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Lot Essay
This watch was sold on 27 May 1902 to Richard Lange, son of F.A. Lange, the founder of the Glashtte watch manufacture.
The four-leaf clover diamond decoration is illustrated in Die Uhren von A. Lange & Söhne Glashtte Sachsen by Martin Huber, appendix, page 8-9. The company, being makers of precision timepieces, did normally not enter the world of jewelled watches.
Richard Lange was born in Dresden on 17 December 1845, the year the Saxonian watch industry was founded.
Until the age of 15, he had a private tutor in Glashtte. He then entered the paternal company where his father instructed him during four years in all branches of the art of watchmaking while Moritz Grossmann took care of his theoretical education.
To complete his training he attended the Royal Workmasterschool in Chemnitz. After two years and in order to improve his language and technical knowledge, he went to Simon Vissière in Le Havre, a student of Winnerl, and to Böhme in London, both renowned chronometer makers.
After nearly four years of travelling, Richard returned as a worldly man to Glashtte and joined his father's company as partner in 1868. The name of the firm was consequently changed to A. Lange & Söhne.
Richard had inherited his father's immense talent for technical perfection and during the initial years, he mainly took care of the improvement of the watches. He obtained several patents, among other things for a quarter repeater, a 'jumping second', the Niravox spiral spring and a power reserve indicator. Around 1872, while still working in the old factory building, Richard played an important role in the realization of the serial production of a quarter repeater.
In 1872, he married the daugther of Wilhelm Roessner, a maker of large clocks in Berlin. Roessner then realized Adolph Lange's idea of a large pendulum watch using the calculations of Richard Lange.
After Adolph Lange's death in 1875, Richard and his brother Emil (who had joined the company in 1871) continued the family business. Richard, following his talents, took care of the practical work including new constructions while Emil used his outstanding commercial knowledge to benefit the company. Richard Lange's inventions and later publications gave important impulses on the products of the Lange firm as well as the extension of the Glashtte industry.
Due to poor health, he retired from his management position in 1887 but continued working as a consultant, writer and inventor.
Richard was a member of the Board of the German Watchmaker School since it's foundation in 1876 and was nominated chairman in 1890.
He finally retired to private life in 1910 and, because of his merits to the school, he was appointed honorary chairman of the board by the Central Union of German Watchmakers and honorary citizen of the city of Glashtte.
He passed away on 29 October 1932.
The four-leaf clover diamond decoration is illustrated in Die Uhren von A. Lange & Söhne Glashtte Sachsen by Martin Huber, appendix, page 8-9. The company, being makers of precision timepieces, did normally not enter the world of jewelled watches.
Richard Lange was born in Dresden on 17 December 1845, the year the Saxonian watch industry was founded.
Until the age of 15, he had a private tutor in Glashtte. He then entered the paternal company where his father instructed him during four years in all branches of the art of watchmaking while Moritz Grossmann took care of his theoretical education.
To complete his training he attended the Royal Workmasterschool in Chemnitz. After two years and in order to improve his language and technical knowledge, he went to Simon Vissière in Le Havre, a student of Winnerl, and to Böhme in London, both renowned chronometer makers.
After nearly four years of travelling, Richard returned as a worldly man to Glashtte and joined his father's company as partner in 1868. The name of the firm was consequently changed to A. Lange & Söhne.
Richard had inherited his father's immense talent for technical perfection and during the initial years, he mainly took care of the improvement of the watches. He obtained several patents, among other things for a quarter repeater, a 'jumping second', the Niravox spiral spring and a power reserve indicator. Around 1872, while still working in the old factory building, Richard played an important role in the realization of the serial production of a quarter repeater.
In 1872, he married the daugther of Wilhelm Roessner, a maker of large clocks in Berlin. Roessner then realized Adolph Lange's idea of a large pendulum watch using the calculations of Richard Lange.
After Adolph Lange's death in 1875, Richard and his brother Emil (who had joined the company in 1871) continued the family business. Richard, following his talents, took care of the practical work including new constructions while Emil used his outstanding commercial knowledge to benefit the company. Richard Lange's inventions and later publications gave important impulses on the products of the Lange firm as well as the extension of the Glashtte industry.
Due to poor health, he retired from his management position in 1887 but continued working as a consultant, writer and inventor.
Richard was a member of the Board of the German Watchmaker School since it's foundation in 1876 and was nominated chairman in 1890.
He finally retired to private life in 1910 and, because of his merits to the school, he was appointed honorary chairman of the board by the Central Union of German Watchmakers and honorary citizen of the city of Glashtte.
He passed away on 29 October 1932.