The 'OG' of Modern Watchmaking: A. Lange & Söhne's Grande Complication

Grande Complication with split-second chronograph, Grande ou Petite Sonnerie, Minute Repeater, and Perpetual Calendar is the endgame. This is the OG. It doesn't get better than that. This Grande Complication embodies the DNA of what A. Lange & Söhne is today. In 1845, Ferdinand Adolphe Lange didn't just open a watchmaking manufacturer, he really built an ecosystem. He had the apprentice who had to stay with him for five years and then they went on to open their own workshop. So everything was produced there. So he really had the people in mind at the center of his watchmaking. Later on, his two sons joined him. It was 1868 at that time and this is when A. Lange became what it is today. So between 1901 and 1928, A. Lange & Söhne really specialized on Grande Complication. During that period, they produced nine Grande Complication clock watches. This one in particular has a Grande & Petite Sonnerie, Minute Repeater, Split Second Chronograph, Une Rattrapance, love that, and Perpetual Calendar. So besides the incredible finishing, the movement in itself is very impressive because of all the complication, you can just dive into the movement. There's so much depth and it's hypnotizing. This watch is the fifth one to have been produced and the last one in pink gold. It really represents the maturity within A. Lange & Söhne at that point. They were at the top of their form and they knew exactly what they were doing. This is proper German watchmaking. So you could look at the front, at the die, but you could also admire the movement on the back. So this example was acquired at a jeweler in 1939 in Wiesbaden by the same family who's offering the watch today. It's very rare to see such a timepiece preserved in spectacular condition and it's an honor to hold it in my hands today. The watch is accompanied by its original box, certificates. In recent years, couples have popped up on the public market and what we notice is that the case is always very embellished and decorated, whereas this one is completely bare. There's no coat of arm. There's no engravings. It's just pure, letting the horology express itself to the fullest. This watch represented the pinnacle of horology in 1916 and it still is today and I'm hoping will remain for the next 100 years to come.