Wristwatches · Wristwatch
A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret, c. late 1990s
- Maker / attribution
- A. Lange & Söhne (maker)
- Date
- c. late 1990s
- Historical period
- Mechanical Renaissance (1990 – 2010)
- Country of origin
- Germany
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 26 mm
- Stock no.
- 40991485
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991485)
- Catalogue title (original)
- A. Lange & Söhne Cabaret (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 40991485), this is a wristwatch by A. Lange & Söhne, made in Germany, dated c. late 1990s. The Atlas places it in the Mechanical Renaissance period (1990 – 2010) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 26 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, and now even includes a contemporary, tourbillon-equipped version. Launched with a big date in a pink gold case in 1997, the model recalls Lange watches from the inter-war period. The Cabaret features deceptively complex case architecture, with brushed and polished slides, notched, polished lugs and a three-step bezel with pronounced corners and sloping sides. It’s proof positive that regardless of the type of watch in discussion, Lange’s craftsmanship is always superlative. This particular Cabaret dates to circa the late 1990s - early 2000s and features a 26mm rose gold 'stepped' art-deco-style case with a sapphire crystal, a signed crown, and a deep, glossy black dial with applied rose gold indices and a matching rose gold 'alpha' handset. Fitted to a signed black alligator strap with a signed yellow gold pin buckle, this piece is powered by the A. Lange & Söhne L931.3 hand-wound movement with 42 hours of power reserve — thankfully visible via a sapphire exhibition caseback. Everyone else is springing for Lange’s more visible round timepieces. 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