On December 7th 1845, Adolph Lange set up his first production workshops in the region of Glashütte, nearby Dresden. For some years, he had been studying precision-watchmaking, and took now the opportunity to launch his own production of high-quality timepieces. He started the company together with ... read more.
On December 7th 1845, Adolph Lange set up his first production workshops in the region of Glashütte, nearby Dresden. For some years, he had been studying precision-watchmaking, and took now the opportunity to launch his own production of high-quality timepieces. He started the company together with his brother-in-law Adolf Schneider, who was also a watchmaker, and 15 apprentices.
Adolph Lange had for several years made precise plans and drawings for new machine tools that would be used in watch production. He had even made a lot of own gearing calculations as well as conversion tables between the French ligne and the metric system. With his own manufacturing plant, he could now realize his visiones and ideas. He employed several craftsmen specialized in some particular process or a component, which would increase the quality and value of the finished product even more.
The demand for Lange's pocket watches grew with the increasing economic prosperity and the foundation of the German empire, and soon the original workshop became too small. Adolph Lange established new facilities in 1873, for the workforce of 60 employees.
The company flourished from the end of the Franco-Prussian war to the Great Depression in the 1920's. In 1895, a direct telephone link to the Berlin Observatory was installed to get accurate time signals for production of chronometers.
On May 8th 1945, the last day of the World War II, Lange's main production building was totally demolished in a bombing. Shortly after the plant was rebuilt, the company was expropriated by the East German Socialist goverment. The productions was seized.
The reunification of Germany gave Walter Lange, the heir of Adolph Lange, chance to rebuild his familys legacy. On December 7th, 1990, exactly 145 years after his great-grandfather founded the company, the production was relaunched under the new company name, Lange Uhren GmbH.
The news of Langes return spredd fast in Glashütte, and job applications came flooding in. Many of the applicants were descendants of the original Lange employees. Walter Lange could quickly recreate his company and its workforce, but unfortenately the efforts to reclaim the old production plant were unsuccesful. The new production facilities were established in the former premises of the watch manufacturer Strasser & Röhde.
In 1994, the company produced the first wristwatch under the traditional name A. Lange & Söhne.
