A. Lange & Söhne

Who are A. Lange & Söhne?

A. Lange & Söhne is a German watchmaker in Glashütte, Saxony, founded in 1845, nationalised after the Second World War and refounded in 1990. It has been owned by the Swiss luxury group Richemont since 2000 (Richemont). This page covers its history, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a pre-owned A. Lange & Söhne in the UK.

The company makes only mechanical watches, with movements designed and made in-house (Wikipedia). Richemont counts 73 manufacture calibres since 1990 (Richemont); Wikipedia gives 63 since 1994, so the figure depends on the source and its date. Wikipedia puts output at around 5,000 watches a year; the company does not publish production figures that we could find.

The history of A. Lange & Söhne

A. Lange & Söhne’s history runs from the founding of Glashütte’s watch industry in 1845, through nationalisation in East Germany, to a new company set up by the founder’s great-grandson in 1990. The key dates are the founding (1845), the new name (1868), nationalisation (1948), the refounding (1990) and the first new collection (1994).

Founding. Ferdinand Adolph Lange was born in Dresden on 25 February 1815. On 7 December 1845 he founded A. Lange & Cie in Glashütte, in what was then the Kingdom of Saxony (Wikipedia). He wanted to build a watch industry in the region, started with about 15 apprentices, and encouraged them to set up their own firms supplying parts (Wikipedia). In 1864 he introduced the three-quarter plate that Lange movements still use (A. Lange & Söhne). His son Richard joined in 1868, and the firm became A. Lange & Söhne (Wikipedia).

War and nationalisation. During the Second World War the company was one of the makers of observation watches for the German air force, and Wikipedia records that forced labour was used in Glashütte’s watch industry during the war. On 8 May 1945 an air raid almost completely destroyed the main production building (Wikipedia). The Glashütte watch companies were nationalised in 1948, and Walter Lange, the founder’s great-grandson, fled to West Germany the same year (Wikipedia; Quill & Pad). In 1951 the seized companies were merged into VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, and the Lange name disappeared from dials (Wikipedia).

Refounding. After German reunification, Walter Lange re-established the company as Lange Uhren GmbH on 7 December 1990, exactly 145 years after the original founding (Richemont; A. Lange & Söhne). Quill & Pad reports that he signed the contract with the VDO group, which then owned IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, on 29 November 1990, and that Günter Blümlein, who ran IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre, became co-managing director. Wikipedia notes that IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre helped with the refounding.

The 1994 collection. On 24 October 1994, Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein presented the new company’s first four watches at the Royal Palace in Dresden: the Lange 1, the Saxonia, the Arkade and the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”. All 123 watches made that year were sold (Richemont).

Under Richemont. Richemont acquired A. Lange & Söhne, IWC Schaffhausen and Jaeger-LeCoultre in 2000 (Richemont). The German edition of Wikipedia dates the move to 2001. The Datograph followed in 1999, the Zeitwerk in 2009 and the Odysseus in 2019 (A. Lange & Söhne). A new manufacture building opened in Glashütte in August 2015 (Wikipedia, German edition). Walter Lange died on 17 January 2017 (Richemont).

Glashütte, the watchmaking town. Glashütte is a small town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district of Saxony, with a population of about 6,300 (Wikipedia, Glashütte). Its watch industry began with Lange in 1845 and grew through the supplier firms founded by his former apprentices (Wikipedia). After nationalisation, the town’s makers were combined into one state company. After reunification, the remainder of that company was privatised in 1994 as Glashütte Original, which the Swatch Group bought in 2000 (Wikipedia, Glashütte Original); it is a separate company from A. Lange & Söhne. Other makers based in the town today include Nomos Glashütte, Mühle Glashütte, Tutima, Union Glashütte and Moritz Grossmann (Wikipedia, Glashütte). Since 2022, a German federal regulation has controlled who may call a watch “Glashütte”. The movement must be assembled and started, regulated, fitted with its dial and hands, and cased entirely within the town, and more than 50 per cent of the value added in the main production stages must come from the defined area (GlashütteV, section 5).

What is A. Lange & Söhne known for?

A. Lange & Söhne is known for movements made in-house from German silver, hand-engraved balance cocks, assembling each movement twice, and the outsize date of the Lange 1. The details below are each sourced.

German silver. Since the refounding in 1990, Lange has made its plates, bridges and cocks from untreated German silver, an alloy mainly of copper, zinc and nickel, introduced in Saxony in 1823 (A. Lange & Söhne). Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains why buyers ask about movements.

The three-quarter plate. A single plate covering about three-quarters of the movement, introduced by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in 1864, became a feature of the company’s pocket watches and is used in its modern movements (A. Lange & Söhne).

Hand engraving and double assembly. Lange’s balance cocks are engraved by hand, and the company states that its watches are assembled twice (A. Lange & Söhne).

The outsize date. The Lange 1’s large date display was inspired by the five-minute clock in Dresden’s Semper Opera, and the dial’s off-centre displays follow the golden ratio so that none overlaps another (A. Lange & Söhne). The Semper Opera clock was designed by the court clockmaker Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes and completed with Ferdinand Adolph Lange in 1841; it also inspired the Zeitwerk’s digital display (A. Lange & Söhne).

Which A. Lange & Söhne collections are there?

