A. Lange & Söhne wall clock

A. Lange & Söhne was one of the earliest manufacturers to have its headquarters in the historically significant city of Glashütte in Germany. The company started with Adolf Lange. For many years he was an apprentice with a watchmaker named J.C. Friedrich Gutkaes. In their workshop, they focused on making bespoke timepieces for wealthy customers. This experience enabled Lange to improve both his watchmaking and business skills. He completed this apprenticeship in 1835, but worked for Gutkaes for a few more years. Finally, he continued his studies with another watchmaker who specialized in chronometers. Eventually, Lange founded his own namesake brand in 1845.

In the first few years, Lange focused on his passion for innovation. He designed the three-quarter plate just a year after setting up his workshop. Today A. Lange & Sons continue to use this element in their movements. Lange soon made another significant development that has now become the industry standard. He replaced the Paris Linge system with the metric system.

In 1848, Lange was given a unique opportunity: he became mayor of Glashütte and his term of office lasted almost two decades. During this time, he continued his watchmaking business and implemented laws to strengthen the industry in the city of Glashütte. Many people today attribute to Lange that he has transformed the humble city into the epicenter of watchmaking as we know it.

As Lange got older, he began to think about the future of his company. He knew he wanted it to remain a family business, so he started training his sons Richard and Emil. The two brothers would take over the company around the time of Lange's death in 1875. Later they would realize the family tradition by training their sons. So the business was no longer just Lange. It was A. Lange & Söhne.

Long offspring proudly continued their superior work ethic and pioneering spirit. For example, A. Lange and Söhne unveiled their Grand Complication No. 42500 in 1900. This bespoke pocket watch was way ahead of its time. To date, it is one of the most technically complex timepieces the brand has ever created.

However, the early 1900s also marked the beginning of a difficult time for the brand, the city of Glashütte and the whole world. The political turmoil of the First World War, the subsequent economic downturn and the ongoing conflicts of the Second World War severely burdened Glashütte and its industries. Like many watchmakers, A. Lange & Söhne shifted their production efforts to serve the armed forces during the war. For example, they made oversized wristwatches for the German Air Force during World War II. Unfortunately, the location of the city of Glashütte and the brand's workshops ultimately put it in the firing line. A bomb attack destroyed their workshops in the last months of the war. The Lange family had been expropriated by 1948 and the Soviet administration had nationalized the company's remaining property. The name A. Lange and Söhne disappeared for the next 45 years.

Almost half a century later there was a beacon of hope for the Lange family. In 1989 the iron curtain collapsed and Walter Lange, Adolf Lange's great-grandson, was finally able to return to Germany. Here he was able to rebuild his family name in the tradition of watchmaking. Within a year he had re-registered the A. Lange and Söhne brand. In 1994, the brand celebrated its long-awaited return with its first watches for almost half a century.

In the inventive spirit of the brand founder, one of their new models debuted with a completely new patent. The oversized date function of the Lange 1 was inspired by one of Adolf Lange's masterpieces, a watch designed for the Semperoper in Dresden in 1830. Today A. Lange & Söhne uses this important date function in many of their models.

Over the next decade, A. Lange & Söhne worked tirelessly to bring their brand back to its former glory. This included extensive restoration work on the remains of the company's workshop that had been destroyed in the bombing. They innovated all the time. Since then, the brand has created over 40 new movements and won over 150 international watch awards. In 2019, they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their restoration by releasing an impressive eight commemorative clocks. Later that year, they entered a new era of the brand with their first mass-produced stainless steel model, Odysseus.