A. LANGE & SÖHNE LANGE 1 (PRE RICHEMONT)

Maker: A. Lange & Söhne
Model: Lange 1
Reference: 101.022
Case: 18k yellow gold
Case Diameter: 38.5mm
Case Thickness: 10mm
Dial: Argenté
Crystal: Sapphire crystal
Caseback: Sapphire crystal display back
Movement: Manual-winding A. Lange & Söhne Calibre L901.0
Power Reserve: 72 hours
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, outsize date and power-reserve indication
Strap: Green leather strap
Buckle: A. Lange & Söhne 18k yellow-gold pin buckle
Water Resistance: Vintage watch – water resistance is not guaranteed
Condition: Very good condition

There are watches that become icons through repetition, and there are watches that seem inevitable almost from the moment they appear. The A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 belongs firmly to the latter category.

When A. Lange & Söhne unveiled the Lange 1 in 1994, the watch looked unlike almost anything else in high-end watchmaking. The 1990s were still dominated by familiar ideas of what an important dress watch should be: round, restrained and, above all, symmetrical.

The Lange 1 was round and restrained. But symmetrical it certainly was not.

Its hours and minutes were pushed dramatically to the left. The small seconds sat below. A power-reserve indicator occupied the upper right, while an enormous double-window date appeared where convention suggested it had no business being.

And somehow, it worked.

The apparent imbalance was in fact carefully calculated, with the principal indications arranged according to geometric relationships that give the dial its extraordinary visual equilibrium. It was German watchmaking without nostalgia: rooted in the traditions of Glashütte, but expressed through a completely new design language.

More than thirty years later, the remarkable thing is how little the Lange 1 needed to change.

The basic architecture remains immediately recognizable today. That alone places the Lange 1 among a very small group of watches created in the late 20th century that established an entirely new visual identity and became genuine modern icons.

The Ref. 101.022 is especially compelling because it belongs to the original generation of the Lange 1.

Its 38.5mm yellow-gold case, argenté dial, blued hands and manually wound Calibre L901.0 capture Lange during its formative years, before the manufacture became part of the Richemont Group in 2000.

That distinction matters.

Early Lange watches were produced during an extraordinary period when Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein were effectively rebuilding one of Germany's great watchmaking names from the ground up. The company had only been re-established in 1990; four years later, it introduced a watch that would come to define the manufacture.

Turn the 101.022 over and the philosophy becomes even clearer.

The Calibre L901.0 was not designed to resemble contemporary Swiss movements. Its German-silver three-quarter plate, screwed gold chatons, blued screws and hand-engraved balance cock deliberately recalled the great Glashütte pocket watches of the past.

It was anachronistic by design.

Yet the architecture surrounding it was anything but old-fashioned. The movement incorporated the patented outsize-date mechanism and an entirely new base construction developed specifically to accommodate the Lange 1's unconventional dial arrangement.

That tension between tradition and modernity is what makes these early watches so interesting today.

Collectors have increasingly begun to distinguish the earliest Lange 1 references from later production. Rare steel examples and first-series watches now occupy an important place in the auction market, but the appeal extends beyond the exceptional variants. There is a growing appreciation for original-generation precious-metal Lange 1s as artefacts of the manufacture's defining decade.

The yellow-gold Ref. 101.022 may be one of the purest expressions of that idea.

It does not need rarity for rarity's sake. Its importance comes from being an original-generation version of one of the great watch designs of the 1990s, powered by the movement that helped establish the modern reputation of A. Lange & Söhne.

This example adds another layer of character. The warmth of the yellow gold, silvered dial and blued hands feels unmistakably of its period, while the dark green leather strap gives the watch an unexpectedly contemporary edge.

Today, when collectors speak about early A. Lange & Söhne with the same seriousness once reserved for established vintage Swiss manufactures, watches such as the Lange 1 Ref. 101.022 explain why.

It represents the moment when a newly revived manufacture did something exceptionally difficult: it created a watch that had no predecessor, looked like nothing else, and almost immediately established a design language strong enough to endure for generations.

The Milanese Lunch

A chocolate-brown double-breasted blazer, pale blue shirt, cream pleated trousers and dark brown suede loafers.

The yellow gold brings warmth to the tailoring, while the green leather strap introduces just enough colour to stop the outfit from becoming predictable.

It is formal, but nowhere near corporate.

The Weekend Collector

Faded straight-leg denim, a heavyweight white T-shirt, navy cashmere cardigan and well-worn brown loafers.

A yellow-gold Lange 1 should not be saved exclusively for suits. Against denim and knitwear, the watch becomes much more interesting. The 38.5mm case keeps it discreet, while the asymmetric dial provides the detail.

Expensive watch, uncomplicated clothes.

The Evening Minimalist

Black pleated trousers, a fine-gauge black merino knit and polished black loafers. Nothing else.

Against an almost monochromatic outfit, the yellow-gold case becomes the single warm element. The argenté dial and blued hands keep the watch from feeling overly traditional.

It is the kind of contrast that makes a classic dress watch feel completely contemporary.

This A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Ref. 101.022 is presented in very good condition.

The 18k yellow-gold case retains strong proportions and well-defined surfaces, with only light signs of wear consistent with careful use. The brushed case band remains clearly visible, while the polished bezel and lugs retain their elegant definition.

The argenté dial is exceptionally well preserved, with crisp printing and clean subsidiary displays. The signature outsize date, power-reserve indication and blued hands present beautifully.

Through the sapphire crystal caseback, the manually wound Calibre L901.0 is fully visible, showcasing its characteristic three-quarter plate, blued screws, gold chatons and traditional Glashütte finishing.

The watch is currently fitted with a dark green leather strap with contrasting stitching, giving the yellow-gold case a more contemporary character. It is completed by a signed A. Lange & Söhne 18k yellow-gold pin buckle.

Overall, this is a very attractive example of the Lange 1 Ref. 101.022, preserving the proportions, details and character that make the original-generation Lange 1 so desirable today.