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.