Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne Year: Circa 2000 Reference No: 231.035 Movement No: 14'207 Case No: 124'308 Model Name: 1815 Emil Lange Moonphase Material: Platinum Calibre: Manual, cal. L.943.1, 25 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Alligator Clasp/Buckle: Platinum A. Lange & Söhne pin buckle Dimensions: 36mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by A. Lange & Söhne fitted box, Guarantee, setting pin and instruction manual.
Catalogue Essay
The 1815 Emil Lange Moonphase was a disruptive piece within the A. Lange & Söhne collection when it was originally launched, in 1999. Lange was popular at the time for its over engineered technically precise timepieces such as the Lange 1 and the Tourbillon Pour Le Mérite, but in addition to fine mechanics, the Emil Lange Moonphase introduced an element of poetry.
Launched in 1999 to celebrate the 150th birthday of the son of A. Lange & Söhne's founder, Emil Lange, the model was proposed in pink gold (limited to 250 pieces) and platinum (limited to 150 pieces), and introduced the Saxon brand’s very first moonphase display.
The dial is captivating with its offset small seconds register at 4 o’clock and moonphase display at 8 o’clock. A constellation representing the “Big Dipper” surrounds the moonphase display which is accurate to an impressive 1000 years!
The watch was a runaway hit, selling out very rapidly , and it became such a classic that Lange relaunched the watch in 2010, but in a larger case made of the brand’s proprietary honey gold alloy and with guilloché dial.
The movement of this watch is typically Lange, displaying a stunning Technicolor scenery, impeccably finished with red jewels, blued screws and gold chatons.
The present watch, in excellent condition, presents the collectors with the possibility of owning one of A. Lange & Söhne’s most coveted timepieces.
Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Dresden, Germany, the firm established an entire watchmaking culture and industry in Glashütte. The brand quickly became Germany's finest watchmaker, first creating dependable, easy-to-repair watches before going on to produce some of the world's finest complicated pocket watches, including Grande Sonnerie watches, tourbillon watches and Grande Complications.
On the final day of World War II, their factories were destroyed by Russian bombers, and in 1948 the brand was confiscated by the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Ferdinand's great grandson Walter Lange re-established the brand with the objective to once again produce top-quality luxury watches. Now part of the Richemont Group, its original vintage and modern creations are highly coveted by collectors. Key models from the modern era include the Lange 1, Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon and the Zeitwerk.