112.021 A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1A

This is a Lange 1A, that’s not a typo. This is the very first limited production Lange, ref. 112.021 made in 100 examples in 1998. It sports a name which nods toward what was then a new manufacture building named 1A. It was also the very first Lange to sport a guilloche dial which has come to define a category. Only the PLM Tourbillon featured a gold dial prior. The Lange 1A is historic, made to celebrate the successful revival of the brand at the point in time where the initial people involved finally felt they could.

Photography for this Find comes courtesy of an example sold prior by Mr. Watchley and A Collected Man. 

Interestingly, the balance and escape wheel cocks are not German silver but gold, matching the dial. This rare flourish cools the silver by comparison, leading to a two-tone effect caseback that goes under L901.1 (the L901.0 being standard). In the Glashütte pocket watch days, this was common to avoid the effects of corrosion. Alloys have advanced since then and while it’s not as functional as it was, this is a old shaking hands with the new in a way that befits the celebration. They’re fairly uniform in production except the hands. About halfway through production they changed the gold petite seconds hand for blued steel. Apart from the unique metals and one of the greatest dials Lange have made, it’s a Lange 1 in all other repsects but name.

We see usually one or so come to market yearly, the most recent high arrived in 2025 when Christie’s hammered one for 135K USD. The all time high was set in 2022 when one on bracelet hit 241K at Phillips. Now another Lange 1A is back at Christie’s, and the result here will be telling for collectible Lange in years to come. While there are more valuable Lange 1s, even Lange 1s with more ornate dials (floral comes to mind), this was first.

This example coming sports a strong case with little to no visible marks. The dial is unblemished, it's sporting the blued steel petite seconds. It appears to come with the full works.