A. Lange & Söhne was founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in the small Saxon town of Glashütte, Germany. With a vision to transform the economically struggling region, Lange established a watchmaking industry that emphasized precision, innovation, and craftsmanship. He introduced advanced tools and measurement systems that helped shape modern horology. His designs, including the distinctive three-quarter plate and precise movement layout, set a new standard in watchmaking and laid the foundation for a lasting legacy.
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, A. Lange & Söhne became renowned for its high-quality pocket watches and marine chronometers. The brand’s reputation for accuracy and elegance attracted European nobility and established it as a leader in fine watchmaking. However, the company’s trajectory was abruptly disrupted during World War II, when its factory was destroyed in an air raid in 1945. Shortly afterward, in 1948, the company was nationalized under the Soviet-controlled East German regime, and the A. Lange & Söhne name vanished from the watchmaking world for several decades.
Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, Walter Lange—the great-grandson of the founder—revived the brand in 1990. With the support of industry visionary Günter Blümlein, A. Lange & Söhne made a triumphant return in 1994, unveiling a new collection that included the now-iconic Lange 1. This model, with its off-center dial and oversized date display, became a modern symbol of the brand’s resurgence and commitment to innovation, tradition, and craftsmanship.
Today, A. Lange & Söhne is revered as one of the world’s premier watchmakers, producing exquisitely crafted mechanical timepieces entirely in-house in Glashütte. Under the ownership of the Richemont Group since 2000, the brand continues to push the boundaries of horological artistry with complex complications, hand-finished movements, and a design language that blends German engineering with timeless elegance. A. Lange & Söhne remains a symbol of resilience, heritage, and unmatched watchmaking excellence.
