The Complete Guide to Collecting A. Lange & Söhne Watches

A. Lange & Söhne (pronounced ah LAHN-guh unt ZUH-neh and often called Lange for short) traces its roots back to 1845, when Ferdinand Adolph Lange founded a watchmaking factory in Glashütte, Saxony, a small village close to his hometown of Dresden. He had spent the previous years traveling across Europe, learning from the great watchmakers and astronomers of the day, and he knew from the earliest days that he wanted to make high-end, complicated watches. The venture was a success, and by the time he died in 1875, the firm was famous across Europe, and was making pocket watches for nobles and royalty alike.

Things continued much in this fashion until the outbreak of World War I, which unsurprisingly disrupted the fragile supply chain, decimated the demand for luxury watches and saw many watchmakers leave for military service. The company continued to produce watches after the war, but World War II would prove even more difficult for Lange. At the conclusion of the war, Lange’s facilities were badly damaged in Soviet air raids, and eventually Saxony would fall behind the Iron Curtain as a part of Soviet East Germany. In 1948, the USSR nationalized the watchmaking industry, including A. Lange & Söhne, and the firm was essentially shuttered.

However, in 1990, following the reunification of Germany, A. Lange & Söhne would get a second chance. Walter Lange, who still remembered his family’s Glashütte watch workshops, and Günter Blümlein, a watch industry executive who was in the process of resuscitating luxury mechanical watchmaking after the Quartz Crisis, partnered to reestablish A. Lange & Söhne. They set to work on a new collection of watches that would pay homage to the company’s history while also offering something new and distinctive in the luxury watch space.

It took some time, but in 1994 the brand hosted a now-famous press conference during which Lange and Blümlein unveiled four totally new timepieces: the Lange 1, the Arkade, the Saxonia and the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite.

Incredibly, in just the three short decades since, A. Lange & Söhne has once again positioned itself as one of the world’s finest watchmakers. In a crowded marketplace full of Swiss brands, Lange has differentiated itself in terms of both the brand’s aesthetic and its approach to watchmaking itself. The watches carefully balance artistic flourishes and a more scientific and technical feel for both the movements themselves and the watches in which they appear. Likewise, the architecture of the watches is traditionally German and doesn’t look or feel quite like anything you can find from other European neighbors.

A huge part of A. Lange & Söhne’s appeal comes from the fact that it’s different from most of what you’ll find in a contemporary watch boutique or auction catalogue. At the most basic level, this comes from the fact that the watches are not Swiss. They aren’t made in Switzerland, they don’t take a typical Swiss approach and even Lange’s house style is itself a contemporary variation on more traditional German horology.

One of Lange’s most immediately identifiable signatures is the large date complication found in watches like the Lange 1 and the Datograph. The display is framed with a split window, typically rimmed in whatever shade of gold or platinum best complements the watch’s dial, essentially creating two large windows. Below that, a pair of independent disks rotate to show the date, switching instantaneously at midnight with a signature click (or at the push of the adjuster button that is utilized by most of these watches). The design was inspired by a clock inside Dresden’s famous opera house, and while Lange is far from the first watch brand to utilize an oversized date display on a watch or clock, the company has become synonymous with this now-signature complication.

Turning a Lange watch over for the first time can be both perplexing and enchanting. The movements are highly decorated and often look like miniature cities whirring away beneath the sapphire crystal. But they don’t look like many other watch movements. This is because their designs are inspired by traditional German pocket watches, which were designed with robustness and precision as top priorities.

That Lange decorates every surface to a high level adds another layer to their appeal, but things like the large three-quarter plate that covers most of the movement help with stability and the gold chatons (which look like tiny gold tubes) that surround some of the movements’ rubies make for better lubrication with less wear-and-tear over time. The main plates and bridges are made from German silver, which has a distinctly warm color to it, and can’t be touched by human hands, lest it oxidize and tarnish beyond repair.

