Introducing: The A. Lange & Sohne Little Lange 1 '25th Anniversary'

March 29, 2019

If you haven't gotten the memo yet, 2019 is the 25th anniversary of the Lange 1 and A. Lange & Sohne is taking an interesting approach to celebrating. Instead of releasing one or two limited edition anniversary watches, Lange is releasing 10 (yes, ten) over the course of the year. Each is limited to 25 pieces and so far it looks like they're all variations on a theme: Start with a beloved Lange 1 variation and give it a make-over in white gold with a two-tone silver dial and blue hands and markers. The movements also all feature a special blue-filled engraving on the balance cock of the signature big date display showing "25" among the other scroll work. The watch we're getting this month is the Little Lange 1, which is the standard time, date, and power reserve model ?but in slightly more diminutive proportions. The case measures in at 36.8mm x 9.5mm, while the typical Lange 1 measures in at 38.5mm x 10.7mm. This watch is the third installment in the 25th anniversary series C we got the Lange 1 at SIHH in January and the Grande Lange 1 Moon Phase in February. Initial Thoughts I've gotta be honest: I really like the way Lange is handling this anniversary. Sure, on the one hand you could accuse the brand of milking things a bit, generating renewed attention every month of the anniversary year, but can you really blame them here? The Lange 1 is the watch that put them on the map and, I've said this before, but it's one of the only watches of the last 30 years that I'm comfortable calling an icon without an ounce of reservation. Additionally, I dig the fact that Lange's making these actually limited edition. By "actually" I mean that we're getting 25 of each, not 250 or 2,500. If you get one of these pieces, it's something special and something you'll unlikely to see on other wrists too often. The Little Lange 1 isn't the most popular Lange 1 model, but I really like it. The slightly smaller size wears really well on the wrist and the lack of a pusher for the big date display (it uses an inset adjuster) makes for a really streamlined case, if a complication that's slightly less convenient.? The Basics Brand: A. Lange & SohneModel: Little Lange 1 "25th Anniversary"Reference Number: 181.066Diameter: 36.8mmThickness: 9.5mmCase Material: White goldDial Color: Solid silver with two-tone argent finishIndexes: Roman numeralsLume: NoneStrap/Bracelet: Blue alligator with grey stitching and white gold prong buckle The Movement Caliber: L121.1Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, oversized date, power reserve indicatorDiameter: 30.6mmThickness: 5.7mmPower Reserve: 72 hoursWinding: Hand-woundFrequency: 3 Hz (21,600 vph)Jewels: 43 (8 in screwed gold chatons)Total Components: 368Additional Details: Balance cock is engraved with 25th anniversary motif Pricing & Availability Price: 35,500Limited Edition: 25 individually numbered piecesFor more click here.