A. Lange & Söhne brand story

　　1168 The origins of Saxony's prosperity

　　Silver deposits were once discovered near Freiberg in Saxony today, which triggered the so-called "First Berggeschrey", literally translated as the "first mountain call". This news attracted countless miners, merchants, coal dealers, and vagrants to the still impregnable Ore Mountains. What followed was a veritable "silver rush", with people rushing to the region to try their luck. Over the following centuries, silver mining brought a scene of prosperity to Saxony, setting the stage for the future development of arts and crafts, and gradually making Saxony famous worldwide.

　　1560 Saxony's collection

　　Elector Augustus (1526-1586), driven by political ambition and his implementation of numerous decrees and reforms, led to the rapid economic development of Saxony. He had a total of 15 children, which led outsiders to call him "Papa Augustus". Like other monarchs of his time, he loved collecting. In 1560, Augustus founded the "Kunst- und Wunderkammer" (Art and Curiosity Cabinet) in Dresden, where anything that appealed to him was placed and passed down to posterity. These treasures included paintings, firearms, jewellery, fine arts and crafts, novelties, daily necessities, as well as mechanical, astronomical, and surveying instruments. In 1729, related items were transferred from the art cabinet to another collection – the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments. Under the leadership of Johann Gottfried Köhler, this cabinet was particularly important for the development of precision timekeeping instruments.

　　1648: Saxon Craftsmanship

　　In the four centuries following the discovery of silver ore, the Ore Mountains evolved into the mining hub of Europe. This brought employment not only to miners, but also attracted a growing number of skilled artisans to the region, who made full use of the surrounding mineral resources. The daily presence of miners and craftsmen naturally drew other merchants, and the mining industry as a whole fostered the training and development of traditional Saxon craftsmanship.

　　1694: The Splendour of Saxony Under August the Strong

　　August the Strong exerted a profound influence on the history of Saxony. Prince Frederick Augustus (1670-1733) not only established a magnificent absolutist regime, but also set distinct goals and standards in pursuit of perfection. He implemented proactive governance and effective economic models, spanning the domains of art, architecture, craftsmanship and science. As the second son, he never expected to inherit the Electorate, which allowed him to nurture a deep passion for culture. The young Saxon prince broadened his horizons in aristocratic circles; from the age of 17 to 19, travelling under the alias Count von Meissen, he immersed himself in all the major European courts of the era and delighted in the experience. Following the untimely death of his elder brother, Frederick Augustus unexpectedly ascended the throne at the age of 24.

　　1728: The Cabinet of Mathematical Instruments

　　The Kunstkammer (Chamber of Art and Curiosities) was established in 1560 by the first Elector August. By the early 18th century, space was severely limited, and the once-fashionable artefacts had become disorderly, no longer meeting contemporary scientific standards. Consequently, August the Strong removed the paintings from the collection and, in 1728, reserved dedicated space on the top floor of the Zwinger Palace in Dresden to create the Cabinet of Mathematical Instruments. This room housed terrestrial and celestial globes, astronomical and geodetic instruments, barometers, thermometers, exquisitely decorated calculating devices, drafting tools and measuring apparatus, alongside timepieces that remain treasured highlights of the collection to this day.

　　1783: Measuring Time

　　Johann Gottfried Köhler, an astronomer, meteorologist and exceptionally talented artisan, was perfectly suited to advance the field of timekeeping. In 1776, he was summoned by the court to serve as inspector of the Cabinet of Art and the Mathematics and Physics Cabinet at the Zwinger Palace. Seven years later, using a pendulum clock of his own creation, he successfully developed a method for precise timekeeping. He established a timekeeping centre that sounded a bell every day at noon, allowing other clocks in the city to be synchronized. Wealthy citizens could even subscribe to a bespoke service where staff from the centre visited their homes daily to set their clocks.

　　1815: Between Defeat and Resurgence

　　Napoleon occupied Saxony in 1796; by the time of his defeat in 1813, Saxony had lost three-fifths of its territory and nearly half its population. Concurrently, Napoleon's Continental System was lifted, and over the subsequent decades, British industrial goods flooded the domestic market, compounding the hardship alongside existing territorial losses. Yet the Saxons demonstrated remarkable resilience once more. The government provided loans to entrepreneurs, whose innovative spirit swiftly laid new foundations for economic recovery. Ferdinand Adolph Lange (born in 1815, 1815-1875) grew up during this turbulent era, balanced between collapse and revitalization.

　　1830: The Training of Ferdinand Adolph Lange

　　Following his parents' divorce, Ferdinand Adolph Lange was raised by friends of his family, giving him the opportunity to study at the Technische Bildungsanstalt in Dresden, an institution designed for future engineers and technicians. During his studies, Lange became an apprentice to the renowned master watchmaker Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes. Gutkaes quickly noticed the extraordinary horological talent of his 15-year-old apprentice and nurtured his skills. Gutkaes later went on to design the famous five-minute digital clock for the Semper Opera House.

