Blue Dial 191.028 A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1

In and amongst all the Lange 1s, blue dials hold a special place in collectors’ hearts. ‘Prussian’ blue holds special significance within German culture as it was discovered accidentally by a German painter and became the first ever chemically produced blue pigment. The Prussian King chose this color, framed in gold, for its highest military award, the Pour Le Mérite. Noting its significance to German history, Blümlein intentionally established the ‘Prussian’ blue dial as desirable by initially limiting its use to just their most complicated offering, the Tourbillon Pour Le Mérite. There are 3 Lange 1 references in blue, the initial 101.027 or 101.028 in gold, and this most recent 191.028.

The 191.028 was released as a part of Lange’s ‘Blue Series’ in 2017 along with blue dial variants of the Lange 1 Daymatic, Saxonia, and Saxonia Automatic. It is believed to have only been produced for a single year. While it is a clear descendent of the 101.027, there are a few tells that allow the trained eye to quickly distinguish the two. First, the OG dials were brushed, that’s a clear distinction. The 198.028 has a flatter bezel, thinner typeface on the dial, and sharper corners on the white gold date aperture frame. Its upgraded 368-component calibre L121.1 provides a jumping date, moved the balance to the crown side of the case, and features a solid ¾ plate rather than the islands present on the 101.027’s calibre L901.0.

A 101.027, the grandfather here, famously sold at 113k CHF in 2022 (they have calmed a bit since then). Despite a nearly indistinguishable appearance, the 191.028 won’t trouble you for half that today . . .but about half that. They’ve begun to command a small premium relative to normal Lange 1s, but not much. It’s no Dubail. The market has yet to really decide on them. And yet, this blue is a quite significant thing in Lange-land, it’s not just a beautiful tone it’s markedly German. In short, this isn’t a shout MoP or guilloché-loud Lange 1. It’s just a very tasteful and uber-German reference to Lange’s own history. Comparably, you don’t have to get your new GT3 in Oak Green. But you should. Same-same.

This example bears only light signs of surface wear, nothing more. I can barely find a mark. It comes from a well-regarded Belgian retailer.