The 1990s saw the rebirth of A. Lange & Söhne. The first collection, which was comprised of four watches (the Lange 1, Arkade, Saxonia and Tourbillon "Pour le Mérite") was initially presented in 1994 and immediately rose to the forefront of haute horology. One of these four watches was the Lange 1, a watch that came to define the brand’s aesthetics and become an icon of the end of the millennium. Displaying eccentric time and seconds with an asymmetrically positioned large date window and power reserve at 3 o’clock, the model has become a landmark for the brand and widely recognized throughout the horological sphere. Impressive during its initial launch, the Lange 1 is regarded as one of the most popular models manufactured by the firm.
Cased in stainless steel, this timepiece is immediately recognizable due to its silvered dial and blued steel hands. The present watch can be considered the "holy grail" of all Langes. It is one of the very rare instances that the brand cased any model in non-precious metal. In fact, A. Lange & Söhne never officially launched a stainless steel watch until the arrival of the Odysseus in late October 2019. As such, the Lange 1 in stainless steel was never offered in a catalogue and the manufacture has never confirmed the exact number of stainless steel examples produced. Experts estimate that approximately 30 were made in total, of which some have appeared sporadically on the international auction market. The origins of this watch are shrouded in mystery: research shows that some were made in 1994 upon the official re-launch of the A. Lange & Söhne brand, and then also produced during the period from 1996-1999.
In 1999, New York based Cellini Jewelers President Leon Adams received an invoice from A. Lange & Söhne, wherein he accepted delivery of three A. Lange & Söhne watches, including a stainless steel Lange 1 reference 101.026 bearing the case number 117’955, for the price of 8,831 EUR. For the next 20 years it sat – untouched, undisturbed – in a Cellini inventory drawer until it was offered by Phillips in New York in 2019 where it was purchased by the current owner, who never wore it.
The watch is thus still in new old stock condition, it has never had a strap fitted to the case and it maintains its original sticker on the caseback marked NFS in red. Not For Sale.