A.Lange & Söhne: history, innovations and 2021 timepieces

Introduction

A.Lange & Söhne watches was founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange, a master watchmaker born in Dresden in 1815 who settled himself in Glashütte, a few kilometers away from Dresden, to help the small town foster its industrial expansion. The brand is widely regarded as the most prestigious among the Saxon watchmakers; it has a limited annual production of stunningly engineered timepieces, usually adopting precious metals if we exclude Odysseus, the first-ever sports watch in steel in the brand's history.

The early A. Lange & Söhne watches

Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the master watchmaker Adolf Schneider, and a group of apprentices officially began producing high-precision pocket watches under "A. Lange, Dresden". Before moving to Glashütte, F.A. Lange had trained outside Germany, particularly in France, where he also led a small workshop.

1868: Richard Lange joins the company

In 1868, F.A. Lange's eldest son joined the company, followed, in 1871, by the second son Emile. The company then changed its name to A.Lange & Söhne. Both brothers led A.Lange & Söhne once their father passed away in 1876. Richard was a great watch designer, while Emile was a talented commercial manager instead. Richard's expertise brought him to patent a new alloy for a movement's spring by adding beryllium to increase its elasticity. Nivarox® then marketed the alloy mentioned above under the name of "Nivarox® coil spring".