This Forgotten History Shows Modern Luxury Watchmaking Wasn’t Born In Geneva

• Founded in Glashütte in 1845, A. Lange & Söhne built German watchmaking on precision, discipline, and technical innovation.
• After WWII and decades of disappearance, Walter Lange revived the brand in 1990, cementing its place in modern luxury.
• Iconic watch families like the LANGE 1, 1815, DATOGRAPH, ODYSSEUS, and ZEITWERK reflect German logic, artistry, and a refusal to follow Swiss trends.

In 1845, Germany was a far cry from the industrialised, car-building powerhouse that we know today. The country was largely fragmented; a patchwork of principalities and duchies trying to find their feet in the wake of the Napoleonic Wars.

And while the British Empire was industrialising and Switzerland’s rural watchmakers were beginning to consolidate into what we now call the Vallée de Joux, Ferdinand Adolph Lange, a young German watchmaker from Dresden, saw potential in Glashütte, a sleepy village deep in the Ore Mountains.

It’s here that A. Lange & Söhne was born. Not in a chalet surrounded by Swiss hedonists flaunting monogrammed pocket watches, but in a workshop, under cold light, with calloused hands, some government funding, a handful of apprentices, and a blueprint for mechanical precision.

It’s this simple, but poignant scene that would later become the symbolic home of German luxury watchmaking that we know today.

A. Lange & Söhne wasn’t trying to outdo the Swiss, of course. It was simply trying to create something the Swiss couldn’t: a culture of craftsmanship rooted in Germany’s inherent technical discipline.

At the time, watches weren’t exactly luxury objects. They were practical tools for railwaymen, naval officers, and engineers.

But even in those early years, A. Lange & Söhne treated watchmaking like an art form, blending functionality with fine mechanics, applying the same clarity and order that would later define German architecture, engineering, and philosophy.

Lange didn’t flatter clients with florals and flourishes. He brought in metric tools. He standardised parts. He made precision the norm, teaching locals how to build, finish, and regulate movements from the ground up.

This wasn’t today’s Champagne horology. This was Bauhaus before Bauhaus… in timepiece form.

While Lange was building Glashütte into what we know today, the Swiss were discovering something else: marketing. Some of the world’s biggest brands today can attribute their growth to Swiss heritage and Alpine hospitality. And for the most part, it was an effective strategy.

A. Lange & Söhne, however, wasn’t hosting gala dinners and fundraisers. The German innovator was committed to building a skilled, educated, and self-reliant workforce.

Lange’s designs introduced the metric system to watchmaking. His factory trained generations of Saxon watchmakers. His movements introduced the now-iconic three-quarter plate, gold chatons, screwed balance wheels, and hand-engraved cocks.

Even today, the difference in each complication shows. The Swiss value legacy, whilst A. Lange & Söhne values logic above all else, adding only what will improve the complication to make it more precise, more balanced, more functional. Everything else is fluff; a brand story not worth telling.

A. Lange & Söhne’s Comeback Story

War would again bring seismic change to the German watchmaking industry, ultimately ending A. Lange & Söhne’s golden era. Allied bombs destroyed the Glashütte factory just days before the war ended, and Lange vanished, swallowed by state control and communist conformity. For half a century, it was gone.

Until 1990, when Walter Lange, great-grandson of Ferdinand, brought the name back just after reunification. With industry legend Günter Blümlein and the backing of Richemont, one of the most powerful forces in luxury watchmaking, the latest generation of A. Lange & Söhne watches was unveiled in 1994.

The LANGE 1 was among the first: an asymmetric masterpiece that became an instant icon. But it was only the beginning of A. Lange & Söhne’s return to the horological spotlight, before a bold, calculated move that stunned the industry. The kind of audacious comeback only the Germans could pull off.

For A. Lange & Söhne, each one of its collections, or as the brand likes to call them ‘Families’, is a carefully curated assortment of timepieces, reflective of the German brand’s philosophy of craftsmanship.

Together, they represent a full spectrum of mechanical excellence; from timeless elegance and historic homage to technical bravado and contemporary tastes.

Take the 1815, A. Lange & Söhne’s own beating heart of tradition. Named after the birth year of founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the 1815 family pays homage to the origins of precise watchmaking with its clean, classic design and commitment to producing sophisticated timepieces that can stand the test of time. It’s certainly one for the collector who appreciates the finer things in life, rather than flashy displays.

Then there’s the DATOGRAPH, a family that stands as a masterclass in chronograph engineering and is celebrated for its integrated column-wheel movement and flyback function, which has made it something of a cult favourite among enthusiasts across the globe.

In a more recent chapter, the ODYSSEUS family represents Lange’s first foray into the realm of luxury sports watches, a category dominated by Swiss heavyweights.

Only launched in 2019, the ODYSSEUS has the benefit of perspective. Of course, today’s most sought-after releases share their design language with an industry boom during the mid to late 70s, a period when brands redefined what a luxury sports watch could (and should) be. But the German brand is able to take the redeeming qualities of the era and bring them forward with a modern lens.

Crafted in stainless steel yet finished with the meticulous handwork for which the German brand’s artisans are renowned, the ODYSSEUS is the result.

Up until this point, the brand had only ever released high-performance dress watches, but the ODYSSEUS signalled a willingness to evolve, all without losing sight of its core values. It’s a truly versatile watch that carries the same pedigree and attention to detail as its more classically dressed predecessors.

Already well-known, the ZEITWERK family is the German watchmaker’s radical redefinition of time display. Mechanical digital jumping numerals, a powerful constant-force escapement, and forward-thinking complications make it the brand’s wild card.

It’s built for the kind of collector who’s already been through the Swiss catalogue and is now asking: What else is out there?

For those who care more about what’s ticking inside their timepiece than the branding surrounding it. Which, you could argue, is true across the board for all of A. Lange & Söhne’s most celebrated releases. Watches that quietly defy Swiss tradition, yet refuse to be overlooked. If that’s not luxury, what is?

If you’ve ever wondered what makes an A. Lange & Söhne tick, now’s your chance to find out. From 15-19 September, the brand is flying a master watchmaker into Sydney to open up the Saxon secrets usually reserved for Glashütte.

Hosted inside the McKenzie Room at Capella Sydney, this is an opportunity for Australia’s watch buffs to witness the movements being assembled, engraved, and regulated in real time. Precision, passion, and craftsmanship, right in front of you.

Spots are limited, but if you’re serious about understanding why German watchmaking stands apart, secure your place here.