Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne Year: 2007 Reference No: 304.048 Movement No: 50'138 Case No: 160'043, lim. ed. no. 043/100 Model Name: Grosse Langematik Gangreserve Material: 18K yellow gold Calibre: Automatic, cal. L921.6, 42 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Alligator Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Lange & Sohne pin buckle Dimensions: 40.5mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial and movement signed Accessories: Accompanied by Lange & Sohne guarantee stamped by Wien retailer Wempe and dated March 7, 2007, instruction booklet and leather wallet
Catalogue Essay
This timepiece is a representative from the limited edition series issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Wempe. The German retailer was founded in 1905 (at the time bearing the name "Chronometerwerke Hamburg GmbH") by seven Hamburg-based shipbuilding firms with the goal of developing high precision nautical timekeeping instruments. A. Lange & Söhne was one of eleven watch companies that issued limited edition pieces in commemoration of the centenary of Wempe.
The Gangreserve was made in yellow gold (100 pieces), platinum (100 pieces) and pink gold (25 pieces) and it is distinguished by a very elegant and traditional design. The generous 40.5 mm case features a no-frills construction with satin band and polished bezel, and the glazed caseback allows the beholder to admire the Sax-O-Matic based movement. Interestingly, the jewel holding the pinion for the power reserve indication is lodged in one of the main plates, an aesthetic detail found on no other Sax-O-mat movement.
It is worth mentioning that the dial configuration of this watch (two vertically aligned subsidiary dials for power reserve and constant seconds) is not in production anymore. The model closest to this in Lange's current offer is the Saxonia dual time, which however features a completely different complication, pushers in the case and three central hands.
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.