　　1837: Ferdinand Adolph Lange's Journeyman Years

　　As an apprentice to Gutkaes, Ferdinand Adolph Lange displayed diligence, fine craftsmanship and sharp intelligence, completing his studies with outstanding distinction. In 1837, he set out to explore the world, travelling first to France via Switzerland. Near Paris, he served as foreman at a renowned watch manufactory owned by the Austrian watchmaker Joseph Thaddäus Winnerl (1799-1836), himself a former student of Abraham-Louis Breguet. Simultaneously, Lange studied astronomy and physics at the Sorbonne in Paris, honing his fine watchmaking skills alongside several Parisian master horologists.

　　"Do not forget your fatherland! When you return home one day, she will welcome you with open arms. You will possess far richer experience, proving your dedication was worthwhile, and you will further refine and flourish the art you have learned." This was the parting advice Gutkaes wrote in Lange's travel journal. Indeed, Ferdinand Adolph Lange returned to Dresden around 1841, where Gutkaes's daughter, Antonia, had been waiting for him. Ferdinand and Antonia married in 1842, the same year he achieved master craftsman status, while his father-in-law Gutkaes was appointed court watchmaker, residing within the palace.

　　The journal contains numerous diagrams, structural and mechanical drawings, and calculations, all attesting to Ferdinand's thirst for knowledge and his drive to advance timekeeping technology. He crafted various watch components, particularly gear wheels. Traditionally, these components were measured in "Paris lines", where 1 Paris line equalled 2.2558 millimetres. Lange pioneered a move towards the far more efficient metric system.

　　1839: A New Concept of Time

　　The railway line connecting Dresden and Leipzig opened in 1839. This revolutionary mode of transport had a profound effect, altering not only travel itself, but more importantly, the very concept of time. Previously, journey times were indicated loosely from "Tuesday morning" to "Wednesday evening", but could now be measured with precision through accurate timekeeping. The advent of train timetables further necessitated far more precise timekeeping methods.

　　1839: The First German Locomotive: Saxonia

　　In 1835, the first "Adler" (Eagle) locomotive ran between Nuremberg and Fürth, marking the official dawn of the railway era in Germany. However, this locomotive was constructed in Britain rather than domestically. Shortly thereafter, the first German steam locomotive was built at Übigau near Dresden, named "Saxonia" after its homeland to celebrate the opening of the Leipzig line in 1839. Nevertheless, Britain, as an industry pioneer, maintained a monopoly on railway construction and initially deployed two of its own locomotives on the new tracks. Despite this, the success of the Saxonia was indisputable; the train remained in service until 1856, and a working full-scale replica remains operational to this day.

　　Following the success of the “Chemin de fer” railway design, the demand for precision timepieces surged, inspiring many pocket watch designs to incorporate railway elements. For instance, the minute track evokes railway lines, while the movement of the minute hand resembles passing railway sleepers. A. Lange & Söhne's 1815 watch collection retains the railway track scale and other distinctive classic pocket watch elements, such as the 3/4 bridge, blued-steel screws, and screwed gold chatons.

　　1846 Making history: lathes, dial micrometers and the 3/4 bridge

　　Ferdinand Adolph Lange worked tirelessly to introduce further improvements, particularly the development of the signature 3/4 bridge. The enlarged 3/4 bridge accommodates the various pivots of the gear train, ensuring that all gears are securely connected. To this day, this remains one of Lange's most important traditional elements. Ferdinand Adolph Lange was the first European watchmaker to adopt the metric system, which used the millimetre as the basic unit of measurement to simplify calculations. Drawing on knowledge gained during his travels across Europe, he endeavoured to convert the old Parisian system of measuring movements into the metric system. He was ahead of his time, as the Saxon government did not officially introduce the metric system until 1858.

　　1875 Passed down through generations: Richard and Emil Lange

　　In 1868, Ferdinand Adolph Lange's son Richard officially became a partner in the company, which is the origin of today's world-renowned A. Lange & Söhne (meaning "Lange and his sons"). In 1871, Richard's younger brother Emil joined the company. Following their father's passing in 1875, the two brothers took over the management of the manufacture together.

　　1930 How Richard Lange discovered a new alloy for balance springs.

　　At 84 years of age, Richard Lange left the management of the family business to his nephews Otto, Rudolf and Gerhard. Richard Lange continually devised novel ways to solve complex horological problems. In 1930, while reading an article published by two Siemens engineers, he conceived the idea of adding a small amount of beryllium to improve the elasticity of the balance spring.

　　1941 Walter Lange

　　Born in Glashütte in 1924, Walter Lange knew he wanted to become a watchmaker even while attending boarding school! As the son of Rudolf Lange, grandson of Emil and great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, his greatest joy was being allowed to accompany his father to the manufacture in the evenings to check the day's production. In 1941, Walter went to Karlstein in the Waldviertel region of Austria to learn watchmaking. However, like many of his generation, his future plans were disrupted by National Socialism, war and territorial occupation.

　　1948 Difficult times

　　On the final night of the war, Lange's main production building was destroyed by a bomb. After Walter Lange returned to his studies and completed his course, the family was ready for a fresh start. However, these plans suffered a setback when the manufacture was expropriated by the Soviet administration in 1948.

　　1990 The resurgence of the Lange brand