Description
The Lange 1 is one of the most balanced and celebrated watches by A. Lange & Söhne. Its aesthetic identity is defined by the outsize double-window date, which remains its most recognisable feature. It is also one of the watches that marked the renaissance of the German manufacture, as the Lange 1 was among the very first collections presented by A. Lange & Söhne in 1994.
The dial design is inspired by watches from the Saxon tradition: on certain historical examples still preserved at the Dresden Museum, dials feature multiple sub-dials and off-centre displays arranged in a way that clearly anticipates the Lange 1 layout. The outsize date, positioned between 1 and 2 o’clock, is inspired by the very first timepiece created by Ferdinand A. Lange. However, the modern outsize-date mechanism differs substantially in its operation: Ferdinand Lange’s original timepiece was a large digital display clock mounted on two discs, designed for the Dresden Opera House(the so-called “Five-Minute Clock”), whereas the contemporary outsize date functions via two superimposed discs which, in combination, indicate the day of the month.
The watch offered here is reference 101.027, produced regularly by A. Lange & Söhne from 1997 to 2002. It features a traditionally sized 38.5 mm white-gold case with sapphire display back, a blue vertically brushed dial, white-gold Roman-numeral hands and hour markers, and white date discs with black printing. The watch is fitted with a blue alligator leather strap and a white-gold pin buckle. Throughout its entire production run, reference 101.027 was powered exclusively by the original Lange 1 movement, calibre L901.0, based on the gear train of the calibre 822 developed by Jaeger-LeCoultre. In 2017, the model was reintroduced as part of the “Blue Series” under reference 191.028, featuring an updated movement and revised dial finishing. The watch presented here is offered complete with its original box and archive extract.