Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne Year: Circa 2007 Reference No: 401.026 Movement No: 40’597 Case No: 155’881 Model Name: 1815 Chronograph Material: 18K white gold Calibre: Manual, cal. L951.0, 34 jewels Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold A. Lange & Söhne pin buckle Dimensions: 39.5mm diameter Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed Accessories: Accompanied by A. Lange & Söhne warranty dated June 2007 stamped Sebastiano Rapisarda Gioielli, instruction manual, cloth, leather folio, outer packaging and fitted presentation box.
Catalogue Essay
After the successful launch of the Lange 1 in 1994, A. Lange & Söhne launched another important collection of timepieces to commemorate the original founder, Ferdinand Lange. Released by Walter Lange (Ferdinand’s great grandson) in 1996, the 1815 collection comprises of simple time only and complicated wristwatches all with a common feature of bearing a rail-way track minute scale, Arabic numerals and a large round case paying homage to their ancestral pocket watches.
One of the timepieces from the 1815 collection is the fathomed chronograph. Executed to perfection, the pure chronograph timepiece is a statement to the industry of the level of precision and micro engineering that A. Lange & Söhne is capable of. On the dial side, the design is kept rather simple and elegant featuring a pulsations scale with two registers sitting slightly below the crown, with all its measurements indicated by blued stainless steel hands, the elegance is brought to a whole new level. On the movement side, a horological metropolis can be witnessed composed of the firm’s signature German silver with a hand-engraved balance cock. Practically the same caliber as the Datograph, the movement is perhaps where most would surrender to.
The present example A. Lange & Söhne 1815 in 18K white gold fitted with an attractive and clean silvery dial with blued hands is with no doubt a handsome timepiece. Offered with the full set of accessories, the watch is also presented in excellent overall condition with minimal wear.
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.