24 - A. Lange & Söhne - LANGE 1

A. Lange & Söhne - LANGE 1 An important Glashütte wristwatch, featuring the Lange oversized date, a power reserve display, and an 18K solid gold case back. To the best of our knowledge, this watch, with movement number 10, is the earliest LANGE 1 from the first collection—launched in 1994—ever to have been offered at auction. According to A. Lange & Söhne, only 123 examples from the four-model launch collection were sold during the first year of production. The specially developed manual-winding caliber L901.0 set new quality standards in the world of horology. In 1994, only a very small number of examples left the factory with the original solid caseback; this was replaced with a transparent sapphire crystal caseback in 1996 following requests from retailers. Movm. No. 10, Ref. 101.002, Cal. L901.0, Case No. 110036, Dimensions 38.5 mm, circa 1995, Origin: Germany, Original box, Original certificate, Accessories, original gold clasp Case: 18K gold, screw-down 18K gold caseback, pusher at the “10” o’clock position for quick calendar setting. Dial: Solid silver, argenté finish, printed numerals and hour markers, blued steel hands. Movement: Manual-winding. Reference 101.002 differs from reference 101.001 (which features gold hands and hour markers) in its blued steel hands and black printed numerals. It was easier to read and was produced for only a few years. This LANGE 1 is a particularly early model with an early movement (No. 10!), caliber L901.0. It was purchased on January 24, 1995—exactly three months after A. Lange & Söhne launched its first modern collection on October 24, 1994. Like all early models, the timepiece features a solid case back secured with six screws. Modern watches reveal the beautiful nickel silver movement with its nickel silver plates and bridges through a screwed-on transparent sapphire crystal case back. This is not the case here, which is an early distinctive feature of A. Lange & Söhne, harkening back to a bygone era when collectors of luxury timepieces placed a greater level of trust in the brand. Case: very good. Dial: very good. Movement: very good, in working order, cleaning recommended. Please note that leather straps made from endangered or protected species—such as alligator, crocodile, or lizard—are used in our catalog or on our website for illustrative purposes only. For customs-related reasons, such straps cannot be shipped outside the EU.