A. Lange & Söhne

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An old entry level at Lange: the gold versions of the first 1815

Entry level at Lange doesn't mean a quality decrease. Lange is maybe one of the most homogeneous brands of the industry: you will find the same care of details in a Saxonia or in a Tourbograph.

One of the most famous entry levels from Lange was the gold version of the previous 1815 even if, the first entry levels were the Arkade and the Saxonia in 1994.

This watch was introduced in 1995, 150 years after the foundation of Ferdinand Adolph Lange's manufacture in Glashütte. The watch was stopped in 2008 when Lange removed its whole 1815 line to organise again its collection.

Please note that the first year, the yellow gold version (and also the platinum one) was presented with a solid caseback. Sadly, the reference of this version is the same than the one of the YG with a see-through caseback: 206.021. A rarely seen watch.

With a diameter of 35,9mm, a thickness of 7,5mm, the old 1815 is a very balanced watch even if it may appear to be quite small for today's standards. But we don't have to forget that this is a simple dress watch and such diameter was considered as normal in this context several years ago.

The caliber used is the L942.1, basically the same caliber used by the old Saxonia but without the big date system. It has a diameter of 25,6mm and a 3hz frequency. The power reserve is 45 hours (42 hours for the old Saxonia).





The dial is made of solid silver and according to the different versions, the hands can be made of blued steel or of gold.

Please find below a few pics of maybe my fav gold version, the PG one (presented in 2001) even if it doesn't feature the famous combo (blued hands & silver dial) of the first 1815: the YG and platinum versions.









I love it because I find its PG hands beautiful, the contrast between them and the blued steel second hand is nice too. Like it for all the PG Lange, the case is a full polished one  to preserve and protect better the material (brushing PG is not done by Lange to avoid discoloration).


You find in it all that make a Lange a great watch: the purety of the dial, the indexes, the railroad,  the perfect finishings and the very smooth winding feeling.





WG version had a less quiet story. First presented with a blue dial, the WG version was removed from the catalogue and then came back with a black dial in 2005. I really like this black dial watch, this change a color brought a big change to the aesthetic of the 1815. On the picture below, you can see Jan Silva wearing this black dial 1815:



These gold 1815 were sold at a quite affordable price taking into account their quality. I considered them as the best way to enter the world of Haute Horlogerie. Even if the caliber L942 is still alive (caliber L941.1 which powers the simple Saxonia is more or less the same), I regret that this simple and nice watch is no longer in the catalogue. Of course, there is a new 1815 line and it is a great watch too. But much bigger (40mm vs 35,9),a bit thicker, with larger balance wheel and caliber, with a better power reserve, the new 1815 doesn't belong to the same segment: we are talking about a more complex and expensive watch.

The old 1815 was also released with a power-reserve indicator (the 1815 up-and-down), was also successfully used as a base for various limited editions (including the famous Emil Lange), it is the reason why the old 1815 and especially its gold versions will always have a special place in the heart of each Lange fan. A lot of them discovered the Saxonian art of watchmaking thanks to this simple and flawless watch.  And don't you think that the new 1815 Moonphase is a beautiful descendant of the old 1815 line ?





Fr.Xavier