A. Lange & Söhne - Phillips Watches Online Auction: The Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2023 Hong Kong Thursday, September 21, 2023 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne
    Year: Circa 2000
    Reference No: 704.032
    Movement No: 16’167
    Case No: 129’061, 61/250
    Model Name: Lange 1 Tourbillon
    Material: 18K pink gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. L961.1, 49 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K pink gold A. Lange & Söhne pin buckle
    Dimensions: 38.5mm diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by undated A. Lange & Söhne guarantee stamped Barozzi, Italy, service invoice dated 13th August 2015, fitted presentation box and outer packaging.
    Provenance: Property from an Important Asian Collector

  • Provenance

    Property from an Important Asian Collector

  • Catalogue Essay

    - With the renaissance of A. Lange & Söhne in 1990, the Saxon manufacture unveiled the Lange 1 timepiece in 1994. This iconoclast featured an asymmetric dial of peerless legibility, with an oversized date display at one o’clock and a retrograde power reserve indication spanning two to four o’clock. To herald the new millennium, A. Lange & Söhne released a series of Lange 1 models integrating various complications—culminating in the Lange 1 Tourbillon, the ne plus ultra of the Lange 1 family.

    - Issued as a limited edition of 250 examples in 18K pink gold and 150 in platinum, the Lange 1 Tourbillon was crafted for a fleeting three years, discontinued in 2003. Ensconced within a traditional 38.5mm round case, its sapphire crystal caseback reveals the three-quarter plate of German silver, hand-engraved with the A. Lange & Söhne hallmark, and a balance cock lavishly engraved à la main.

    - At five o’clock resides a tourbillon of breathtaking virtuosity, composed of 72 individual parts. The cage makes one full rotation every minute, improving precision by averaging out the slightest errors each part can have in different position. The tourbillon was a 19th-century innovation that continues to mesmerize; in the Lange 1 Tourbillon, it captivates anew.

    - The present example, No. 61 of the pink gold edition, dates to circa 2000. Preserved in excellent condition with minimal signs of wear from the past, this early specimen of the reference represents a rare opportunity to acquire an icon of German watchmaking mastery and a pivotal moment in A. Lange & Söhne's renaissance.

  • Artist Biography

    A. Lange & Söhne

    German • 1845

    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.

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Σ8006

Ref. 704.032
A very fine and rare limited edition pink gold tourbillon wristwatch with small seconds, date and power reserve indication, guarantee and presentation box, numbered 61 of a limited edition of 250 pieces

Circa 2000
38.5mm diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Estimate
HK$450,000 - 850,000 
€52,800-99,800
$57,700-109,000

Sold for HK$889,000

Contact Specialist

Thomas Perazzi
Head of Watches, Asia
+852 2318 2001
WatchesHK@phillips.com

Phillips Watches Online Auction: The Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2023

21-28 September 2023