A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange Moonphase

Few watches make asymmetry look as orderly as a Lange 1. The Little Lange 1 Moon Phase takes that now-familiar architecture and shrinks it into a particularly elegant 36.8mm package, without sacrificing the visual drama or mechanical substance that makes the design so distinctive.

This Ref. 182.030 is housed in an 18K rose gold case and features an intricately decorated silver-toned dial. The off-center time display dominates the left side, while Lange’s signature outsized date sits at the upper right and the power-reserve indicator sweeps along the dial’s edge. Below, the small-seconds display features a beautifully rendered moonphase, adding another layer of detail to an already elaborate dial. The extensive guilloché-style decoration plays particularly well against the warmth of the rose gold, changing considerably as it catches the light.

Inside is a manually wound A. Lange & Söhne manufacture movement, continuing the traditional approach that has defined the Lange 1 family from the beginning. The watch is paired here with a white alligator leather strap and a signed 18K rose gold pin buckle, a combination that makes the elaborate dial and warm case feel surprisingly light and fresh.

At 36.8mm, the Little Lange 1 Moon Phase proves that complicated doesn’t have to mean large. Between the outsized date, moonphase, power reserve, small seconds, and that wonderfully eccentric dial architecture, an enormous amount is happening in a relatively small space. Somehow, in typical Lange fashion, every millimeter feels exactly where it belongs. A rare ladies' watch that is as serious as it is beautiful. 

For Germany, Reunification represented a renaissance of sorts for a country that had been rent asunder by the Cold War. And for A. Lange & Söhne, which fate had situated on the Eastern side of the Iron Curtain, it was indeed a rebirth.

Lange was founded in Glashütte in 1845, and its first century was truly a golden age. The brand imbued its products with a care and an attention to detail that brought worldwide renown. Its pocket watches, in particular, gained high marks in competition and saw use on the railroads of Europe.

But the coming of World War II and the subsequent Soviet occupation saw that golden age come to an end. The Soviet authorities expropriated the company in 1948 — the factory was shuttered, and the once-shining name of A. Lange & Söhne nearly faded into obscurity. That is, until 1990, when Walter Lange — great-grandson of the founder, Ferdinand A. Lange — resurrected his family’s old company and brought it to prominence once more.

Armed with Ferdinand Lange’s journal, Walter Lange sketched a watch that would adapt his great-grandfather’s designs to modern tastes, while still keeping an eye firmly on tradition. In the journal, Walter discovered sketches of a clock that Ferdinand designed with his mentor Johann Gutkaes. Commissioned by the Elector of Saxony for the Semperoper House in Dresden, the “Five Minute Clock” was nothing short of revolutionary.

With legibility as their primary concern, Johann Gutkaes and Ferdinand Lange designed a clock that, with its rectangular construction and two counter-rotating drums — one to show the hours, the other the minutes — was essentially the world’s first digital clock. Over one hundred years later, it was that clock that would inspire the modern manufacture’s first watch post-Reunification.

In 1992, Walter Lange filed a patent for a big date window, similar in style to the clock in the opera house. Two years later, it would appear on the Lange 1. Without question the firm’s flagship model, it features a big date function as its hallmark. Though found in watches like the Zeitwerk or the Langematik Sax-O-Mat, it’s in the Lange 1 that the big date is used to the greatest effect. Alongside other details such as asymmetrical sub-dials depicting the hours and sub-seconds, and the A. Lange & Söhne's signature with its famous ampersand shows a clarity of vision that is wholly Lange.

Subsequent models — no less innovative — have only further cemented the brand’s footing as one of the most refined and fascinating watchmakers in business today. From the ludicrously complicated Zeitwerk to the elegant Saxonia to the recent Odysseus dive watch, Lange & Söhne is committed to pushing the horological envelope and reestablishing Germany as foremost amongst the world’s centers of watchmaking innovation.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.