A. Lange & Söhne commemorates Walter Lange's watchmaking legacy on his 100th birthday

29 JUL 2024

ALS Walter Lange Turning A Balance Staff

A. Lange & Söhne today pays homage to Walter Lange, who would have turned 100 years old on 29 July 2024. By reestablishing Lange Uhren GmbH on 7 December 1990, he not only succeeded in reviving his family's extensive watchmaking tradition after being forced to stop for over 40 years but also paved the way for the resurgence of Saxon precision watchmaking founded by his great-grandfather in 1845.

Walter Lange, who was closely connected with A. Lange & Söhne as a representative and ambassador until his death on 17 January 2017, was honoured many times over for his outstanding services to the Glashütte watch industry. Despite his success, he will always be remembered for his charismatic personality, open-mindedness, warmth, modesty and down-to-earth attitude. When Lange approached others, he would always treat them as equals. With his vision of responsible entrepreneurship and his commitment to the trade, for example, to the next generation of watchmakers, his influence still characterises the corporate culture of A. Lange & Söhne today.

When time came home

With a keen eye for quality, Lange and entrepreneur Günter Blümlein, a dynamic duo, focused on preserving traditional craftsmanship and developing technical innovations. The first collection with LANGE 1, ARKADE, SAXONIA and TOURBILLON "Pour le Mérite" was launched on 24 October 1994 in the Dresden Royal Palace: Experts and connoisseurs were immediately impressed. The 123 examples produced were all sold. Many product presentations followed, and Lange never hesitated to share his advice and experience. Until the very end, he would speak to customers, press representatives and business partners, giving interviews and talking about his life. He always engaged with everyone with a great deal of openness, even in Glashütte, where he was a welcomed guest.

Committed to the next generation of watchmakers

One of Lange's main concerns was the future of the watchmaking profession. At first, the company started in 1997 with just two trainees, and today the in-house school is internationally recognised. Lange would always listen to the concerns of the next generation of watchmakers and with his involvement he is still a role model for the younger generation today. In autumn 2022, the manufacture paid tribute to its namesake by naming its in-house school the "Walter Lange Training and Further Education Centre".

Give credit where credit is due

Walter Lange received as many as ten personal honours during his lifetime, including international awards such as the Prix Spécial du Jury du Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève in 2014, the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie in 2013 – both in Geneva – and the Caesars Award in Bucharest in 2011. To mark the 175th anniversary of Glashütte watchmaking, the town and A. Lange & Söhne subsequently honoured Walter Lange's life's work. A life-size bronze sculpture created by Hamburg artist Thomas Jastram was unveiled on 18 September 2020 in front of guests from the world of politics, people from the industry and the press – just a few steps away from the monument to his great-grandfather Ferdinand Adolph Lange. Other official honours include honorary citizenship of the town of Glashütte in 1995, the Saxon Order of Merit in 1998 and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1st class in 2015.

"He was the beating heart of our Manufacture."

With these words, Wilhelm Schmid, CEO of A. Lange & Söhne, remembers Lange. His legacy should also be preserved in the future. "Walter Lange represented the old school in the truest sense of the word. He has brought his values, such as watchmaking, his down-to-earth attitude and his humble character to the company and firmly anchored them so that his way of thinking and his actions will continue to have an impact and guide our decisions as a company in the future," says Schmid.

About A. Lange & Söhne

Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand Adolph Lange laid the foundations for Saxony’s precision watchmaking industry when he established his manufacture 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 equipped exclusively with movements made in-house that are elaborately finished and assembled twice by hand. With 72 manufacture calibres developed since 1990, A. Lange & Söhne has secured a top-tier position in the world of watchmaking. Its greatest achievements include the LANGE 1, the first regularly produced wristwatch with an outsize date, and the ZEITWERK, with its precisely jumping numerals. Extraordinary complications such as the ZEITWERK MINUTE REPEATER, the TRIPLE SPLIT and the GRAND COMPLICATION presented in 2013, the most complicated model to date, represent what the manufacture always strives for: to drive the traditional art of watchmaking to ever-new heights. Launched in 2019, the sporty-elegant ODYSSEUS marked the beginning of a new chapter for A. Lange & Söhne.