WIN: A. Lange & Söhne – Great Timepieces From Saxony – Book by Reinhard Meis

You can win a set of two books called “A. Lange & Söhne – Great Timepieces From Saxony”. No, better, you can win ONE of THREE of these sets, made available by Lange & Söhne. So you have the chance to be reading these books under the Christmas tree. So don’t wait and register for Monochrome’s Christmas sweepstake!

Reinhard Meis’ two-volume entitled “A. Lange & Söhne – Great Timepieces from Saxony” is a standard work of encyclopaedic precision and a must for every true aficionado of mechanical watchmaking. The two books, beautiful and heavy, with tons of information about the watchmaking history of Saxony, come together in a hard cover sleeve. Together the two volumes offer 916 pages and more than 2700 illustrations, mostly in color, and come at a retail price of € 365 Euros / CHF 435 / approx. $475 USD. Isn’t that a nice Christmas present?

Meis’ book describes the complete history of the Lange watchmaking dynasty from Dresden and its timepieces, from the early beginnings in the 19th century to the present. Did you know that Richard Lange invented a new alloy used for balance springs? Well, he did, and his patented new alloy is still used throughout the watch industry today, and we know it under the name of Nivarox. What I didn’t know was that not only the British, but also the Germans experimented with new sorts of escapements.

The first book is entitled “A Momentous Century – The Glashütte Watch Industry 1845-1945”. It goes back to the late second half of the 19th century which where the early days of precision horology in Saxony. Meis features biographies of famous watchmakers who worked in Dresden, among them Johann Gottfried Köhler, Johann Heinrich Seyffert, Johann Friedrich Schumann, and Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes, Ferdinand A. Lange’s apprentice master and mentor. Going to volume I you will get a detailed picture of the watch manufactories, watchmaking workshops and suppliers, and the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte. You’ll get a vivid picture of Saxony’s watchmaking industry after the Lange manufactory was established in 1845.

The second volume, entitled “A. Lange & Söhne – The Watchmakers of Dresden”, tells the story of Ferdinand A. Lange’s life from his beginnings as a watchmaker in Dresden and the incorporation of the first manufacture, to his expertise in mechanical design. The book takes you on a journey from the period when Ferdinand’s sons Richard and Emil ran the brand, to the subsequent expropriation of the manufacture after World War II. After that period comes a better, and much more known, period of the re-establishment as Lange Uhren GmbH by Walter Lange, a member of the founding family’s fourth generation. Volume II ends with several of the current timepieces, from the Lange 1 to the Lange Zeitwerk, and an appendix comprising reproduction of patents. Volume II also shows many photos and descriptions of the numerous (single pusher) chronographs.

What do you have to do to win one of the three books? Please tell us a bit more about yourself and your passion for watches. Of course we would also love to hear your opinion about A. Lange & Söhne and if you own one (or more) of their timepieces.

Don’t wait any longer, fill out the form, hit the SUBMIT button and you’re name can be drawn from the entries. Winners will receive an email on Monday 2 December 2013 and will be asked for their address. A. Lange & Söhne will make sure that the three books will be shipped within a few days, so you can enjoy your book under the Christmas tree!

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