When thinking of the real heavyweights in haute horlogerie, only a few big names come to mind- Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet and of course, the Germans next door, A. Lange & Sohne. While many see Swiss watches as the pinnacle of watchmaking, Lange serves as a reminder that this isn’t always the case. In fact, one can say that in some areas, Lange is considered much better than its Swiss counterparts.
The Lange 1 would certainly have to be the brand’s most iconic model. Made famous by its unusual dial layout, the Lange one is immediately recognizable by its signature large date aperture, along with the clock often aligned to the left and within a sub-dial. Made since the brand’s rebirth, the Lange 1 has seen many iterations with different complications but always maintaining the same unmistakable aesthetic. The example here you see is an early Lange 1 that features an added moon phase.
What makes early Lange 1’s collectible in my opinion largely has to do with the size. At 38.5mm, it is perfect on the wrist as a dress watch and it has enough thickness to make it relevant to modern tastes. Furthermore, with this particular example, it is made in yellow gold which is quite unusual for the brand as they traditionally stuck to rose gold. The new sizing of the Lange 1’s at over 40mm is too large in my opinion and I am sure that collectors will value the old ones much more when they start realizing.
This Lange 1 Moon is powered by an in-house manually wound caliber L905.1 and is another trademark of the Lange 1 family. With its movement made out of German Silver, the three quarter plate design is iconic to the Lange 1 and is perfectly finished off with a hand-engraved balance cock.
The seemingly white dial actually has a more straw-colored tone to it. It is very subtle but when combined with the yellow gold case, it really blends together well and gives off excellent warm tones. This is contrasted with the bright blue moon phase and overall this Lange 1 Moon could be the platonic ideal of what a dress watch should be. ALS really gets details right and with this watch, it is no exception.
