Early wristwatches from A. Lange & Söhne achieved remarkable results at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction this autumn.
Various models of A. Lange & Söhne watches were also sold at a total of five auctions held by Phillips, Dr. Crott and Sotheby’s from 6 to 12 November 2020. A classic DATOGRAPH from 2009 went under the hammer at Geneva auction house Phillips’ “Retrospective: 2000–2020” auction on 8 November. The watch in yellow gold with a black dial (Ref. 403.041) sold for the equivalent of EUR 165,000, roughly four times its original retail price. Known in collectors’ circles as the “yellow jacket”, production of this edition was limited to just a few watches.
Two days earlier, a yellow gold LANGE 1 with a solid gold caseback (Ref. 101.001) changed hands at Phillips for EUR 47,090, more than three times the original sales price. With this extraordinarily high result, this watch in perfect condition far exceeded the upper end of its estimate, which stood at EUR 14,700. Unveiled at the legendary inaugural press conference of A. Lange & Söhne in Dresden on 24 October 1994, the watch was originally only available with a solid-gold caseback. This makes it interesting for collectors. A short while later, the LANGE 1 was fitted with a sapphire-crystal caseback like all other Lange watches.
About A. Lange & Söhne
Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand Adolph Lange laid the cornerstone of Saxony’s precision watchmaking industry when he established his manufactory in 1845. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly vanished. In 1990, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson Walter Lange had the courage to relaunch the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches per year, predominantly in gold or platinum. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated by hand and assembled twice. With 66 manufacture calibres developed since 1990, A. Lange & Söhne has secured a top-tier position in the world of watchmaking. Brand icons such as the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a regularly produced wristwatch, and the ZEITWERK with its precisely jumping numerals display, rank among the company’s greatest successes. Exceptional complications such as the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, the TRIPLE SPLIT, and the so far most complicated model, the GRAND COMPLICATION presented in 2013 in a six-watch limited edition, reflect the manufactory’s determination to achieve ever new pinnacles in its tradition-steeped horological artistry. Launched in 2019, the sporty-elegant ODYSSEUS marks the beginning of a new chapter for A. Lange & Söhne.
