The A. Lange & Söhne 1815 is one of the brand’s timepieces that is the most minimalistic, most attuned to A. Lange & Söhne’s traditional style, but surprisingly wasn’t really part of the brand's relaunch in 1994. The ‘1815’ moniker refers to the birth year of the brand’s founder, Ferdinand A. Lange, who founded A. Lange & Söhne in 1845, in Glashütte, and still has his descendants at the helm of the company today.
Design-wise the 1815 features blued steel hands, the railway-track minute scale on the outer edge of the dial, and bold Arabic numerals, recalling the 19th century pocket watch designs from the German brand. It was technically introduced as the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite in 1994 but only officially released as the 1815 in 1995. The first time-only models were the references 206.001 (solid caseback) and 206.021 (open caseback) in yellow gold, and 206.025 in platinum, introduced that year and priced around 12,000 D-Marks. The ref. 206.001 was produced only briefly until 1997, the 206.021 until 2008, and the 206.025 until 2007. Early 1815s featured the manual winding A. Lange & Söhne Cal. L941.1 with a 45-hour power reserve. A new model in white gold with a blue dial, the ref. 206.027, was released in 1998 and produced only briefly for a year. Finally, a pink gold version was made in 2001, the reference 206.032 – a reference that also marked the introduction of the Euro as currency for the German brand in 2003. The first automatic 1815 model, the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Automatik, was released the following year and again produced only briefly until 2006.
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 ‘ Blome’ special edition / Credit: Esquire Singapore
Then, the second generation of the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 was introduced in 2009, with the case diameter going up to 40 mm and the price also increasing. These new models also featured a new movement, the Cal. L051.1. Another manual winding movement with a 55-hour power reserve and 23 jewels. Four different references were produced between 2009 and 2016, these came in yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, and platinum. Next, the most recent iterations of the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 were released in the mid-2010s, with only three references this time and a reduced diameter of 38.5 mm. This time the 1815 was only made in yellow gold, white gold, and pink gold. These three references are currently for sale and, with the exception of particular models like the 1815 200th anniversary edition or the rare 1815 ‘Blome’ special edition, complete the three generations of the time-only A. Lange & Söhne 1815 family. There are, of course, other models to explore like the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph, but when it comes to the style of the 1815, the time-only models are the most emblematic of A. Lange & Söhne’s original 19th century design.
By: Andres Ibarguen
Read more:
“1815.” A. Lange & Söhne, https://www.alange-soehne.com/en/timepieces/1815#:~:text=With%20its%20name%2C%20the%201815,upswing%20in%20a%20distressed%20region.
“The Definitive Guide to A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Collection.” Langepedia, https://langepedia.com/encyclopedia/lange-1815/.
“A. Lange & Söhne caliber L051.1.” Watchbase, https://watchbase.com/a-lange-sohne/caliber/l051-1.