Wristwatches · Wristwatch
A. Lange & Söhne Arkade, c. 2000s
- Maker / attribution
- A. Lange & Söhne (maker)
- Date
- c. 2000s
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- Germany
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 22 mm
- Stock no.
- 40991213
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991213)
- Catalogue title (original)
- A. Lange & Söhne Arkade (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991213), this is a wristwatch by A. Lange & Söhne, made in Germany, dated c. 2000s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 22 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Analog/Shift
We know what you’re thinking: A. Lange & Söhne made this ? Yes! Though famous for its round-cased, highly complicated watches and its simple dress pieces, the famed Saxon watchmaker from Glashütte also tried its hand at models that think outside the box. The Cabaret, for example, is Lange’s only square watch which was launched in 1997 with a pink gold case and a big date. The model subtly recalls Lange watches from the inter-war period. The piece that we have here, an Arkade, is one of the four models released in 1994 with the rebirth of the brand, and is an example of Lange riffing on design language from the first half of the 20th century. It remains even today a highly unique take on a shaped watch, instantly recognizable from afar as a Lange. This particular Arkade dates to circa the 2000s and features a 22mm yellow gold case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, an opaline silver dial with applied yellow gold indices and a yellow gold 'lance' handset, an 'outsize' date at the 12:00 position, and a correct (and completely awesome) matching solid yellow gold beads of rice bracelet with a signed locking clasp. It’s powered by A. Lange & Söhne's Calibre L911.4 manually wound movement - thankfully visible via its sapphire exhibition caseback. Horologically significant, unique in its design brief and aesthetics, and beautiful to behold, this is truly a Lange unlike any other. Why not get ahead of the curve with this rectangular masterpiece?
Historical context
Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
Mechanical watches return as cultural objects; independent watchmaking flourishes.
Mechanical watches returned as cultural and luxury objects. Complications, tourbillons and new materials proliferated; independent watchmakers such as George Daniels, F.P. Journe and Philippe Dufour revived artisanal watchmaking; collecting vintage watches became a major field.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Quartz Revolution
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Related records
Movements & Components · 1900
Pocket watch by A. Lange & Söhne, Germany, 1900
Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt - Museum Schloss Neuenburg
Pocket Watches · c. 1941
A. Lange & Söhne pocket watch, Observation Pocket Watch, circa 1941
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1946
A. Lange & Söhne pocket watch, Military Observation Pocket Watch, circa 1946
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Pocket Watches · c. 1942
A. Lange & Söhne pocket watch, Military Observation Pocket Watch, circa 1942
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Wristwatch, Germany, c. 1990 (no. 29875)
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · 1990
Wristwatch, Germany, 1990 (no. 59620)
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · c. 1991
Wristwatch by EM-Entertainment München, Merchandising, Film und Fernseh GmbH, Germany, c. 1991
German Clock Museum
Wristwatches · c. 2000
A.Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph, ref. 414.026, c. 2000
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva