Swiss and German houses · Founded 1845
A. Lange & Söhne History
A. Lange & Söhne was founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in the poor mining town of Glashütte, Saxony. Bombed and seized by the state after World War II, the brand vanished for over 40 years until Lange's great-grandson Walter Lange revived it in 1990.
Key facts
| Founded | 1845 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ferdinand Adolph Lange |
| Where | Glashütte, Saxony, Germany |
| Revived | 1990, by Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein |
| Famous watch | Lange 1 (1994) |
A watch town from nothing
Ferdinand Adolph Lange trained as a watchmaker in Dresden and Paris. In 1845, with government support, he set up a workshop in Glashütte, where mining had collapsed and families were struggling. He trained local people as watchmakers, and the town became the center of German fine watchmaking, famous for its precise pocket watches.
Lost and found
On the last day of World War II in Europe, May 8, 1945, Soviet bombing destroyed the main factory. Glashütte ended up in East Germany, the company was expropriated, and its name disappeared into a state-owned watch combine. After the Berlin Wall fell, Walter Lange, the founder's great-grandson, returned to Glashütte and re-founded the company in 1990. Its first new collection in 1994 included the Lange 1, with its off-center dial and big date, now one of the most recognized watches in the world.
Read more: Who invented the watch? 50 inventions · the full story of the watchmakers
Questions people ask
Is A. Lange & Söhne German or Swiss?
German. It's based in Glashütte, Saxony.
When did A. Lange & Söhne come back?
In 1990, when Walter Lange re-founded it after German reunification. The first new watches came in 1994.
Sources
Last updated October 18, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.