Article | Alange Soehne Little Lange 111021 36mm Yellow Gold Mig Dial

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– By Logan Baker

There’s a lot to love about A. Lange & Söhne. The Saxon maker has quickly become the leading luxury watch brand out of Germany, since it was revived in the 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall. One of the many great things about A. Lange & Söhne is how, despite a background that dates all the way back to the mid-19th century, the modern version of the company is still quite young, less than 30 years old.

That age means collectors and scholars are still learning how to identify and evaluate the brand’s many collections, particularly the early generations of iconic models like the Lange 1, the 1815, and the Saxonia.

One area of interest that has popped up among enthusiasts in recent years is a fascination for early A. Lange & Söhne dials that featured a “Made in Germany” – or “MIG” – signature. There are two different types of “MIG” dials – the earliest examples are smaller in size and feature a sans-serif font, while later “MIG” dials are signed in a larger format using Lange’s signature serif-laden typeface.

All standard Lange 1 references with closed casebacks are known to include early, sans-serif “MIG” signature, continuing up until the early 2000s, when the brand began transitioning to the later serif “MIG” signature on Lange 1 models with display casebacks.

Since A. Lange & Söhne produced comparatively a much smaller number of watches in the 1990s than they do today, watches with early “MIG” dials are considered more desirable by many collectors.

It’s understood that all examples of the first-generation Little Lange 1 (starting in 1998) feature the early “MIG” signature, but by the time the larger-diameter Grand Lange 1 was added to the catalog in 2003, Lange had already switched over entirely to the serif “MIG” wordmark.

An exciting example of the former recently arrived at our Phillips PERPETUAL headquarters in London. It’s an example of the Little Lange 1 ref. 111.021 from 2000 that features the appropriate early “MIG” dial signature. This specific ref. 111.021 was even featured in the 2022 exhibition, "Made in Germany, a tribute to early Lange 1 and Datograph," hosted by Phillips in London.

That exhibition is one of the largest collector gatherings ever dedicated to historic early modern A. Lange & Söhne timepieces, which naturally makes it an honor to now be able to list one of the special showcased watches for sale.

The Little Lange 1 was introduced in 1998 as a smaller-format version of the brand’s now-iconic Lange 1 model. The first-generation Little Lange 1 has a 36mm diameter compared to 38.5mm for the original standard Lange 1 models, and 41mm for the bigger Grand Lange 1 that was added to the collection in 2003.

Outside of the case diameter, there wasn’t much difference between the standard-production Lange 1 and the Little Lange 1. They even utilized the same movement, the in-house manual-wind caliber L901.0, offering up 72 hours of power reserve while running at 21,600 vph (or 3 Hz) and in 53 jewels.

The finish of the watch, visible through a display caseback in the Little Lange 1 since its launch, is also in the quintessential style of modern A. Lange & Söhne, with elegant stripen across the trademark three-quarter bridge and a hand-engraved floral motif visible on the balance cock.

The original Little Lange 1 was in production for only a few short years before A. Lange & Söhne paused the series, eventually bringing the smaller format back a few years down the road. The specific example that’s now available for immediate purchase from Phillips PERPETUAL is from this first generation, with a production year of 2000, confirmed by its original Bill of Sale and international guarantee that are included with the watch, in addition to numerous other original accessories (information booklet, inner leather box, and outer box).

The Little Lange 1 is sometimes considered to be the feminine alternative to the standard size Lange 1, but it’s a true gender-neutral timepiece – the only significant difference between it and its larger, older sibling is the case size. This A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 ref. 111.021 is available now for immediate sale from Phillips PERPETUAL in London for £39,950; to learn more, click here.

About Phillips PERPETUAL

Phillips PERPETUAL offers a boutique experience to clients for both the sale and purchase of fine and rare watches, in London’s Berkeley Square and the Gstaad Palace, in Switzerland.

About Logan Baker

Logan has spent the past decade reporting on every aspect of the watch business. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.

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H/T Subdial for all their work in documenting the evolution of "MIG" dials at A. Lange & Söhne