The Stainless Steel Lange 1: Not For Sale, Until Now

Our first live auction of the fall 2023 season, the PHILLIPS Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII, takes place on November 3 and 4, at La Réserve Genève. The auction includes more than 180 of the world's finest watches – and though we are loath to boast, we truly think it's one of the best catalogs we've ever put together. We'll be highlighting a number of the most interesting lots and stories featured in the sale over the next month, including the stainless steel A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 featured in this story.

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- By Isabella Proia

In 1845, founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange established his own workshop in Glashütte, Saxony. A. Lange & Söhne flourished for close to 100 years; however, its factories were sadly destroyed on the final day of World War II, and the brand itself would soon be confiscated by the Soviet Union.

Following the demise of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Ferdinand’s great-grandson, Walter Lange, re-established the brand once again in Glashütte in 1990. The first collection, comprising four totally different watches, was launched in 1994, immediately pushing the brand to the forefront of haute horology once again. One of these four watches was the timeless and now-iconic Lange 1.

The Lange 1 is A. Lange & Söhne's flagship wristwatch – as such, it has exclusively been offered in precious metal since its launch. Well, mostly. Research shows that a small number of Lange 1 models were produced in stainless steel in the 1990s; however, the stainless steel Lange 1 was never offered in a catalog by the brand and A. Lange & Söhne has never confirmed the exact number of stainless steel examples produced.

Experts estimate that approximately 30 were made in total, of which some have appeared sporadically on the international auction market. The origins of this watch are shrouded in mystery: Experts have confirmed some were made in 1994 upon the official re-launch of the A. Lange & Söhne brand, but others were produced between 1996 and 1999, with most examples delivered to the Italian and American markets, through retailers such as Milan's Orologeria Pisa and New York's Cellini Jewelers.

Collectors and specialists are acutely aware of the rarity of stainless steel cases when it comes to vintage Patek Philippe, and Lange similarly has almost never cased their watches in stainless steel, preferring to use precious metals only. In fact, A. Lange & Söhne didn't officially launch a stainless steel watch until the arrival of the Odysseus in late October 2019. 

Pared down to its essentials, the Lange 1 excels in its simplicity and elegance. The oversized date, endemic to all subsequent Lange 1 models, was based on the historic five minute digital clock specially built for the Semper Opera House in Dresden. When building the opera house in the early 1840s, architect Gottfried Semper wanted to avoid the chiming pocket watches patrons used to check the time.

Watchmaker Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, the mentor and future father-in-law of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, received the commission to create this clock and subsequently built this digital clock with two apertures for the hours and minutes. Poignantly, according to the historical narrative of Lange, Gutkaes wrote to the young Mr. Lange to not “forget your home” when he set off in the 1830s to travel. A hundred and fifty years later, this symbol of Dresden was incorporated into the rebirth of the A. Lange & Söhne brand and has become one of the most recognizable design features of modern watchmaking.