The pre-eminent leaders of German watchmaking have a party on their hands, as they celebrate 30 years of the iconic Lange 1.
The standards of ‘German-made’ are stupendously high. One of Europe’s many hotbeds of innovation, Deutschland has graced the world with an innumerable amount of technical wonders. From Fanta to Mercedes-Benz – when the Germans have an idea, it becomes almost impossible to top them.
So naturally, their calibre of watchmakers are considered some of the best (and depending on who you ask, the best) in the world. One of the greatest examples of such is A. Lange & Söhne, who since 1845 have built a reputation of producing horological wonders that force even the Swiss and Japanese to catch up.
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On October 24, 1994, Lange would reveal what would be one of their most iconic timepieces to date: The Lange 1. With its outsize date, asymmetrical dial and disruptive aesthetic, it cemented itself as one of the greatest dress watches of all time. So great, in fact, that the design has remained largely unchanged for the thirty years it has remained within the cast of incredible horological works by the Glashütte-based brand.
“The LANGE 1 is a timepiece that unites everything that distinguishes a refined mechanical watch: originality, timeless elegance and horological precision, down to the last detail.”
Wilhelm Schmid, A. Lange & Söhne CEO.
For those unfamiliar, Herr Schmid’s words barely scratch the surface of what the Lange 1 has to truly offer, which is especially true for this year. Exactly 30 years to the day of its release, A. Lange & Söhne have opted to release two limited edition Lange 1 timepieces, accompanied by two Little Lange limited editions. It’s important to note that the Little Lange 1 is not celebrating an anniversary, having been released four years after its bigger brother. Still, encased in either 950 platinum or the radiant 750 pink gold, both the 38.5mm Lange 1 and the 36.8mm Little Lange 1 showcase the horological excellence the Richemont brand is capable of.
As stated previously, both the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1 share the same aesthetic profile that made the watch famous in the first place: The hour and minute section of the dial, with lance hands and decorated in case material-matching Roman numerals and indexes, shrunken and shifted to the left of the watch face; The small second subdial, situated typically where the 5 o’clock index is located; A power reserve running from Auf (Up) to Ab (Down) has been placed adjacent to the smaller dial’s 3 o’clock numeral; and the outsize date, ticking over at midnight and outlined in the chosen case material, is overwatched by the A. Lange & Söhne logotype at 12. All of these unique features are what set apart the Lange 1 family from the rest of the premiere dress watches out there, and are available in onyx black or blue dials alongside colour-matched alligator straps.
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Despite the elegant design being enough for some, the Germans refuse to cut corners. Their engineering is of no exception here, thanks to the Lange 1 and Little Lange 1’s inner workings. A spectacular design requires a spectacular movement, of course, and the Cal. L121.1 is more than happy to step up to the plate as the 50th manufacture calibre ever made by A. Lange & Söhne. Manually wound for 72 hours of power reserve, the L121.1 beats at a comfortable 3Hz (21,600VpH), powering all the previously listed complications and timekeeping.
If you were to turn the watch around, you would be hypnotised by the movement’s visibility through the sapphire case back. From heat-blued screws, to the hand-engraved balance cock holding the golden balance wheel, to almost the entirety of the movement being constructed in untreated German silver, you can tell that there was no sense of hyperbole when Herr Schmidt stated “down to the last detail.”
My Thoughts
It can get difficult to write about expensive timepieces for long periods of time. Not just because I recognise that, outside of winning the lotto, I can never afford them, but also because brands can often feel too self-aggrandising when describing their watchmaking abilities. Being able to do this is an absolute privilege, don’t get me wrong – goodness knows I’m extremely lucky to be here instead of shovelling sand in some place – but hearing some brands talk about how great they are can get tiresome pretty fast.
There’s a reason why people gravitate towards other watch brands – they delight in telling everyone how wonderful they are. A. Lange & Söhne are different, though. They know that they don’t need to do that, because when push comes to shove, they know how to walk the walk. It’s like that kid at the back of the class that stays silent all year, and then says a one-liner that absolutely kills it in the classroom.
The Lange 1 collection may not be as popular as the Submariners, Royal Oaks, or even the Cubituses of the world. However, horology has never been a popularity contest, and these new Lange/Little Lange 1 references put yet another feather in the Richemont brand’s cap. Uniquely designed, ruthlessly engineered, and gorgeously detained, the 30th Anniversary Lange 1 and Little Lange 1 pieces stand as a testament to the hilariously high standards of Germand watchmaking, Furthermore, they prove A. Lange & Söhne’s complete and utter domination of the dress watch game for three decades… and counting.
References:
- Lange 1: 191.062 (Black)/191.063 (Blue)
- Little Lange 1: 181.062 (Black)/181.063(Blue)
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 38.5mm case diameter x 10mm thickness (Lange 1)/36.8mm case diameter x 9.98mm thickness (Little Lange 1)
- Case Material: 950 Platinum or 750 pink gold
- Dial: Black or blue
- Movement: Manual wind Cal. L121.1 with outside date & power reserve indicator
- Power Reserve: 72h
- Water Resistance: 30m (3bar)
- Strap: Alligator leather with platinum/pink gold folding clasp
Australian RRP:
- Lange 1 Rose Gold – $82,200
- Lange 1 Platinum – POA
- Little Lange 1’s – POA
