A. Lange & Söhne is a powerhouse of modern-day watchmaking, with a reputation that precedes it—but if one is unfamiliar, or simply needs a reminder, then the upcoming House of Lange exhibition is a fine place to be. From 16 to 29 November, the exhibition will be taking place at The Starhill in Kuala Lumpur.
When the brand was revived in 1994, it made an immediate impact with the Lange 1, a wristwatch with a unique layout of off-centred dials, a power reserve indicator and an outsize date, with a precise and pleasing design that was at once a contemporary wristwatch while preserving the values of traditional German watchmaking. One of these original Lange 1 executions will be on display at the exhibition, allowing visitors to see just how little has changed from the original design—a design that continues to be the brand’s most emblematic collection.
The subsequent years of A. Lange & Söhne saw the brand quickly move from strength to strength, and in a short time. In less than 30 years, it has already created more than a few modern classics. The Datograph was launched in 1999 and was equipped with the most significant in-house developed chronograph calibre that the industry had seen in decades. In 2004, it released the Double Split, the world’s first double rattrapante chronograph—and followed it up with the Triple Split in 2018, also a world first. The Zeitwerk from 2009 was as daring as it was technically groundbreaking, with an oversized in-line digital time display that places extreme energy demands of its movement while sporting a unique aesthetic.
Examples of these will be exhibited, along with many more that are a pointed showcase as to A. Lange & Söhne’s technical mastery. From simple to complicated, every timepiece from the brand will have some sort of innovation, be it a simple cam or lever, or a fusee-and-chain transmission. One recent example is the Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar. Launched only two months ago at Watches & Wonders Shanghai, its movement uses a peripheral month indicator that required some re-engineering of the usual perpetual calendar components.
One of the brand’s master watchmakers will be present at the exhibition to attend to such technical explanations. An engraver will also be there—lest one forget that A. Lange & Söhne watches are renowned also for their beauty and finishing, with finely engraved balance cocks as a signature.
There will also be a section dedicated to the historical A. Lange & Söhne. The manufacture was originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange as the focal point of watchmaking in the small town of Glashütte, in the German state of Saxony. The manufacture’s pocket watches of this era were held in extremely high regard—fine objects that would be presented to royalty and other heads of state. Some of these historical pocket watches will also be on display at the exhibition, showcasing the traditional craftsmanship that continues to inspire—and is kept alive, in some cases, such as the three-quarter plate movement design that is present in many A. Lange & Söhne movements today.
Rather famously, A. Lange & Söhne went through a dark period that effectively saw it stop existing. After surviving a stray bombing run at the end of World War II, in the years immediately afterwards the company was expropriated by the communist government of East Germany. It was not until 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall that Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, was able to return to Glashütte and start rebuilding his family business. Decades removed from its heyday, Walter Lange was nonetheless able to bring it back to soaring heights in just a few short years. This dramatic story of rise, fall and rebirth brings A. Lange & Söhne’s contemporary achievements into an even more remarkable light.
