A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Luxury Watch Review

Watchuwant is now WatchBox! Subscribe for the best luxury watch content. The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 *is* Lange. More than the flagship and icon of the reborn ALS manufacture, the Lange 1 is the big-date face of German watchmaking in the modern era. Lange knew that its post-communist comeback meant it was starting from scratch, so the road to credibility was paved with the skepticism of watch collectors weaned on boasts of "unbroken heritage" from denizens of Switzerland's "watch valley." The watchmakers of A. Lange & Söhne's Glashutte factory labored from the fall of communism in 1990 to the 1994 relaunch of the company in order to make the Lange 1 perfect. Its 39mm 18-karat white gold case and hauntingly beautiful dial were worth the wait. A. Lange & Söhne's Lange 1 and its caliber L901 exceeded all expectations and launched a Saxon dynasty that continues to this day. The dial benefits from calculated asymmetry and two immensely useful complications: a double-digit "big date" and a power reserve indicator. While the big date is informed by a patent donated by sister firm Jaeger-LeCoultre, the device has become a trend setter within the industry and a signature element of Saxon watchmaking, in particular. Ask any real connoisseur of high horology to name the first house that comes to mind at the mention of "big date," and "Lange" will be his response. The power reserve indicator keeps track of the in-house caliber L901's 72-hour power reserve. This movement is a gem i