A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 “Soirée” Mother-of-Pearl: A Collector's Perspective

Key Points from the Discussion

• The 'Soirée' designation initially applied only to the non-guilloche Lange 1 (Ref. 110.029) around 2001-02. The guilloche versions, like the Ref. 110.030, were later also referred to as 'Soirée' after the non-guilloche model was discontinued.
• The Lange 1 'Soirée' (Ref. 110.030) with its white gold case and mother-of-pearl dial is distinct from the Lange 1 'Stealth' (Ref. 101.025), which features a platinum case and rhodium dial. The 'Soirée' caters to a more niche market due to its unique dial material.
• The mother-of-pearl dial of the Lange 1 'Soirée' exhibits significant color variation depending on lighting conditions, appearing vibrant under studio lights and more subdued in cloudy environments. This characteristic makes it a challenging but rewarding subject for photography.
• Identifying the case size of older Lange 1 models can be done by observing the date corrector pusher: a protruding rectangular pusher at 10 o'clock indicates the larger 38.5mm case, while a recessed pusher signifies the smaller 36mm case.
• The guilloche dial Lange 1 models were initially offered exclusively by Sincere for approximately a year before becoming more widely available through other authorized dealers.
• The difficulty in photographing these dials to accurately capture their beauty is a common experience, as they often appear largely white in bright light but reveal amazing prismatic effects and colors in dimmer settings.