Initially presented in 1999, 9 years after A. Lange & Söhne was re-launched in 1990, the Lange & Söhne 1815 is the physical embodiment of the elegant dress watch aesthetic on which the Bavarian watchmaker has established their modern identity. With its clean utilitarian design and no-frills execution, the 1815 collection lends from the design choices afforded to pocket watches during the time of Lange & Söhne’s founder, Ferdinand Adolph Lange, who was born in the collections eponymous year of 1815. Offered as a collection featuring a variety of complications, the variant we have here is the 18kt rose gold ref. 414.031 which sports a flyback chronograph function with two subdials dividing its stunning black dial into two separate sections with gorgeous Breguet numerals spotting the hour markers and a pulsometer located along the dial rehaut with Lange’s branding also located along the rehaut at 12 o’clock. These slight but notable design choices hint at the careful considerations Lange made when designing this beautiful watch as they kept the dial for the most crucial information to make it as aesthetically pleasing and functional as possible – something we think they have certainly achieved.

An important collection for Lange, the 1815 has become one of their most iconic offerings, and paired with the flyback chronograph function it solidifies this variant as one of their most important as the German watchmaker continues to forge their new identity as a relatively young and re-established brand.