Lange opened its first point of sale in September 2007, directly adjacent to the Dresden Frauenkirche, a landmark of the baroque city. This is where Ferdinand Adolph Lange worked as a watchmaker before he moved to Glashütte in 1845, to his newly established manufactory. Additionally, the inauguration signalled a foray into new international markets. Just a few months later, the doors of the second brand embassy opened in Shanghai. Meanwhile, there are 17 Lange boutiques in the world’s most vibrant cities.
The special model of the 1815 in a 38.5-millimetre white- or pink-gold case also stands for tradition and transition. At first sight, it is a classic 1815 with a well-organised dial, subsidiary seconds, and blued steel hands reminiscent of the design of historic pocket watches. The numerous artisanal details comprise the decorative ribbing of the three-quarter plate made of untreated German silver, the gold chatons secured with thermally blued screws, the classic screw balance and the hand-engraved balance cock with the whiplash spring. The movement is Lange manufacture calibre L051.1, manually wound, offering a 55-hour power reserve.
1815 is Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s birth year. It pays tribute to the visionary founder as does the engraved hinged cover in solid gold, another hallmark of historic pocket watches. Originally, the dust cover – referred to as a cuvette – served to protect the movement. In the era of water-resistant sapphire-crystal casebacks that reveal artistically finished movements, it has a new aesthetic purpose with the freehand engraving of the Dresden Frauenkirche. Destroyed in the war and reinaugurated on 30 October 2005, the principal oeuvre of Saxon architect George Bähr now stands for a new beginning as a symbol of peace and reconciliation.
The new white- and pink-gold versions of the 1815 come in two limited editions of ten watches each.
