A. Lange & Söhne

Just bought my first Lange 1 and love it soooo much!!!! Since i bought it 2nd hand and dont know year of production....any body can help me here ? The serial number is 101.031
Normaly...how much will cost me if i want to service my Lange ?
Best RDGS
teo

Congrats on your Lange-1.

The 101.031 is the ref. number of the watch; RG with black dial and you cant
tell the watch´ age by this number.

There are 2 numbers visible on the back of the watch: - a case-number
engraved into the back-bezel (near the lug at 5 o´clock) and there is - a
movement number engraved into the movement (at the 3 o´clock position
approx).

But even with those numbers it is impossible to tell the exact age of your
watch. Lange started with movement number 1 and with casenumber 110000 (or
110001) and they make approx 5000 watches a year (although the production in
1994 sure was much lower then it is now) so you can calculate the approx age
of your watch but only with a large margin -> my Stealth has a 140K case
number and a 28K movement number. my Dato, bought 2 years later, has a 139K
and 33K number resp.

Service costs for a Lange-1 are:

Servicing of movement EURO 560
Overhaul of case EURO 175
Strap replacement EURO 210

If you decide to let Lange do all this then you have to pay the service
package price EURO 880 (instead of the total of 945)

These are prices I learned about early this year so I dont know if they are
still correct, but they provide a guideline.

I dont know if you will be charged extra when/if there is something
(seriously) wrong with the movement; I can imagine the servicing fee is the
fee for taking the movement apart, cleaning it, applying new lubricants and
gaskets ... if other parts need repair or replacement I woudnt be surprised
if you will be charged extra.

Perhaps Peter can help you with prices in USD (if you prefer) but any AD can
tell you those as well ...

Again, congrats on the watch! Wear it in the best of health!

Edwin

Thanks to all of you that already gave me information but i still confuse about my lange 1.The model is 101.031..case number 1388xx and movement number is 288xx.Please someone  can help me here.
Best RDGS
teo

Model (or reference) number is 101.031

Case number is 138 8xx

Movement number is 28 8xx

My Lange-1 in PT has numbers in the same neighborhood so my guess the watch
is from <=2002 approx.

If you sent your watch back to Lange and have it serviced, regulated and
polished then, when it is returned to you, it is AS NEW and you dont have to
worry about it age.

Edwin

(btw, do your case and movement number match: case no.=movement no. +
110000 ?)

Thanks for your information.My case no.138883...move.no.28879.Its not like you said that case no.=mov.no. + 110000.
Something wrong with my Lange 1?
Best RDGS
teo

Lange cases are produced in batches, so movement numbers and case numbers
dont always corolate(sp) ... dont worry. A few LE Lange´s have corolating
case- and movement numbers.

So dont worry, all is fine. If your watch gains 10 seconds, or more, a day,
I ´d suggest you sent it to Lange, or a Lange service centre, and have it
serviced, regulated and polished... you will essentially receive a new watch
back after a few weeks which will be, if I am not mistaken!!!!!, under
warranty.

Edwin

Glad everything were OK with my Lange except +15 second/day.
After observed for few days,i found many things ...like my watch can run for more then 98 hours instead of 72 hours.
My question now is....let say that my Lange 1 more then 5 years old  already and i dont sent to Lange service centre for service,what is the worst thing can happent to my watch?
Best RDGS
teo

_guaranteed_ to be at least 72 hours. The exact PR is closer to 100 hours,
but the timekeeping accuracy of the watch cannot be guaranteed after the
first 3 days.

You must have observed that the PR indicator is ´non linear´ (sorry, dont
have a better term for that).

The upmost ´dot´/´triangle´ (near the text "AUF") indicates a fully wound
Lange-1.
The second dot is reached after approx 12 hours of PR are dissipated,
the third dot is reached after 24 hours of PR are used,
the fourth dot is reached after 48 hours,
and the fifth dot is reached after 72 hours.

Then the PR hands advances for another approximate 28 hours until it is
close to the "AB" text.

With regards to you question ... what will happen to your watch if you
decide not to send to Lange to have it serviced? I really dont know. My
guess is that your watch will just stop after a while when the lubricants
need replacement, or it will gain (even) more time per day, it may loose
time per day, winding may become harder and harder, PR may drop, WR is lost
... but this is just me guessing!

