Is A. Lange and Sohne a Swiss or German brand?

A. Lange and Sohne is a German watch manufacture, made entirely in Glashutte, Saxony, Germany. Unlike most luxury watches, A. Lange and Sohne watches carry the designation Made in Germany rather than Swiss Made.

What is A. Lange and Sohne's most famous watch?

The Lange 1, introduced at the brand's 1994 relaunch, is considered the most iconic model. It features an off-center dial layout, a large date display, and a power reserve indicator that became the brand's signature visual identity. The Zeitwerk, with its jumping digital hours and minutes, is another highly regarded and technically innovative model.

Is A. Lange and Sohne publicly traded?

A. Lange and Sohne itself is not publicly traded. Its parent company, Richemont, trades on the Swiss Exchange under ticker CFR and on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as CFR. Richemont is majority controlled by the Rupert family through Compagnie Financiere Rupert, which holds approximately 10 percent of the shares but 50 percent of the voting rights.

How many watches does A. Lange and Sohne produce per year?

A. Lange and Sohne produces fewer than 5,000 watches per year. The brand does not publish official production figures, but estimates based on authorized dealer networks and industry analysts place annual output well below 5,000 pieces, making it among the smallest-volume luxury watch manufactures globally.

What price range do A. Lange and Sohne watches cover?

Retail prices for A. Lange and Sohne watches start at approximately 10,000 euros for the entry-level Saxonia Thin and extend to over 1 million euros for highly complicated limited editions such as the Grand Complication. Tourbillon models typically start above 100,000 euros.

Fashion & Apparel

Who Owns A. Lange and Sohne?

Q: Who owns A. Lange and Sohne?

A. Lange and Sohne is wholly owned by Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, a Swiss luxury goods group listed on the Swiss Exchange under ticker CFR. Richemont acquired the brand in 2000 as part of the LMH transaction.

A. Lange and Sohne is owned by Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, a Swiss luxury goods group listed on the Swiss Exchange under ticker CFR. Richemont acquired A. Lange and Sohne in 2000 as part of the LMH transaction. The brand was originally founded in 1845, nationalized by East Germany, and revived in 1994 after reunification.

Parent Company

Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.

Acquired

2000

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Glashutte, Saxony, Germany

A. Lange and Sohne Timeline

1845

A. Lange and Sohne

Founded by Ferdinand Adolph Lange

Founded

2000

Acquired by Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.

Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A. acquired A. Lange and Sohne

Acquired

ultra luxuryultra premiumGlobalunisexOfficial Website

Who Owns A. Lange and Sohne?

Parent Company: Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.
Ownership Type: Wholly owned
Acquisition Year: 2000
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: SIX Swiss Exchange: CFR

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
A. Lange and Sohne	Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.	Wholly owned

Where to Buy

Disclosure: We may earn commission from purchases

A. Lange and Sohne on Amazon

History of A. Lange and Sohne

Founded: 1845
Founders: Ferdinand Adolph Lange
Acquired by Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.: 2000

Ferdinand Adolph Lange founded a watch manufacture in Glashutte, Saxony, in 1845, seeking to revive the local economy after the potato famine. Lange trained local workers in watchmaking and established Glashutte as a significant German watch manufacturing center.

The company was nationalized by the East German government after World War II and merged with other Glashutte watchmakers into VEB Glashutte Uhrenbetrieb, which produced the Glashutte Original brand. The Lange name ceased to exist as a distinct brand.

After German reunification, Walter Lange, Ferdinand Adolph's great-grandson, worked to revive the brand. With backing from LMH (a joint venture between Richemont, Mannesmann, and others), A. Lange and Sohne was relaunched in October 1994 with four debut watches at the Alte Residenz in Dresden. Richemont subsequently acquired full control through the 2000 LMH acquisition.

About Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.

Who controls Richemont?
Richemont is controlled by the Rupert family through Compagnie Financiere Rupert, which holds approximately 51% of voting rights through non-traded Class B shares, despite holding approximately 9% of economic interest. Johann Rupert serves as executive chairman and has been the primary strategic voice throughout the company's history.

