A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia History

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia ref. 105.021 / Credit: Zeitauktion

A. Lange & Söhne is one of the luxury watch brands du jour, with everyone from watch aficionados to celebrities obsessed with the unique aesthetic they present. Along with NOMOS and Glashütte Original, they are prominent representatives of the centuries of skill that the craftsmen and watchmakers of Glashütte have developed. When A. Lange & Söhne was relaunched in 1994, they kicked it off with four models, some of which are still in production today: the Lange 1, the Arkade, the Saxonia, and Tourbillon ‘Pour le Mérite’.

Our subject for today is the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia, a classic and elegant dress watch that has seen several iterations since its relaunch in 1994. The Saxonia is one of A. Lange & Söhne’s most varied collections, including the Saxonia Thin and Saxonia Automatic. The first Saxonias, made from 1994 to 1996, were the ref. 102.001 and the ref. 102.002, these featured the rectangular shaped Caliber L911.3 that was originally used in the A. Lange & Söhne Arkade. They cost about 11,000 D-marks when first released or 10,000 euros.

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In 1997, the Saxonia line saw an upgrad and was released with a new caliber, the Cal. L941.3. Five new references were introduced that year: 105.027 (white gold), 105.021 (yellow gold, champagne dial), 105.025 (platinum, silver dial), 105.035 (platinum, black dial), and 105.022 (yellow gold, argenté dial). These were increased to 37 mm in diameter and made until 2007 at the latest. They were aimed at men interested in slightly larger dress watches, as diameter sizes were trending upwards in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

2007 saw another update to the collection with five more references introduced and the same movement – the Cal. L941.3 used. Two of these references came in a new material; pink gold. Still at 37 mm, this ‘second generation’ included the references: 215.021 (yellow gold), 215.032 (pink gold, argenté dial), 215.033 (pink gold, grey dial), 215.026 (white gold, argenté dial), and 215.029 (white gold, black dial). These A. Lange & Söhne models were produced until 2011 at the latest, when three new references were introduced, that saw minor changes with respect to the old references.

Four years later, the company made more significant changes to the Saxonia, decreasing the diameter to 35 mm and introducing automatic Saxonias – the references 380.033 and 380.027! The new, self-winding Saxonias, were 38.5 mm in diameter, while the manual ones were decreased to 35 mm and a couple ‘boutique edition’ references were made in 37 mm. The manual Saxonias in this era use the Cal. L941.1.

Now, while the Saxonia Thin was introduced in 2011 and still has several references in production, the automatic Saxonias have a different trajectory, starting with the Langematik that was first released in 1997. The ‘Saxonia Automatic’ was introduced only ten years later, in 2007, with three different references in white and rose gold: 315.026 (white gold), 315.032 (rose gold, silver dial), and the 315.033 (rose gold, grey dial). Currently the Saxonia Automatic is produced in six references in white and pink gold and uses the A. Lange & Söhne Cal. L086.1.

A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Automatic ref. 315.033 / Credit: Sotheby’s

Unlike other Lange models, the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia is extremely diverse, produced since the brand’s relaunch. But still manages to maintain many of the classic elements that are so important to A. Lange & Söhne’s watchmaking DNA. While not as remarkable as some of their complications, it is still a beautiful and worthwhile dress watch, emblematic of Glashütte craftsmanship and design.

By: Andres Ibarguen