presented his host, the head of the Ottoman Empire,
Sultan Abdul Hamid II, with a lavishly decorated
pocket watch created by the brand.
“There’s something one should expect not only
of a watch but also of oneself: to never stand still.”
With these words, the late Walter Lange, great-
grandson of Ferdinand, enunciated a principle that
still characterises the work of A Lange & Söhne
today. As the company pursues perfection with each
watch right down to the last detail of every part,
it is constantly evolving to ensure it remains at the
pinnacle of international watchmaking.
Despite pressure to move the manufactory to
the home of luxury horology in Switzerland, Walter
Lange stayed true to Glashütte and eschewed
automation, maintaining the family’s tradition of
handcrafting. Being separate from Switzerland,
the brand has developed a unique aesthetic, which
I witnessed on a visit to its modernist, light-filled
factory in Glashütte on the outskirts of Dresden.
Decades ago, the brand, a disruptive force in
watchmaking for nearly two centuries, introduced
four completely new in-house calibres, including
a tourbillon incorporating a fusée and chain
mechanism, and the legendary Lange 1 with a
three-quarter plate and out-sized date. The turn of
the millennium brought its first new chronograph
movement in a quarter of a century, the Datograph,
which garnered serious critical acclaim.
Today, unlike many luxury watchmakers, A
Lange & Söhne continues to make its mechanical
movements and balance springs in-house. The
processes involved are so elaborate and complex that
very few manufactures master them. The artisans
of A Lange & Söhne have created what is arguably
the most complicated wristwatch of the current era,
the Grand Complication. It features a grand strike, a
small strike, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar
and a rattrapante chronograph with flying seconds.
The brand also continues to use three-quarter plates,
screwed gold chains and handmade balance cocks,
and all the movements are made from German silver,
unlike those of Swiss manufacturers, which typically
use plated brass.
But most of all, it was the artisans’ dedication
to the pursuit of excellence that impressed me
during my visit. Watching a young man in deep
concentration carving tiny rococo patterns onto a
thin piece of metal, I realised that these workers are
artists in every sense of the word—and that to wear
an A Lange & Söhne watch is to carry an exquisite
piece of art on your wrist.philippine tatler. august 2018 129