製造商: A. Lange & Söhne 年份: 1950 機芯編號: 410'245 材料: Chrome plated metal 機芯: Manual 錶帶/ 錶鏈: NATO 錶扣: Stainless steel 尺寸: 40mm Diameter 簽名: Dial and movement signed 配件: Accompanied by a Certificate from Glashütter Uhrenmuseum confirming purchase of the watch on February 27, 1950 for 450 Deutsche Marks. copy of the original invoice and period photos.
圖錄文章
With the launch of modern icons such as the Lange 1, Pour le Merite Tourbillon, Datograph or the Zeitwerk A. Lange & Söhne has become a favorite amongst collectors looking for superbly executed and complex mechanisms.
Since its revival in the mid-1990s the brand has become a horological powerhouse but a large part of the 20th Century was not an easy one for the brand. Founded by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Germany in 1845 it rapidly gained to the European aristocrats and with clients such as German Emperor Wilhelm II, Abdul Hamid II of Ottoman Empire and Alexander II of Russia.
On 8 May 1945, the last day of the war, the Lange headquarter and main production building was almost completely destroyed in a Soviet air raid and with the Soviet occupation the watch brands based in Glashütte were nationalized in 1948 and subsequently merged into one in 1951 forming the VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, the name Lange disappearing from the dials.
The present example is an incredibly rare timepiece from the famed brand’s heritage as it is one of the very rare wristwatches bearing the A. Lange & Söhne brand on the dial and is most probably among the last models made with the brand name before it disappeared.
Purchased in 1950, the watch features a large 40mm chrome case that was huge for the period a black dial and large Arabic numerals. The movement is typical of the Saxon style with gilt finished, ¾ bridge and gold chatons.
A rare timepiece from the brand’s troubled past the present watch is a must have for the collector of rare A. Lange & Söhne.
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.