A. Lange & Söhne - The New York Watch Auction: SIX New York Saturday, June 11, 2022 | Phillips
  • Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne
    Year: Circa 2017
    Reference No: 720.025FE
    Movement No: 99’482
    Case No: No. 93/100, 202’194
    Model Name: Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar
    Material: Platinum
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. L082.1, 75 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
    Clasp/Buckle: Platinum A. Lange & Söhne deployant clasp
    Dimensions: 41.9mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed.
    Accessories: Accompanied by A. Lange & Söhne guarantee dated January 2017, wooden integrated watch winder presentation box, additional crocodile strap, setting pin, loupe, polish cloth, leather envelope, product literature and outer packaging.

  • Catalogue Essay

    The Lange 1 and its subsequent evolutions is undoubtedly the collection best exemplifying not only the rebirth of A. Lange & Söhne but that of Saxon watchmaking. When Ferdinand A. Lange’s great-grandson Walter Lange relaunched the brand in 1990 following the reunification of Germany, his first mission was to design a new face for the company. In tandem with visionary, Günter Blümelin, they designed an asymmetrical dial using the harmonious proportions of the golden section, with the oversized date aperture inspired by the Five-Minute Clock of the Dresden Semper Opera House. The Lange 1 was one of the four original timepieces released in 1994 by A. Lange & Söhne, and the model featuring all the traits which are now eponymous with the brand.

    The present iteration, the Lange 1 Perpetual Tourbillon, offers collectors two of the most complicated features found in horology. The watch has a masculine allure with a well-proportioned case measuring 41.9mm diameter. The tourbillon is hidden from view and seen only through the sapphire crystal back. Produced in a limited edition of just 100 examples, the reference 720.025 like the present model was first launched in 2012 to great fanfare. Powered by the superb Lange caliber L082.1 self-winding movement with Lange’s signature large date apertures at 10 o’clock, it elegantly displays the months via a rotating inner ring, indicating the current month at 6 o’clock right beneath the leap-year aperture at 6 o’clock. The day is indicated via a retrograding hand at 9 o’clock, and it is furthermore adorned with an offset moonphase indicator at 8 o’clock.

    Cased in solid platinum, this watch, number 93 of 100 pieces is offered in superb condition, along with its original presentation box, and guarantee. This contemporary timepiece has all the elements that make it an icon of its era.

    PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL OWNER

  • Artist Biography

    A. Lange & Söhne

    German • 1845

    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.

    View More Works

Σ135

Ref. 720.025FE
An extremely fine and attractive limited edition platinum perpetual calendar tourbillon wristwatch with leap year, day/night indications, and moon phase with guarantee and presentation box, numbered 93 of 100

Circa 2017
41.9mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed.

Estimate
$100,000 - 200,000 
CHF99,600-199,000
€95,900-192,000
HK$785,000-1,570,000
S$140,000-279,000

Sold for $201,600

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Paul Boutros

Head of Watches, Americas

+1 (212) 940-1293

WatchesNY@Phillips.com

 

Isabella Proia

Head of Sale, New York

+1 (212) 940 1285

iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: SIX

New York Auction 11-12 June 2022