A. Lange & Soehne: luxury watches from Germany
A. Lange & Soehne are watches with over 170 years of tradition, great mechanisms and timeless elegance.
A. Lange & Soehne is one of those less known brands that produce luxury timepieces. However, I decided that such classically elegant watches deserve a text on my blog and today I have prepared a short description of the German manufacture for you.
The history of the company begins in the mid-19th century, and specifically in 1845. It was then that a 30-year-old watchmaker with international experience, Adolph Lange, made a proposal to the Saxon government to establish a watchmaking workshop in a poor region, and at the end of the year he opened “Lange & Cie” in GlashĂŒtte. His company will become the cornerstone of precision watchmaking in the region.
The first successes come quickly – Lange not only implements new solutions in his watches, but also becomes the mayor of the city where he founded his company. He will perform this function for nearly 20 years, while developing its mechanisms.
In 1868 his son Richard becomes the co-owner of the company – this is the moment when the A. Lange brand changes into A. Lange & Soehne. After some time, another son of Lange joins. The sons are doing really well despite the death of their father in 1875. At the end of the century, the German Emperor Wilhelm II gives the host of Constantinople a pocket watch from A. Lange & Soehne.
The years up to World War II are an uninterrupted series of successes for the company that develops new models and solutions. During the war, almost until its very end in 1945, A. Lange & Soehne is doing well. However, on May 8, 1945, a bomb hits the production building. As if that were not enough, three years later the GDR authorities expropriated the family, and Walter Lange – Adolph’s grandson – has to flee the country.
He will not return to the country until 1990, when new political circumstances allow him to revive the family business thanks to investors’ money. Walter decides to produce classic mechanical timepieces which, due to the development of electric timepieces, are going through a slightly worse time. The company decides to manufacture modern in terms of solutions and classic in terms of design mechanical watches, often equipped with additional complications.
Today, A. Lange & Soehne watches, although perhaps slightly less known than Rolex or Patek, are among the world’s leading luxury timepieces.
