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lot 33

lot 33

A. Lange and Sohne

Lange 31 'Platinum'

REFERENCE: 130.025
CASE MATERIAL: Platinum
CASE DIAMETER: 45.9 mm

Bought-In

Estimate: US$ 70,000 - 90,000

Lot Closed

Lot Details

STRAP: Black alligator strap with A. Lange & Söhne platinum pin buckle
DIAL: Silver with applied batons displays
MOVEMENT: Manual winding
CALIBRE: L034.1
FUNCTIONS: Hours, Minutes, Seconds in subdial, 31-day power reserve display, Date display, Zero-reset mechanism
BOX: None
PAPERS: None
ACCESSORIES: Winding tool

Please note this lot is the property of a private individual.

LOT ESSAY
Lange 31 'Platinum' is a deceptive-looking watch in its simplicity. But however simple it may appear with its modest silver dial, there are no other wristwatches in the market similar to it.

Its uniqueness is showcased in one full charge of the movement, which powers the timepiece for 31 days, as the name of the model suggests. The movement, powered by two large and powerful mainsprings stacked together and giving the watch enough kinetic energy for 31 days, is coupled with a complex remontoir escapement to avoid severe overbanking of the balance from the extreme power. This escapement is as difficult to adjust and regulate as a tourbillon escapement would be.

A. Lange and Sohne

A. Lange & Söhne is a German manufacturer of luxury and prestige watches. Originally founded by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Germany in 1845.

A highly regarded watch manufacturer, the brand as we know it got its start in 1868, when Ferdinand A. Lange's sons Richard and Emil entered the company, and the company name was changed to A. Lange & Söhne (A. Lange & Sons). While Emil focused on running the business, Richard Lange followed their father's path, advancing inventions and patents such as quarter repeater and chronograph. Some of his notable patents include an up/down power reserve indicator (patent No.9349), improved chronometer restraints, a pocket watch with a minutes counter, and the addition of beryllium to improve the rate characteristic of balance-spring. Under the Lange brothers' leadership, the brand experienced much recognition and success both in their native Germany and abroad, receiving accolades and patronage from both royalty and the nobility.

After World War I & II, the company suffered immense loss with the destruction of their headquarter and main production building in the wars. It was nationalised in 1948 under Soviet occupation and the Lange signature disappeared from the dials of their watches.

In 1990, years after the war, the brand was re-registered, and once again trademark under Lange Uhren GmbH by Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Since 2000, Lange Uhren GmbH has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. The company's current model families are Lange 1, Zeitwerk, Saxonia, 1815, Richard Lange, and Odysseus.