold wonder. It’s a new version of A. Lange & Söhne’s first Saxonia Thin offered in 2018. What’s changed, and why is this watch so special? Let’s take a look. 
 

As its name implies, the Saxonia Thin is an ultra-slim timepiece, the thinnest among A. Lange & Söhne’s offerings to date. At just 6.2 millimeters high, the watch is equipped with the in-house L093.1 movement that’s a mere 2.9 millimeters high. Its diminutive size notwithstanding, the manually wound movement holds an impressive 3-day power reserve. 

All The Details

What’s new here is the dial treatment. Tiny copper particles float in deep-black gold flux, sparkling and shimmering in the light. The base of the dial is solid silver, and the glass is applied painstakingly for maximum effect. According to the brand, flux is “a type of glass with copper constituents. While it is being heated, the copper forms microscopically small crystals.” And to create a flawless surface, as seen on the new Saxonia Thin, the glass “must be cast on to the silver dial with extreme caution.” 
 

The other elements of the dial take a backseat to its shimmering surface, and as well they should. Nothing should distract from this main attraction.

The bezel is remarkably thin for a 40mm watch, but it allows for a full view of the dial’s subtle glint. The hour and minute hands are quite slim, as are the applied baton-style hour markers. Continuing with the gleam-effect, the watch’s strap is also a shiny black leather fastened with a white gold prong buckle. 
 

The New Saxonia Outsize Date

The new Saxonia Outsize Date will be an object of desire for any A. Lange & Söhne aficionado. Large date apertures and numerals, now an iconic design for the brand, were introduced in the 1994 collection that helped re-establish the brand. The design’s audacity caused a stir and some debate among attendees at the SIHH fair that year. But all of the buzz was prescient of the watch’s soaring success. To this day, the large date aperture is arguably A. Lange & Söhne’s most recognizable and revered design element. 
 

There’s a lot going on “under the hood” to make the two intersecting discs, one marked with 1, 2, and 3, and the other with 0-9, run as a cohesive unit, yet the watch’s self-winding movement handles this precision coordination with ease. In a case measuring 38.5mm, the date takes pride of place.
 

So Nice They Had To Make It Twice

There are two versions of the Saxonia Outsize Date, both of which have solid, bright silver dials. The two previous models that debuted in 2018 came with black dials. This year, with white gold and rose gold versions, the choice is yours. The rose gold version has a warm reddish-brown strap with a rose gold prong buckle, while the white gold model has a black hand-stitched leather strap fitted with a white gold buckle.
 

The Saxonia Outsize is arguably the ultimate expression of classic A. Lange & Söhne design code – it stands out but still whispers. 
 

(Images © A. Lang & Söhne)

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