The name A. Lange & Söhne was established by Aldoph Lange 1868 in Glasshutte, Saxony.
In Glashutte, Ferdinand’s great grandson Walter, observed the Soviet bombing, looting and confiscation of the factory in 1948. This marked the official end of the Lange company.
The new Lange Uhren GmbH was registered in 1990 with the help of Walter, the International Watch Company (IWC) and Mannesman (later known as Richmont.
Their first watch went to market in 1994. They emphasized on movements, watch designs, in-house assemblies and quality engineering and finishing.
The first model was the complicated and adventurous Lang 1. Later they released the hand wound 1815, which delivered more than promised.
All movements used in Lange watches are designed and manufactured inhouse.
Basic characteristics of Lange movements
A 3/4 plate anchoring the movement. This is in comparison to most modern watchesuse of full bridge movements, or the full plate movements used in antique watches pre-1850.
Whiplash precision regulator on the index, also known as a swan neck regulator, for precision tuning of the balance.
A patented method of positioning the hairspring so that the watch can to be put into beat without dismantling the movement or upsetting previous adjustments.
Rubies presented within gold chatons held by blued steel screws. Practically, this allows for the rubies to be replaced easier than those embedded in the plates.
Visually, this adds stunning beauty to the movement. This is the only wristwatch to use this technique to hold the jewels.
Use of German Silver in the plates. While, the material is soft, it is very stable, and displays a beautiful sheen only possible with this alloy, instead of the more usual rhodium plated brass.
Solid silver dial.
For the Tourbillon, the fusee and chain arrangement for transferring constant power.
For watches with date indication, the patented large oversized double date.
For the automatic, a reset to zero mechanism.
Each movement caliber is used uniquely in one model in the limited range.
Six Basic Calibers
L901 in the Lange 1
L902 in the Pour La Merite tourbillon
L911, L931, L941, L942, L943 as a caliber family, used in the Arkade, Cabaret, 1815, 1815 Up/Down, 1815 Moonphase respectively
