On October 24, 1994 A. Lange & Söhne officially introduced its very first modern collection. The first public appearance of the new watches by A. Lange & Söhne sent out a global signal that a phoenix was rising from the ashes. And this phoenix was soon to turn into a soaring eagle, which would have the ability to captivate even dyed-in-the wool Swiss watch enthusiasts and collectors.
In this edition of ‘Behind the Lens,’ GaryG pays tribute to the introduction of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 twenty years ago on October 24, 1994. He brings us stunning images of two very special variants of the classic watch: the rare Cellini limited edition, of which only 25 were made for the New York City retailer, and the even rarer stainless steel Lange 1, which was not a limited edition per se but certainly a (very) limited sort-of production watch.
In October 2014, Germany celebrates 25 years of reunification and A. Lange & Söhne celebrates 20 years since the truly iconic Lange 1 was introduced. Quill & Pad has the immense honor of presenting a new film to you with a great deal of never-before-seen footage ahead of its October 25 premier in Dresden.
GaryG provides us with a look at why he bought the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split even though he already owned the brand’s Datograph. The Double Split watch is the world’s only double rattrapante capable of both split-second and split-minute interval timing.
I clearly remember watching the history-altering events on television on November 9, 1989: the day that the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. Since then, watchmaking in Germany, just like the country as a whole, has undergone a lot of change. The rebirth of Glashütte’s horological industry is an unparalleled story, one coming with a great number of human-condition stories that will someday need lots of telling . . . and here is the first.
Ferdinand Adolph Lange had already been selling watches in Saxony’s capital city Dresden since 1844. Follow us on a historical journey through nineteenth-century Dresden to lightly trace the footsteps of the Glashütte watch industry’s founding father, which continues in the modern day with A. Lange & Söhne’s new boutique on New York City’s Madison Avenue.
Ninety years is a ripe old age to reach for anyone, and few actually reach it. But it doesn’t surprise me that Walter Lange has reached this age so gracefully. He was, after all, 66 – retirement age for most people – in 1990 when he embarked upon the new business venture with Günter Blümlein to refound his family’s birthright.
The 2014 edition of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Italy was exceptional, with both stunning automobiles and fantastic weather. Pour yourself a chilled glass of Chianti and enjoy the photos.
De gustibus non disputandum est, as they say: there is no arguing about taste! In particular, I’m not one to tell people what they can do with their belongings. If you, for instance, want to take your Ferrari, paint it pink, and put a giant Hello Kitty decal on it, that’s your privilege. That doesn’t mean that I have to like the item in question. In this instance, I am referring to the Grieb & Benzinger re-interpretation of the classic A. Lange & Söhne Pour le Mérite Tourbillon christened Blue Merit.
Quill & Pad has the extreme honor to introduce you to the Grieb & Benzinger Blue Merit, a unique collector’s item created from one of the rarest serial movements in watch history: A. Lange & Söhne’s Tourbillon Pour le Mérite.