2003 A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 (Ref. 115.026) Platinum W/ Box & Booklets

The origins of A. Lange & Söhne date back to 1845, when Ferdinand A. Lange, an exceptionally talented Dresden watchmaker, established his own company and began creating excellent pocket-watches that became highly coveted among collectors all over the world. Unfortunately during WW2, the company was seized during the Soviet occupation in 1948 and A. Lange & Söhne was almost forgotten. In 1990 Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand A. Lange’s relaunched the company after the reunification of Germany, and founded Lange Uhren GmbH in Glashütte, and registered the A. Lange & Söhne name worldwide, which was the first step to bringing the Lange watchmaking tradition back to the world.

The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 was one of the first watches made following the re-establishment of A. Lange & Söhne in 1994. It's an amazing blend of tradition and innovation. With pioneering highlights such as the off-center dial layout and outsize date, making the Lange 1 one of the most recognizable watches to have come from the brand. A. Lange & Sohne cased its Lange 1 model only in precious metals but in 1998 a small number of stainless steel was produced. The German watchmaker never disclosed the exact numbers of this series but they made comments referring to "a very small number of examples" in stainless steel that was produced at the request of special clients or retailers. Following the requests of many lovers of large-sized watches, the manufactory presented the Grand Lange 1 in 2003. With a case diameter of 41.9 mm, this Grand Lange model maintained the same L901.0 movement and features of the Lange 1 but was produced in a much larger more "modern" size offering while retaining the classic layout and feature set of the earlier A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1.