Lange 1815 Annual Calendar

Born in 1815, Ferdinand Adolph Lange received a rigorous education at the hands of nurses and governesses. At 15 he became a student at the Saxon Technical school in Dresden. Following that, he pursued training under Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, Sr, royal clockmaker to the King of Saxony. In 1846 he and his brother-in-law formed A. Lange & Söhne.

Lange’s use of precision tools and instruments allowed the manufacture to attain a level of precision that was heretofore unknown in mass-produced watches. After his death in 1878, his sons Richard and Emil would carry on his legacy. However, the Soviet occupation of East Germany at the end of the Second World War saw an end to A. Lange & Söhne. But after Reunification in the 1990s, the manufacture would make its triumphant return. At the helm of the company would be another Lange, Ferdinand’s great-grandson Walter.

The model 1815 honors this watchmaking legacy. Simple and elegant, it’s a careful distillation of Saxon watchmaking and design — adorned with just enough decoration to be beautiful, its otherwise minimalist look mixes Bauhaus principles with classical aesthetics.

But this particular watch is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill 1815 — if there is such a thing to begin with! What we have here is an annual calendar dating to the 2020s. It features a 40mm white gold case, a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, a polished bezel, an incredible, solid-silver dial with black Arabic numerals and blued-steel spear  hands, and matching white gold spear hands for the  sub registers.

Paired to a signed black alligator strap with a white gold pin buckle, this piece houses Lange's manually-wound Calibre L051.3 movement within - which thankfully is visible through a sapphire exhibition caseback.

There’s nothing wrong with a classic dress watch from a member of the “Holy Trinity.” But for a modern stunner, virtually any Lange can step up to delight. This one is no different.