484 - A. Lange & Söhne - Minute Repeater

A. Lange & Söhne - Minute Repeater A museum-quality, near-mint-condition, extremely rare, and early Glashütte hunting-case watch with a minute repeater, date, and asymmetrical dial divisions—crafted to 1A quality. Movement No. 13400, Case No. 13400, Dimensions 54 mm, circa 1879, Weight 166 g, Origin: Germany Case: 18-karat gold, guilloché, floral-engraved gold cuvette with signature and “Minut Repeater” engraving. Movement: Enamel, signed and numbered, small off-center seconds dial between 4 and 6 o’clock, off-center date dial between 12 and 2 o’clock, blued spade hands. This is indeed a sensational discovery. This piece was previously thought to be lost. First of all, it is the ninth pocket watch with a minute repeater ever produced by Lange. The watch is in virtually pristine, mint condition. The guilloché engraving is crisp, the movement practically untouched, and the dial flawless. It is in a condition that today would be described as a “time capsule.” Lange & Söhne first experimented with minute repeaters, including additional functions, around 1878/1879. All of these watches were produced in small series around the same time as our No. 13400: 1. 13397/13400/13410 Minute Repeater with Date 2. 13398/13399 Minute Repeater with Date and Day of the Week 3. 13404 Minute Repeater with Perpetual Calendar and Moon Phase 4. 13406/13411 Minute Repeater with Chronograph 5. 13412 Minute Repeater with Chronograph and Date 6. 13405 Minute Repeater with Double Chronograph and Date This Lange & Söhne watch was likely intended for the Spanish market, where it remained until recently. A charming little detail is the engraving on the case back. It describes the watch as a “Minut Repeater.” The engraver’s English was apparently not very good. Case: very good. Dial: very good. Movement: very good, in working condition.