160.029, Lange 1 'Soirée', Mother of Pearl Dial, Wellendorff Bracelet, White Gold

This is ref. 160.029, a quite rare Lange 1 featuring both a remarkable ‘Soirée’ mother of pearl dial and integrated Wellendorff white gold bracelet. This style of Wellendorff is precious metal silk, one of the most remarkably comfortable and well-made bracelets which has ever been constructed. And yet, still the dial commands greatest attention. Most estimate that 50-75 examples of the Wellendorff ref. 160.029 were made, a hallmark from one of the greatest eras of A. Lange & Söhne. It is an A. Lange & Söhne which is elevated and expressive, yet unwaveringly Teutonic still.

The Soirée was introduced in 2001. These dials are made from Oyster shells, with an iridescent effect given from reflecting layers inside the material. Lange take a demanding process to make these dials, starting from polishing the exterior to a CNC cut according to dial shape specifications. After that blank is produced, cared motifs, ink, and applying numerals is all up to the individual craftspeople at Lange.  

In 2001, the RRP of the Wellendorff bracelet version of the Soirée was 29.1K EUR, nearly double the RRP of the ‘standard’ Soirée ref. 110.028 at 18.7K. Since, they’ve become considerably more collected. However, that tells you something about the relative effort invested in this precious metal 8-row bracelet construction. Wellendorff's bracelet are widely regarded as some of the greatest bracelets ever made from any manufacture, ever. Their craft dates back to their own founding in 1893 and has long focused on precious metal bracelets. Wellendorff is no longer making bracelets for A. Lange & Söhne or any watchmaker, which has left these early examples of their work in watches as highly collectible. Many will tell you that no watch bracelet has ever been made of a higher quality than Wellendorff.

Interestingly, all of the above MoP variants received their own calibre number, L901.4, because the dial has to be a touch thicker. This means the pinions on the handstack are thicker and the case is about a half mm thicker as well. Otherwise calibre L901.4 retains all the beautiful Glashütte striping, anglage, and hand engraving you’d expect of the traditional German style. Its case obviously bears the altered integrated bracelet shape without lugs, however otherwise it retains the traditional 38.5mm three-body profile in white gold. 

The 160.029 is an über-collectible Lange that simply exhibits many of Germany’s most distinct, skilled, and unreplaceable abilities. Soirée is a fitting name, as the 160.029 does not try to outdo the standard Lange 1, only offer an elevated and distinct iteration of it. It is German exuberance, not an oxymoron but a pleasure to behold. 

This 160.029 presents in excellent condition overall. The case is very sharp with only superficial wear and the lightest signs of use. Its Calibre L901.4 is running well in specification on our timing equipment. It comes with its full set.

This example is modelled on both an average-sized man's 7-inch wrist and and smaller than average-sized woman's 6.4 inch wrist.