That these things also look beautiful is in some ways incidental and in other ways the very core of what makes the brand appealing – the cliché that “form follows function” is very much at the heart of each Lange watch.

While Lange essentially started from scratch in 1994 with four watch models, the brand found quick success and its catalogue has bloomed along with it. Today the company makes everything from simple two-hand, hand-wound dress watches all the way to grand complication pocket watches with chiming mechanisms, perpetual calendars and chronographs – and everything in between.

Here is a breakdown of the key models and families you need to know:

The Lange 1 is A. Lange & Söhne’s signature watch. Unveiled as part of the 1994 relaunch, the asymmetrical dial layout was unlike anything that came before and it is instantly recognizable today. The main time display is accompanied by a small-seconds register, a power-reserve indicator and Lange’s oversized date display. The movements typically utilize the brand’s three-quarter-plate architecture with gold chatons, and the cases have that teutonic combination of elegance and sturdiness.

Today the collection is regularly updated with new dials, new case materials and even a refreshed movement, but the Lange 1 has also become an archetype on which Lange can riff and explore other complications. There are Lange 1 world timers, perpetual calendars and even tourbillons (the lack of chronographs is a notable exception). Another favorite is the Little Lange 1, which reduces the case size from its usual 38.5mm diameter down to 36.8mm, removing the date corrector button in the process.

The Basics: The earliest Lange 1 is the reference 101.001, which features a solid yellow-gold case and a champagne dial (with the earliest examples featuring solid casebacks, only produced for a short time before Lange switched to transparent sapphire casebacks). This watch would quickly spawn variations like the reference a01.025 Stealth (white-gold case, silver dial), the reference 112.021 1A (with its ornate guilloché dial) and the reference 101.035 Darth (platinum case, black dial). The descendants of these watches are today’s standard Lange 1 collection, such as the white-gold reference 191.039 and pink-gold reference 191.032.

Getting Complicated: Complicated Lange 1 references are something of a collecting niche, but not without their devoted fans. In particular, the travel-friend Lange 1 Time Zone (reference 116.025 and others) adds a city ring and second timezone display, along with two buttons for moving forward and backward one time zone per click. It’s an intuitive, easy-to-use travel watch – and a cult classic. The Lange 1 Daymatic adds a day-of-the-week display (along with automatic winding), the Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase increases the case size and adds a moonphase indicator inside the main time display, while the Lange 1 Tourbillon adds a dial-side tourbillon to the watch’s signature grace and restraint.

Holy Grails: With the Lange 1, the most collectible models are mostly rare and unusual variations on the most basic version of the watch, no extra complications needed. At the pinnacle is probably the reference 101.026, which is the only stainless steel Lange 1; only 20-30 pieces are thought to have been made in 1998-99. Likewise, the reference 101.027x is prized because of how much it looks like that steel Lange 1, with its blued-steel hands and printed dial, albeit in a white-gold case. If that’s not your style, the reference 101.050 Honey Gold is a limited edition of just 20 pieces and the last Lange 1 to utilize the original Caliber L121.1 movement, here paired with a beautiful case made of Lange’s proprietary pale shade of yellow gold.

Introduced just five years after the brand’s relaunch, the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph catapulted Lange into another stratosphere among collectors and serious watchmaking enthusiasts. The dial and case architecture are very much Lange, with elements like the date and sub-registers balanced in a triangle formation – much like the displays on the Lange 1.

The movement is what makes this watch so special. It still has those Lange signatures – like the engraved balance cock, the German silver construction and the gold chatons – but deployed in a slightly different way, with a much more open architecture to show off the complex construction and finishing. It was an early statement expressing Lange’s point of view and pushing both technical and aesthetic boundaries.

Since then, the Datograph has become one of the most desirable watches in the world and almost a secret handshake among those truly in the know. Legendary watchmaker Philippe Dufour has called it the best chronograph ever made, and any new iteration or variation gets the collector community chattering immediately.

