Lot 52

A. Lange & Söhne

LANGE 1

An important, very well-kept Glashuette wristwatch with Lange oversize date and power reserve indicator, former property of a close associate of Guenter Bluemlein and Walter Lange, the two founders of A. Lange & Soehne in 1990. This is one of the earliest LANGE 1 from the first collection, presented in 1994, and in fact the 76th Lange-watch of the modern era (case number 110076), of which a total of only about 135 pieces were made in the first year of production. In addition to the transparent sapphire crystal case back, which was screwed on at the customer's request in 1995, it still has the original solid gold case back. Furthermore, the original box in the light grey of the time, the operating instructions, the sales tag, the blank guarantee and the certificate for the engraving of the balance cock by Heidi Ahrendt, wife of Nomos boss Uwe Ahrendt, who both worked at A. Lange & Soehne at the time. The watch also comes with the exclusive documentation folder of the first Lange watches of the modern era "Die Legende ist wieder Uhr geworden" (The legend has become a watch again) in a limited edition of 2500 pieces from 1994, here number 0021. In addition, the timepiece is offered with extensive literature, merchandise articles, A. Lange & Söhne documentation from its re-founding in 1994 to around 2016 and A. Lange & Söhne Proof of Origin.

Sold

Reference 101.002 differs from reference 101.001 (with its gold hands and indexes) by the blued steel hands and the black printed numerals. It was easier to read and was only produced for four years, until 1998. With its purist design, reference 101.002 set the style for the later Lange model 1815.
Ever since the first collection of the new era was presented in 1994, the LANGE 1 has been the face of A. Lange & Soehne. It features a manually wound calibre and a jumping outsize date. It advances instantaneously by one day at midnight and therefore always delivers a doubt-free reading.
The dial design of this LANGE 1 differs minimally from the other watches of reference 101.002; it was presented as a gift watch internally by Günter Blümlein and Walter Lange and was not intended for official sale.
To the best of our knowledge, reference 101.002 has only been offered 3 times at auctions worldwide in recent years, while its sister reference 101.001 with a champagne-coloured dial, applied Roman numerals and gold hands has been offered about 30 times.

When it launched in 1994, the LANGE 1 certainly broke the mould with the design of its dial. All indications are in peripheral positions, which gives the watch its distinctive appearance and at the same time ensures perfect readability, because none of the displays overlap.
The design of the LANGE 1 follows a coherent principle: the centres of the subsidiary seconds dial, the main dial and the outsize-date display are at the corners of an isosceles triangle. The proportions of the outsize-date display are harmonious as well: they respect the rule of the golden ratio.
Source: www.alange-soehne.com.