The second generation of the Lange watchmaking dynasty

THE PATH TO WORLD FAME.

After Ferdinand A. Lange died, his sons Emil and Richard assumed the responsibility for managing the company that had operated under the name A. Lange & Söhne since 1868. It was the year in which Richard Lange became a co-owner of the manufactory. His younger brother Emil joined the firm three years later.

Horological talent
Together, they evolved A. Lange & Söhne timepieces to a degree of mechanical and artisanal maturity that perpetuated the renown of
A. Lange & Söhne to this very day. Richard Lange in particular had inherited Ferdinand A. Lange’s horological talent and, following in his father’s footsteps, he relied on the latest scientific insights as he designed new calibres. Overall, the company was granted 27 patents and utility models for which he can take credit.

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The in-house produced Lange balance spring
RICHARD LANGE AND THE ZEPPELIN (24 MB)
His most significant discovery qualified for a patent entitled “Metal Alloy for Watch Springs”: Richard Lange found out that the alloy customarily used for balance springs in those days could be sub-stantially improved by the admixture of beryllium. It made him the spiritus rector of the Nivarox balance spring, a key element that is
still used in the majority of high-quality mechanical timepieces today.

THE LANGE BALANCE SPRING
Kaiser William II. pocket watch

A POCKET WATCH FOR THE OTTOMAN SULTAN.

Under his guidance, the manufactory gained fame and stature to such a level that it even attracted the attention of the German Kaiser. In 1898, he commissioned a magnificent Lange pocket watch, which he presented as a gift on the occasion of an official visit to the Ottoman Sultan.

The third generation of the Lange watchmaking dynasty
This excellent reputation and the company’s many specialities in precision timekeeping were assets that kept the manufactory afloat during the global economic crisis in an epoch during which many competitors were forced to close their doors. It was the third generation of the Lange watchmaking dynasty – the brothers Otto, Rudolf, and Gerhard Lange – who were called upon to overcome these difficult challenges and to whom the management of the company was entrusted shortly after World War I.