The Auction Hammer: 3 Rare A. Lange & Söhne Watches Including an Extremely Rare Lange 1 in Stainless Steel

A. Lange & Söhne’s history can be divided into two, or actually three, eras: one before World War II, one after Germany’s reunification, and the period in between (1945 – 1990), although the latter is actually not that interesting. On 15 November, German auction house Dr. Crott Auctions will be offering a vast number of A. Lange & Söhne watches from the two interesting periods of the brand’s history, including a Tourbillon Pour le Mérite in platinum, an extremely rare stainless steel Lange 1, and a rare example of the Jubilee Langematik. 

Besides these (extremely rare) contemporary pieces, there are dozens of late 1800’s and early 1900’s pocket watches from A. Lange & Söhne. Many of them offered with original box and papers, which makes them perfect investment pieces, besides that fact that they are very beautiful. At the auction you’ll also see two very rare vintage Panerai watches, a bunch of Rolex watches, including a black-dial Paul Newman Daytona ref. 6263 (estimate € 250.000-500.000 Euro) and many vintages wrist watches and pocket watches from Patek, Vacheron and Audemars. Now on to the three rare Lange watches…

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 in stainless steel

This Lange 1 is probably the most legendary and sought-after Lange 1 that Lange & Söhne has ever produced. And that’s simply because all watches from Lange & Söhne are crafted in precious metals, and not in stainless steel. In the past two decades, only a handful of Lange 1 watches in steel are known to exist. According to the auction house this is the fourth ever Lange 1 in steel to be offered for sale at an auction. So say hello to one of the rarest, and most valuable Lange 1’s out there.

A. Lange & Soehne has stated that all Lange 1 models in a stainless steel case are listed under reference 101.026 and are fitted with the (regular Lange 1 movement) caliber L901.0. The brand has confirmed in the early years a very small number of Lange 1’s in stainless steel were produced, by request of special clients or retailers.

This Lange 1 in stainless steel is lot number 73 (click here) and has an estimate of € 140.000-180.000 Euro / $ 175.000-225.000 USD.

A. Lange & Söhne Langematik Jubilee – Jubiläums-Langematik

Not as rare as the previous or next one, however very desirable and collectable, is the Langematik Jubilee or Jubiläums-Langematik as it’s called in German. It’s one of 500 pieces that were manufactures between 2000 and 2004, and feature an enamel white dial with red Roman XII. This red 12 refers to old pocket watches, as the finest quality was also made with a red 12.

The Langematik Jubilee comes in a 37mm platinum case, and is powered by Caliber L921.7. This is the Sax-o-Mat self-winding movement, with a rather unusual size winding mass. It’s too big to be considered a micro-rotor, but it’s also no full size rotor. Maybe we can best consider this a 3/4 rotor, similar to the 3/4 plate that A. Lange & Söhne use for their manual wound calibres.

This Langematik Jubilee is lot number 71 (click here) and has an estimate of € 16.000-25.000 Euro / $ 20.000-31.300 USD.

A. Lange & Söhne Tourbillon pour le Mérite

The next watch, the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” not as rare as the steel Lange 1, however it certainly is as desirable (or more.) As we told you last week when we reviewed the iconic Lange 1, this is one of the four watches that A. Lange & Söhne debuted with in 1994. Not a bad start for a new watch brand! The Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” was manufactured between 1994 and 1998, and was limited to 50 pieces in platinum and 150 pieces in yellow gold.

The main treat is of course the tourbillon that is highly visible, through the aperture in the dial. However for connoisseurs there’s another treat that is at least as important as the rotating escapement, and that is the fusee-and-chain. That’s a constant force mechanism, which ensures that the power supplied to the escapement is always the same, no matter if the watch is fully wound or the main spring is running out of power. The stable supply of power ensures optimal chronometric rates.

This A. Lange & Söhne Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” in platinum is lot number 76 (click here) and has an estimate of € 250.000-320.000 Euro / $ 312.500-400.000 USD.