187
A. Lange & Söhne
"Minute Repeating Perpetual Calendar made for Prince Friedrich II of Solms-Baruth"
A stunning and important pink gold hunter cased minute repeating perpetual calendar pocket watch with moon phases, made for Prince Friedrich II of Solms-Baruth
Full-Cataloguing
- Perpetual calendar minute repeater of aristocratic provenance
- One of only 9 pieces made
- Made upon special order
The present pink gold perpetual calendar minute repeater, manufactured in 1906 by A. Lange & Söhne and powered by a Piguet ébauche, is one of only nine examples ever produced and among a mere handful to have appeared at auction.
Especially designed and commissioned as an anniversary gift, it was presented to H.S.H. Prince Friedrich II of Solms-Baruth (1853–1920), Grand Lord Chamberlain to the Court of Emperor Wilhelm II, member of the House of Lords, Knight of the Order of St. John and Military Red Cross Inspector, by his wife H.S.H. Princess Marie-Louise of Solms-Baruth in 1906.
Born Countess Marie-Louise of Pless and Hochberg, daughter of the Duke of Pless, the Princess served as First Lady-in-Waiting to Empress Augusta at the court of Wilhelm II, underscoring the dynastic and political stature of the commission.
The dial is surmounted by a commemorative silver medal, circa 1795, by Friedrich Wilhelm Loos, portraying Johann Christian Graf zu Solms-Baruth, Klitchdorf and Tecklenburg. The reverse bears the German inscription, “Zum Andenken seinen erprobten Freunden zurückgelassen” (“Left behind in memory of his proven friends”), encircling the original coat of arms of the House of Solms-Baruth, flanked by twin lion supporters.
The caseback is further enriched with a chased monogram of two interlaced F’s joined by an S, signifying Friedrich Fürst Solms, surmounted by the double-bugled princely crown. The inner cuvette is engraved, “Le Temps Passe. L’Amour reste. 10 September 1881–1906” — “Time passes. Love remains.”
Although the archives of A. Lange & Söhne do not explicitly reference the medal, family tradition maintains that it was supplied to the manufacture for incorporation into the case. Notably, Lange’s records confirm that the decoration was executed according to “specific instructions and drawings while the sales ledger records delivery on 8 August 1906, precisely one month prior to the anniversary date engraved for presentation, 10 September 1906.
A. Lange & Söhne
German | 1845Originally 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.