But I dont think (!!) something bad will happen that cannot be repaired by
Lange. If not mistaken I think a lot of ThePuristS´ dont send in their
watches every 5 years or so, but they send in the watch when they think it
is time for the watch to stay at the Spa (due whatever problem that may
arrise).

If my watch, bought used, was to gain time as much as 15 seconds a day, then
I definately would send the watch in to be serviced. I´d request Lange to
polish the case too (and perhaps replace the strap for a fresh one). Not
only will you receive back a watch with better timekeeping accuracy, it will
look (as) new too, and that would increase the enjoyment I would get from
owning and wearing the watch significantly.

Edwin

G'day,

not Edwin, but i´d like to add an aspect or two.

In general, there´s nothing in your watch Lange can´t repair.
You own a fine mechanical watch, made with pride and by a manufacturer who is proud of his products. Of course any mechanical Lange watch can be repaired and brought to life, regardless whether it is 5 or 100 years old.

BUT, noting the downside, of course all repairs are the more expensive the more work needs to be done.
In case parts are damaged due to wear, mishandling or excessive treatment, these need to be exchanged. Example: the pinions of a watch running "dry" without lubricants can wear off due to fragments of the lubricant, which may cause them to be exchanged. That´s tricky, because it requires to fit in a new geartrain (simply put).
Thus keeping service intervals may prevent from damages to grow and become costly, when problems can be spotted very soon after appearing.

Something i´d strongly recommend to do on a strictly annual base is a water resistance check.
The seals and gaskets don´t react well on certain fluids (such as certain soaps and oils) and probably worst to happen is water/moisture inside the watch. Such would be likely to grind away the whole movement in weeks/months and a rusted movement needs to be exchanged completely most times (which isn´t exactly cheap work).
To prevent from such it requires all the seals and gaskets are in fine working order, which is relatively simply checked with a special tool.
For watches in daily wear, better be safe than sorry; Lange AD´s usually are well equipped with all necessary tools and exchanging the seals or gaskets isn´t expensive. Compared to a movement, the crown (these are likewise easily damaged due to impacts) is a lot more affordable too.

So better be safe than sorry later.

Cheers,

Peter

in general of course; better safe then sorry!

I dont have my AD check the WR of my watch on an annual basis ... I am
always very careful with my watches when around liquids (and, in general,
watch-hostile environments).

Edwin

Hi Edwin,

i can´t refer to Lange Service; but reports from other brands and Service Centers suggest to keep in mind particularly hot and humid regions (but not limited to these) :

For a daily wearer, one of the greatest threats is moisture.
This doesn´t necessarily refer to water/liquids; usually rinsing a little water over the watch will do no big harm (maybe more to the strap). Here in Central Europe climatic conditions are usually not as hot as these days, so the watch will tick along for quite some years without problems.

The situation is very different in regions of high temperatures and humidity.
Not just in SE Asia many forum members live in an environment that is, in some way, a "natural threat" to watch cases.
Moisture easily "creeps" through small openings, such as a slightly bend stem tube after lateral impacts on the crown.
Thus air moisture and the owner´s sweat can do their evil work inside the case more easily; once there´s rust inside, be it contact corrosion or moisture doing it´s thing, the movement *can* literally break away underneath the bridges before it will be easily visible.

The same goes for the silicon grease in use to keep the seals smooth; this doesn´t react well on a couple of materials, but also to UV radiation as occuring in natural daylight.

It´s very easy to check the watch with the appropiate tools, which even do not require to open the watch and take a few minutes only.
Here in Germany, many Lange dealers i know do offer such tests free of costs too.
So i´d always recommend to check the proper condition of the seals from time to time, especially for pieces frequently worn and particularly for those living in hot or humid regions of the world!

Cheers,

Peter

Dear:mr.Edwin,mr.Peter dan whom may concern
         After i read informations from mr.edwin and mr.peter....i decide to service my Lange 1..so i made a call to Lange AD at my city...BTW..i come from Jakarta - Indonesia(Asia).
After i told them that i want service my Lange...they asked me where I bought my watch? and i told them i bought  from Sincere Singapore.Iam quite suprise when they ask me to bring back to Sincere Singapore since they cant do it here.

        Iam sure they are Lange AD for Indonesia(i got their address from Lange website) but how can they cant service my watch?Even when i asked them estimate cost for service..they said they dont know and HANGUP THE PHONE!!!!!!  Iam sure this is not the real spirit of A.LANGE&SOHNE.

