A. Lange & Söhne Celebrates Its Founding (and Revival) With 3 Sharp New Dress Watches

Among connoisseurs of fine watchmaking, the story of A. Lange & Söhne’s rise, fall and eventual rebirth is the stuff of legend.

Often described as the German answer to Patek Philippe, Lange, as the brand is affectionately known, was founded in 1845 in Glashütte, the historic home of Germany’s watchmaking industry. Following World War II, the company was expropriated by the East German government and made to produce cheap watches for export. In 1990, Walter Lange—a great-grandson of the brand’s founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange—together with the entrepreneur Günter Blümlein resurrected the brand. The high horology landscape hasn’t been the same since.

On Monday, Lange marked both the 175^th anniversary of its founding and the 30^th anniversary of its revival—on Dec. 7, 1990—with the introduction of three new mechanical models in the Saxonia family. The line debuted in 1994, when Lange’s first wristwatch collection was unveiled.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Thin  Courtesy of A. Lange & Söhne

The Saxonia Thin is the talking piece of the trio. A white gold wristwatch available in a limited edition of 50 pieces priced at $25,800, the model features a solid silver dial covered in sparkling black gold flux, copper-infused glass produced by a technique pioneered in 17^th century Venice.

Paired with a shiny black leather strap complete with an 18k white gold buckle, the 40 mm white gold timepiece is the epitome of tuxedo-style elegance. It’s also a watchmaking tour de force: At a height of just 2.9 mm, the movement—manually wound calibre L093.1—is the thinnest Lange has ever produced.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Outsize Date  Courtesy of A. Lange & Söhne

Also new to the family: the Saxonia Outsize Date, which now features an argenté-colored dial in two new 38.5 mm editions—one in pink gold, the other in white gold, both priced at $27,700—that join the two black dial versions introduced in 2018.

The outsize date, positioned at 12 o’clock and complemented by a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 o’clock, is a Lange signature, as are the model’s classic proportions.