Remembering Walter Lange of A. Lange & Söhne, on his 100th Birthday

Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Germany, A. Lange & Söhne has become over the past years one of the most important watchmakers of the Saxon region. The story of Lange Uhren GmbH is, however, not as simple as it seems and despite subsequent generations of the family keeping the brand thriving, conflicts in Europe could have sounded the end of this great manufacture. But it was without counting on Herr Walter Lange, great-grandson of F.A. Lange, and one of the two men responsible, together with Günter Blümlein, for the glorious return of Saxon precision watchmaking in 1990. Let’s remember a man who would have turned 100 today. 

Walter Lange, born in Dresden on 29 July 1924, was the fourth child of Rudolf and Hildegart Lange and spent a sheltered childhood in Glashütte, which was influenced by the effects of the global economic crisis. Despite the complex situation in Germany, which would later turn even worse, there was no doubt in his mind that Walter Lange would become a watchmaker. Young Walter would often accompany his father Rudolf to the manufacture, starting a vocation. After completing primary school in Glashütte and his secondary education in Dresden, in the spring of 1941 he began an apprenticeship as a watchmaker in Karlstein, Lower Austria, at the School of the Watchmaking Industry. Yet, his career would stop, as Walter Lange was called for military service in the Second World War. Walter returned home severely wounded on 7 May 1945, before Glashütte was bombed the very next day, on the last day of the war, on 8 May 1945. The main production building of A. Lange & Söhne was badly damaged and what remained was seized by the Soviet occupiers.

But this didn’t stop Walter Lange and the people of Glashütte from rebuilding the town and bringing its industry back to life. “Watch production was the only way we and our town could survive,” explains Walter Lange in his memoirs. In 1947, the calibre 28 started to be commercialized, a wristwatch movement based on the Calibre 48 pocket watch. But as early as 1948, the expropriation and transformation into a state-owned company ruined the Lange family’s plans for the future. After being forced to work in uranium mining, Walter Lange fled to Pforzheim in November 1948, where his efforts to set up a new watchmaking manufacture were not very successful. Walter Lange remained loyal to the watchmaking and jewellery industry as a sales representative until his retirement in 1986. But his retirement was short-lived.

1990, German reunification. No hesitations for Walter Lange. At the age of 66, on 7 December 1990, he registered Lange Uhren GmbH, the first stone in a story that would bring back watches on the wrist of collectors in 1994 – a success story that could not have been possible without another great man, Günter Blümlein, and his companies, as Lange could use designers, watchmakers and administrative staff, as well as financial support from VDO and LMH (Les Manufactures Horlogères).

24 October 1994 in the Dresden Royal Palace; watches bearing the name Lange on their dials were a reality once more. 4 models, all more emblematic than the other, all deeply rooted within the Saxon tradition, all essentially Lange – the Lange 1, the Saxonia, the Arkade and the Tourbillon Pour le Merite. As often as possible, Walter Lange would be around the manufacture of Glashütte, or at presentations with the press and collectors. Walter Lange never hesitated to share his advice and experience. Until the very end, he was present next to the people who made the company successful.

While not having an executive position at A. Lange & Söhne, Walter Lange provided his view on many aspects of the company, with one of his major concerns being the future of the watchmaking profession. He always insisted on training internally and transmitting the knowledge between generations. In autumn 2022, the manufacture paid tribute to its namesake by naming its in-house school the “Walter Lange Training and Further Education Centre.”

Walter Lange passed away on 17 January 2017, during the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) and I can remember being present at the A. Lange & Söhne dinner the day after, with intense emotion from the entire staff present, including its CEO Wilhelm Schmid who would often say that Walter Lange “was the beating heart of our manufacture.” he certainly left his mark on the city of Glashütte, the Saxon region and German watchmaing as a whole. Happy 100th anniversary, Herr Lange.

For more details, please visit www.alange-soehne.com.