A. Lange & Söhne’s main collections are the Lange 1, Zeitwerk, Saxonia, 1815, Richard Lange, Datograph and Odysseus. Richemont also lists complications such as the Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, Triple Split and Grand Complication.

The collections table gives a one-line description of each. A few points help when you are reading listings:

• Lange 1 variants. The Lange 1 family includes complicated versions such as the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar (Richemont). Check the full model name and reference.
• Datograph and 1815 Chronograph. Both are chronographs. The Datograph dates from 1999; the 1815 family also includes chronograph and rattrapante models (Senatus). They are different watches.
• Odysseus. The first Odysseus of 2019 was the company’s first steel watch made in series and its first sports watch, water-resistant to 12 bar, about 120 metres (aBlogtoWatch). An Odysseus Chronograph followed in 2023 (A. Lange & Söhne).
• Discontinued models. The Arkade and the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” were part of the 1994 collection (Richemont) and turn up second-hand, though they are not current families.

Who owns A. Lange & Söhne?

A. Lange & Söhne is owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, a Swiss luxury goods group listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. Richemont bought it in 2000 with IWC Schaffhausen and Jaeger-LeCoultre, and groups it with its other specialist watchmakers, including Vacheron Constantin.

Richemont was founded by Johann Rupert in 1988 (Richemont). Its 2000 purchase of three watchmakers, which its own history describes as “vertically integrated”, brought A. Lange & Söhne into the group alongside IWC Schaffhausen and Jaeger-LeCoultre (Richemont). Before that, the refounded company was set up with the VDO group, which owned IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre at the time (Quill & Pad).

Richemont’s A shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (Richemont). The chief executive of A. Lange & Söhne is Wilhelm Schmid (Richemont). Richemont also owns Vacheron Constantin and Watchfinder & Co., a UK pre-owned watch specialist it bought in 2018 (Richemont).

Buying a pre-owned A. Lange & Söhne in the UK: what to check

Check that the case and movement numbers match the papers, that the papers and service history are genuine, and that the watch is not recorded as stolen. Then decide what guarantee you need, because the brand’s own guarantee and a dealer’s warranty are different promises.

1. Papers and the full set. Ask exactly which papers come with the watch and whether they are originals. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves and what it does not.

2. Numbers and model. The numbers on the watch should match the papers and any receipts. Check the reference against the model in the listing, because the Lange 1, Saxonia and 1815 families each include several different watches. A seller who will not show the numbers before you pay is a reason to walk away.

3. Authenticity. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch checked by a watchmaker you choose. A Lange movement should show the German silver plate and hand-engraved balance cock described above (A. Lange & Söhne). Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at.

4. Stolen-watch check. Before you pay, check the numbers against a stolen-watch register and ask the seller to confirm the watch is not reported lost or stolen. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

5. Servicing and warranty. Ask when the watch was last serviced, by whom, and for the paperwork. The length of Lange’s guarantee, and whether it passes to a later owner, depends on the company’s terms. A dealer’s own warranty is a promise from the dealer, not from the brand. See watch warranties explained.

6. Who you buy from. There are three main routes:

Sources: Richemont, A. Lange & Söhne; WorldTempus, interview with Wilhelm Schmid (checked 29 October 2026).

We found no brand-run certified pre-owned programme for A. Lange & Söhne. In a WorldTempus interview in July 2020, Wilhelm Schmid said that since 11 May that year Watchfinder & Co. had been offering its services as a pilot in the Lange boutique on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse. If you buy from a seller in Germany or Switzerland, the watch is an import into Great Britain and VAT and duty can apply; our guide to import duty and VAT on watches explains how. For how independent dealers compare with appointed retailers, read grey market versus authorised dealer.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

When was A. Lange & Söhne founded?

On 7 December 1845 in Glashütte, as A. Lange & Cie. The present company was re-established on 7 December 1990 (Wikipedia; Richemont).

Is A. Lange & Söhne a German or Swiss brand?

German. It is based in Glashütte, Saxony, and owned by the Swiss group Richemont (Richemont).

Who owns A. Lange & Söhne?

Richemont, the Swiss luxury group listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, since 2000 (Richemont).

Why did A. Lange & Söhne stop making watches?

The Glashütte watch companies were nationalised in East Germany in 1948 and merged in 1951 into VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, after which the Lange name was no longer used (Wikipedia).

Is A. Lange & Söhne the same company as Glashütte Original?

No. Glashütte Original was formed in 1994 from the privatised state watch company in Glashütte and belongs to the Swatch Group (Wikipedia). A. Lange & Söhne belongs to Richemont.

What were the first watches of the new A. Lange & Söhne?

The Lange 1, Saxonia, Arkade and Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”, shown in Dresden on 24 October 1994 (Richemont).

What is German silver?

An alloy mainly of copper, zinc and nickel. Lange has used it for its plates, bridges and cocks since 1990 (A. Lange & Söhne).

What does “made in Glashütte” mean legally?

Under a 2022 German regulation, key assembly steps must happen in the town of Glashütte and more than 50 per cent of the value added in the main production stages must come from the defined area (GlashütteV).

Does A. Lange & Söhne make a steel sports watch?

Yes, the Odysseus, launched in 2019 as the company’s first steel sports watch (aBlogtoWatch).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with A. Lange & Söhne or Richemont.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.