      I have few watches like Panerai,Rolex,AP,Richard Mille,Alain Silberstain,Breguet and never have problem with their service but so sad with Lange.
Best RDGS
teo

G'day,

i can´t comment on the specific questions (or answers given), but to me it seems Sincere is the sole retailer for Lange in SE Asia and PT Sincere in Jakarta one of the many subsidiaries they have.
If such, i wouldn´t be surprised if Sincere is cutting costs by entertaining ONE centralized service department only. And this is NOT A. Lange & Söhne, but the regional distributor.
That´s a bit unfortunate for customers, but certainly would help to keep costs low (and thus certainly results in competitive prices).

I´m likewise confident the brand isn´t to blame (because it´s not within their sphere, although it´s certainly interesting to learn about such happenings).
Thus i´d recommend choosing one of two alternatives:

a) is to get in touch with Sincere Singapore and check service procedures/costs with them; i´d suggest to clearify whether or not the watch will be serviced there (or if they send it in to Glashütte, which is something you can do yourself equally).

b) is to get in touch with A. Lange & Söhne After Sales Department in Germany and send it home. This will take longer and most probably end up in a higher bill than a local repair/service, but it might be an alternative to consider if there´s no local/regional service center at hand.

Personally i feel with you and as said, almost all Lange authorized dealers do maintain a watchmaker´s department equipped and trained to work on most Lange´s. Of course it´s unfortunate for customers if the situation is different in other places, but that´s something the brand hardly can influence.

Cheers,

Peter

I didnt know that most AD´s had watchmakers ´qualified´ to work on Lange´s

Edwin

Hi Edwin,

at least that´s the status quo in Germany.

Bucherer and Huber (today a subsidiary of Bucherer), Rüschenbeck and Wempe entertain "centralized" and "Lange-qualified" service centers, but also maintain local watchmakers in many of their shops.

Oeding-Erdel in Münster does have a large repair shop (i recall 6 watchmakers being employed there and it´s quite a large facility, while the exact figure would need to be checked), as do Toussaint, Mayer/Augsburg, Mauer/Bochum and Kamphues.

I´d say by far most larger german dealers are prepared for service work on a Lange watch; at least that kind of "regular work" such as waterproof tests, checking and/or exchanging seals/gaskets/crowns.
Servicing a perpetual calendar or the Tourbograph might be different, but all in all they can do far more than just send the watches in!


Cheers,

Peter

do you know if this situation for German Lange AD´s is the same for
non-German based AD´s?

My AD´s watchmaker isnt trained/authorized to work on Lange´s. He is
qualified to do work for Rolex, Breguet and a few others but not Lange.

From your description, the Münster AD has a big staff ... I guess I must pay
them a visit sometime ... OTOH ... they are a FPJ AD so I better not get
near the place :-)

Edwin

Hi Edwin,

i have no really detailed informations on other countries; just that i happen to know quite some german AD´s do have rather extensive repair capabilities.
That´s of major benefit (reduced turnaround times and costs), but that´s a costly thing as well (hence usually less discounts). Well, one can´t have it all

But i´ll see if it is possible to gather a list of Lange-certified service points or such!
May take a few days due to ongoing holidays here, but maybe we can bring up something helpful.

Definetely Oeding-Erdel is worth a visit!
It is quite different from what the rather small front may suggest...
That´s a good reminder too; i still owe some impressions of the anniversary party, during which the "Cuvette" was unveiled. Maybe more later!


Cheers,

Peter

as

INDONESIA
Jakarta
P.T. Sincere
Plaza Indonesia, Level 3, H12
JL. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30

is listed on the Lange website as an Authorized Dealer.

www.alange-soehne.com

As Peter suggested, contact Lange in Germany or Sincere in Singapore.

When did you buy the watch?

If you bought it recently, I would call Sincere Singapore first and tell
them that the watch they sold you is gaining 15 seconds a day, which is to
much for a high-end watch.

IMO (!! and it is nothing more then just MO) they should have checked the
timekeeping of the watch prior to selling it (happy customer=> free
advertising!!).

Perhaps you can convince them that they sold you a watch that isnt
functioning properly and request that they send it to a Service center or
Germany for regulation.

On the Lange website there is a list of Lange Service Centers:

www.alange-soehne.com

I am not sure if polishing can be done at every Service Center. Perhaps you
have to send the watch to Glashütte Germany for that.

Edwin

hi,
the number you have given is the model number. The number you require is on underside of the watch stamped on the case.. It starts with a 1.
kind regards,
henry