The Basics: The original Datograph was unveiled in 1999 and was made up until 2011, a relatively long run for a modern watch. The two best-known references are the 403.035 and 403.031, black-dialed variants with platinum and rose-gold cases, respectively. However, there was also a black-dial / yellow-gold version (reference 403.041) produced in small numbers during the watch’s later years and a pair of silver-dial variants in platinum and rose gold as well. All of these utilize the Caliber L951, which is the real star of the show, no matter which metal/dial variant best suits your taste.

Getting Complicated: Production of the original Datograph stopped in 2011 with the introduction of the slightly-more-complicated Datograph Up/Down, which replaced it in the catalogue. In addition to adding the namesake power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock, the watch was also made a bit wider (41mm) and thicker (13.1mm) compared to its predecessor (39mm and 12.8mm, respectively).

There are also much more complicated variations of the Datograph, the Datograph Perpetual and Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, both of which integrate a perpetual calendar into the already complex chronograph. These are typically produced in very small numbers and command big prices at both retail and auction.

Holy Grails: In 2024, Lange introduced two different limited edition Datograph Up/Down models. The first is the reference 405.028, which pairs a white-gold case and blue dial, and marks the Datograph’s 25th anniversary; the second is the reference 405.048F Datograph Handwerkskunst, which pairs a yellow-gold case with a tremblage-engraved dial. Both are sure to become highly desirable on the auction circuit – but it will be tough for them to unseat the king of limited Datographs, the reference 405.034 Datograph Up/Down Lumen with its translucent-grey sapphire dial and glow-in-the-dark subdials and hands.

There are also a handful of Datographs believed to have been sold on matching metal bracelets (a special order request), which are about as rare and collectible as a watch can get.

In today’s watchmaking environment, it’s basically impossible for any top-tier watchmaker to not have an integrated bracelet sport watch in its collection, à la icons like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Patek Philippe Nautilus. A. Lange & Söhne stayed out of the fray for a while, but in 2019 they decided to shake things up with the introduction of the Odysseus. And while it did have an integrated bracelet, was made of stainless steel and featured 120m water resistance, it wasn’t just another Gérald Genta-inspired design.

The Lange Odysseus includes the signature big date complication at 3 o’clock and pairs it with a new “big day” complication to balance things out at 9 o’clock. Luminous hands and markers make it clear that it’s a sport watch, but the oversized sub-seconds register still feels elegant and the overall package very much fits into the Lange universe, all the way down to the five-link bracelet and proprietary clasp design.

The Basics: The reference 363.179 Odysseus is the original model from 2019 and the watch that started the entire collection. It has a steel case and bracelet paired with a blue dial – a familiar formula for fans of these types of watches – and shows off the incredible Caliber L155.1 automatic movement through the sapphire back. There were long wait lists to acquire these watches when they debuted, and they remain difficult to find, even for experienced Lange collectors.

Getting Complicated: While early Odysseus models all featured the day-date combination of complications, Lange wasted little time turning up the volume. In 2023, the reference 463.178 Odysseus Chronograph debuted, keeping the all-steel construction, but adding an unusual chronograph complication to the mix. Instead of cluttering up the black dial with additional registers, Lange opted for a pair of central hands for the chronograph, with a red hand counting the seconds and a silver hand counting the minutes. It’s also Lange’s first automatic chronograph. As of now, this is the only Odysseus model to feature additional complications, but it will likely not be the last.

Holy Grails: Because it’s so new, there are very few limited versions of the Odysseus for collectors to covet. However, in 2022, Lange released an all-titanium version of its sports watch, making it lighter on the wrist and offering a different look with a textured grey dial. The reference 363.117 is a limited edition of just 250 pieces and it was only available through Lange’s own boutiques, meaning the pieces likely went to longtime collectors and devotees.

