A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte, A silver openface sweep seconds deck watch, no. 81799, circa 1918

gilt three-quarters plate lever movement, pivoted detent escapement, bi-metallic two armed guillaume balance, spiral blued steel spring, precision regulator, engraved balance cock, diamond endstone, silver cuvette, silvered matte dial, roman numerals, engine-turned Jürgens case, case, dial, cuvette and movement signed, dial and movement numbered, accompanied by an unusual mahogany triple-hinged deck box.

Sotheby's London, Catalogue of Fine Watches and Clocks, March 22, 1971, lot 76
Time Museum Inventory No. 470

Huber, Martin.  Die Uhren Von A. Lange & Söhne Glashütte, p. 166, table 2.
Randall, cat. no. 96

 

Since its inception in the 1840's by Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the house of A. Lange & Söhne is a name that has been rich in history.  Ferdinand Lange apprenticed at an early age to Johann Gutkaes and also studied at the Dresden Polytechnic School.  After working with the famed Parisian chronometer maker, J.T. Winnerl, he returned to Dresden and in 1845 applied for a loan to open a watchmaking firm, which he subsequently established in Glashütte, Saxony.  In fact, until Lange's arrival the town was little more than an impoverished mountainside village.  However, over the course of the next twenty years, Lange was able to impart his watchmaking expertise to the villagers, transforming the town into both a thriving and recognizable hub for the production of precision timepieces.  After his sudden death in 1875, Lange left the business to his sons, Emil and Richard.

The present lot employs Ferdinand Lange's U.S. patent from 1866, no. 54831, for the divided winding stem and keyless works.