Exceptional Every Day

What more can a brand do when they’re at the pinnacle?

- Sean Mossadeg

THERE IS A SENSE OF ENLIGHTENMENT that one feels when in a museum. It’s a nostalgic trip back in time where the past opens itself up to you, but only if you put yourself in the mood to learn.

At the German Watch Museum in Glashütte, time itself seems to have stopped in honour of the tremendous heritage that it stores. In the hometown of A. Lange & Söhne, probably the best-known German watch brand today, the museum tells a story of a young watchmaker who built a town dedicated to the craft of horology.

Ferdinand A. Lange, founder of the brand, devoted his youth to mastering the craft across Europe. Then he returned to Glashütte in 1945 and erected an academy to pass on his knowledge, ushering in a golden age of German-made timepieces. An uninterrupted century of watchmaking saw the town grow in both expertise for watchmaking and people, with several German watchmakers moving to Glashütte to hone their craft.

Then, World War II arrived. The Germans’ eminence in watchmaking was shot down due to the rise of Communism and the schism it brought to Germany in the aftermath of the war. The Soviet Bloc assumed all brands and congregated them into a state-owned watchmaking machine, swiftly striking off Lange’s name and in doing so buried the history that once made Glashütte great.

After 48 years, however, a new chapter began. The Berlin Wall fell, East Germany opened up and A. Lange & Söhne had the chance to be made whole again. 

A MODERN DAY DILEMMA

Walter Lange was 66 when he, together with watch industry legend Günter Blümlein, restarted A. Lange & Söhne. The year was 1990 and the duo worked tirelessly to rebuild the brand, only presenting its first four timepieces on 24th October 1994.