Aside from the Lange 1, the other two main pillars of Lange’s collection are the 1815 and Saxonia collections. (The Datograph is technically part of the Saxonia collection, but has developed a reputation of its own.) These two collections represent two different approaches to more traditional styles of watchmaking: The 1815 collection utilizes design codes taken from the brand’s 19th-century heritage and movements with historic complications, while the Saxonia collection takes a more contemporary approach, with cleaner dials offsetting more technically innovative calibers.

Both collections feature pieces ranging from simple to highly complicated.

The Basics: The 1815 Up/Down is probably the watch that most clearly embodies the ethos of a simple A. Lange & Söhne. It has a slightly asymmetrical design, showing hours, minutes and seconds with a simple power reserve display added for good measure. It was first introduced in 1997, taken out of production in 2008 and then added back to the collection in 2013. Those early watches are significantly smaller – just 35.9mm across – giving them an elegant look that many collectors prefer.

On the Saxonia side, Lange added the Saxonia Thin to the catalogue in 2011, with a smaller 37mm version to complement the 40mm original a few years later in 2018. These are considered the simplest watches in Lange’s catalogue, but even with just two hands and a hand-wound movement they are every bit Lange watches through and through.

Getting Complicated: If you’re looking for a complicated-but-not–too-complicated Lange, the 1815 Chronograph is the watch you want. It was first added to the collection in 2004 and was a hit right off the bat. The movement is essentially the same as what you’ll find in the Datograph, but with the date mechanism removed, so you get that big beautiful view through the caseback. And you still get that asymmetrical layout on the dial side too. This is a Lange chronograph distilled down to its most essential elements.

Holy Grails: One of the few Lange watches that can be described as whimsical, the 1815 Moon Phase limited editions were produced in 1999 and feature gold stars and constellations applied to the dials, in addition to the subtle moon phase display around 8 o’clock. These are also some of the only small complications in the 1815 and Saxonia collections, and an interesting addition to a collection that already contains the more basic models from those families.

One of the things that has made Lange’s revival so compelling is that the brand is unafraid to experiment. They always seem to be finding new ways to surprise their fans and challenge expectations both from the watchmaking industry and the collecting community. This means that there is no shortage of complicated, fascinating watches that don’t quite fit into easy taxonomies or simple explanations.

While the 1815 and Saxonia families contain some simple, calssic watches, they’re also home to annual calendars, perpetual calendars, tourbillons and split-seconds chronographs, not to mention various combinations of the above. On Lange’s more experimental side are the Richard Lange watches, dedicated to serious precision and chronometry, and the Zeitwerk collection, which introduces a mechanically powered digital display that takes Lange’s big date complication to a whole other level.

The Basics: The 1815 Annual Calendar and 1815 Tourbillon have become pillars of Lange’s offering over the years. Likewise, the Richard Lange, Richard Lange Pour le Mérite and Zeitwerk are all critical to Lange as a brand, displaying what the company can do when it thinks outside the box and combines its unique aesthetic with its high level of technical prowess. As a collector, it’s really about how far you want to push things on both of these fronts and then finding the watch that strikes the right balance for you.

Getting Complicated: On the more experimental side, the Richard Lange Jumping Seconds and Richard Lange Tourbillon Pour le Mérite show what Lange can do when it pulls out all the stops. These watches are rooted in very old ideas about precision-oriented watchmaking, but utilize current technology to achieve their goals and chart new ground when it comes to design. These watches, along with many of the most interesting Lange watches, might feel difficult to approach at first, but once you understand what you’re looking at, it’s impossible to not be impressed.

Holy Grails: Similar to Datograph, Lange has created two Lumen versions of the Zeitwerk, one with a platinum case and one with a honey-gold case. Seeing the numerals glow through the sapphire dial is something truly special in contemporary watchmaking.

If you’re looking for pure mechanical complication, the Double Split and Triple Split (split-seconds chronographs allowing you to split the minutes and the minutes / seconds, respectively) are Lange flexing its chronograph muscles in a different and innovative way. No matter what, when you get to this level of Lange collecting, you’re in rarified air, with watches made in very small quantities with a bevy of collectors looking to acquire them.