Lot 13

A. Lange & Söhne

LANGE 1

An early Glashütte wristwatch of historical importance, featuring the Lange oversize date, a power reserve display and an 18 K solid gold back. This is one of the earliest LANGE 1 timepieces from the first range launched in 1994. According to A. Lange & Söhne only 123 examples from the four-model launch range were sold during the first year of production. The specially developed manual-wound calibre L901.0 set new quality standards in the horological world. In 1994 only very few examples left the factory with the original solid back, before it was replaced with a transparent sapphire crystal back in 1996 after requests from the retailers.

Sold

This watch is in excellent condition, as it was seldom worn. The case developed the rare gold oxide, which is highly valued by collectors but can also be removed easily by polishing the case.
According to A. Lange & Söhne, this watch, no. 60 is the second earliest Lange 1 ever sold at auction. The earliest Lange 1 no. 53 was sold at our 101st auction in November 2019.

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 only for a few years.
This LANGE 1 is a particularly early piece with an early movement (no. 60), calibre L901.0. It was purchased on December 9, 1994, which is less than two months after A. Lange & Söhne launched their first modern range on October 24, 1994.
Like all early models, the timepiece features a solid case back screwed down with six screws. Modern watches reveal the beautiful nickel silver movement with its nickel silver plates and bridges through a screwed transparent sapphire crystal back. This is not the case here, which is an early particular feature by A. Lange & Söhne, returning in thought to times past, when the collectors of luxury timepieces showed a higher level of trust.