Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne Year: 1999 Reference No: 101.026 X Movement No: 11'288 Case No: 117'972 Model Name: Lange 1 Material: Stainless Steel Calibre: Manual, cal. L901.0, 53 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Leather Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel A. Lange & Söhne pin buckle Dimensions: 38.5mm Diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by A. Lange & Söhne International guarantee dated 11th November, 1999, Proof of Origin dated February 15th 2024, instruction manual, fitted presentation box and outer packaging. The watch is further accompanied by A.Lange & Söhne email dated Thursday 29th of February confirming a change of dial from massive silver argenté to a massive silver blued dial was noted for this watch and took place at A. Lange & Söhne.
Catalogue Essay
It is always an exhilarating moment when discovering a timepiece that rewrites scholarship and the present Lange 1 in steel with blue dial is such a watch.
The Lange 1 was part of the first 4 models launched by Lange & Söhne in 1994 upon its rebirth and immediately became a signature piece for the brand and a design icon.
Lange & Söhne only produced watches in precious metals and it wasn’t until 2019 and the launch of the Odysseus that we saw a production series model made in stainless steel. However, the story of the stainless steel Lange 1 is shrouded in mystery.
The Lange 1 in stainless steel was never offered in a catalogue and the manufacture has never confirmed the exact number of examples produced. Experts estimate that approximately 30 were made in total, of which some have appeared sporadically on the international auction market.
Research shows that some were made in 1994 upon the official re-launch of the A. Lange & Söhne, and also produced during the period from 1996-1999 with most examples either delivered to the German, Italian or American market with either silver or black dials.
The magnitude of the discovery of a steel example with blue dial cannot be underlined enough.
The watch is consigned by the original owner and bought in 1999 from German retailer Oeding-Erdel. An extra element of mystery surrounds this timepiece as the guarantee indicates the correct case and movement numbers but mentions ref 101.027X which is a “secret reference”, white gold, silver dial and blue hands.
Lange & Söhne have not provided reason for the discrepancy as the watch should be a reference 101.026 (as confirmed by the A. Lange & Söhne Proof of Origin), however, they have confirmed the steel case and blue dial. In an email dating 29 February 2024, Lange confirms that the original silver dial was replaced by them with a blue dial.
After the publication of this catalog another example in this configuration has been revealed to the market. To the best of our knowledge, two examples exist in this configuration.
Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Dresden, Germany, the firm established an entire watchmaking culture and industry in Glashütte. The brand quickly became Germany's finest watchmaker, first creating dependable, easy-to-repair watches before going on to produce some of the world's finest complicated pocket watches, including Grande Sonnerie watches, tourbillon watches and Grande Complications.
On the final day of World War II, their factories were destroyed by Russian bombers, and in 1948 the brand was confiscated by the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Ferdinand's great grandson Walter Lange re-established the brand with the objective to once again produce top-quality luxury watches. Now part of the Richemont Group, its original vintage and modern creations are highly coveted by collectors. Key models from the modern era include the Lange 1, Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon and the Zeitwerk.
Ref. 101.026 X A scholarship changing stainless steel wristwatch with small seconds, oversized date, power reserve indication, deep blue dial, guarantee, presentation box
1999 38.5mm Diameter Case, dial, movement and buckle signed