90th Auction
2014/11/15
Lot 73
A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte i/SA, LANGE 1, Movement No. 6640, Case No. 117960, Ref. 101.026, Cal. L901.0, 38,5 mm, circa 1998
A gentleman's extremely rare, important Glashuette wristwatch with Lange oversize date and power reserve indicator in a very rare steel case - with original box and extract from the archives
Case: steel, screwed on glazed back. Dial: solid silver, argenté, radial Roman numerals, large double window for date, 72h power reserve indicator, auxiliary seconds with seconds stop device at "5", blued alpha hands. Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, German silver, "fausses côtes" decoration, 5 adj., 53 jewels, twin barrel, hack feature, nine screwed gold chatons, Glucydur screw balance, very finely hand-engraved balance cock, shock protection for balance, index spring fine adjusting device.
This "Lange 1" is likely to be the most legendary and particular wristwatch the company A. Lange & Soehne has produced since its rebirth in the early 1990s. The stainless steel case is at the heart of this success story because the renowned watchmaking company in Glashuette never "officially" used a steel case for any of their wristwatches - precious metal was their material of choice. Together with the fact that not even a handful of steel models are known or have come up for sale in public over the last 20 years, this explains the exclusivity and the almost mythical reputation of the watch.
According to our research this is in fact only the fourth example of the model that has ever been presented at an auction; A. Lange & Soehne have never even disclosed the exact number of steel watches that were produced. The only confirmation ever given by A. Lange & Soehne states that all Lange 1 models in a stainless steel case are listed under reference 101.026 and are fitted with the celebrated caliber L901.0.
A. Lange & Soehne also confirm that a "very small number of examples" were produced in the company’s first year on demand by special clients or retailers.
A gentleman's extremely rare, important Glashuette wristwatch with Lange oversize date and power reserve indicator in a very rare steel case - with original box and extract from the archives
Case: steel, screwed on glazed back. Dial: solid silver, argenté, radial Roman numerals, large double window for date, 72h power reserve indicator, auxiliary seconds with seconds stop device at "5", blued alpha hands. Movm.: 3/4 plate movement, German silver, "fausses côtes" decoration, 5 adj., 53 jewels, twin barrel, hack feature, nine screwed gold chatons, Glucydur screw balance, very finely hand-engraved balance cock, shock protection for balance, index spring fine adjusting device.
This "Lange 1" is likely to be the most legendary and particular wristwatch the company A. Lange & Soehne has produced since its rebirth in the early 1990s. The stainless steel case is at the heart of this success story because the renowned watchmaking company in Glashuette never "officially" used a steel case for any of their wristwatches - precious metal was their material of choice. Together with the fact that not even a handful of steel models are known or have come up for sale in public over the last 20 years, this explains the exclusivity and the almost mythical reputation of the watch.
According to our research this is in fact only the fourth example of the model that has ever been presented at an auction; A. Lange & Soehne have never even disclosed the exact number of steel watches that were produced. The only confirmation ever given by A. Lange & Soehne states that all Lange 1 models in a stainless steel case are listed under reference 101.026 and are fitted with the celebrated caliber L901.0.
A. Lange & Soehne also confirm that a "very small number of examples" were produced in the company’s first year on demand by special clients or retailers.
Sold
estimated
140.000—180.000 €
Price realized
96.000 €