What is Richemont's most valuable brand?
Cartier is by far Richemont's most valuable brand, generating an estimated 8 to 9 billion euros in annual revenue and representing approximately 40 to 45% of total group sales. Cartier is consistently ranked among the top five most valuable luxury brands globally. The Jewellery Maisons segment, led by Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels, generated EUR 16.5 billion in sales in FY2026.

Does Richemont own Net-a-Porter?
Richemont owns YOOX Net-a-Porter Group (YNAP), which operates Net-a-Porter, Mr Porter, YOOX, and The Outnet. YNAP has been classified as discontinued operations as Richemont explores strategic options for the business. YNAP was formed through the 2015 merger of Net-a-Porter (acquired by Richemont in 2010) and YOOX. A 2022 attempt to sell YNAP to Farfetch was unwound after Farfetch's financial difficulties.

How does Richemont compare to LVMH?
Richemont reported EUR 22.4 billion in revenue for FY2026 (year ended March 31, 2026), compared to LVMH's approximately EUR 84 billion. Richemont is concentrated in hard luxury (watches and jewelry), while LVMH is diversified across fashion, wines and spirits, perfumes, retail, and hospitality. In watchmaking and fine jewelry specifically, the two groups are the primary competitors.

Is Richemont publicly traded?
Yes, Richemont trades on the SIX Swiss Exchange under ticker CFR. The company has a dual-class share structure with Class A bearer shares (publicly traded) and Class B registered shares (held by the Rupert family). American investors can access the stock through over-the-counter American Depositary Receipts.

Where is Richemont headquartered?
Richemont is headquartered in Bellevue, Geneva, Switzerland. The company's manufacturing operations are primarily located in Switzerland, Germany, France, and Italy.

What are Richemont's largest or most valuable brands?
Cartier is the largest brand by revenue, followed by Van Cleef and Arpels. Among the Specialist Watchmakers, Vacheron Constantin, IWC Schaffhausen, and Jaeger-LeCoultre are the most valuable. The Jewellery Maisons segment generates approximately 74% of group sales.

Has Richemont made major acquisitions recently?
Richemont acquired Vhernier, a Milanese fine jewelry brand, in 2023. In January 2026, the company announced the sale of Baume and Mercier to the Damiani Group, expected to close in summer 2026. This is the first divestiture of a historic watchmaking brand from Richemont's portfolio.

Founded: 1988
Headquarters: Bellevue, Geneva, Switzerland
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: SIX Swiss Exchange: CFR
Revenue: EUR 22.4 billion (FY2026, year ended March 31, 2026)
Employees: Approximately 35,000

Visit Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A. website

View full company profile for Compagnie Financiere Richemont S.A.

Where Is A. Lange and Sohne Made / Based?

Headquarters: Glashutte, Saxony, Germany
Manufacturing / Operations: Germany

A. Lange and Sohne Categories & Tags

Luxury Watches German Watches Horology Haute Horlogerie German Brand Mechanical Watches

A. Lange and Sohne Sustainability & Ethics

A. Lange and Sohne does not hold independently verified sustainability certifications such as B Corp or carbon-neutral status. Richemont publishes an annual sustainability report under its "Maisons of Richemont" framework, addressing supply chain responsibility, conflict mineral sourcing, greenhouse gas emissions, and social programs. A. Lange and Sohne participates in Richemont's group-wide responsible sourcing programs, which cover precious metals and gem sourcing. The brand's movements are fully in-house, giving it direct oversight of the manufacturing supply chain for movement components.

Richemont is a signatory to the Responsible Jewellery Council and complies with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for diamonds where applicable. The company published its most recent sustainability report covering fiscal year 2024.

Awards & Recognition

A. Lange and Sohne has won the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG), the watch industry's most prestigious award, multiple times. Notable GPHG wins include the Zeitwerk Striking Time in 2010, which won the Grand Prix (top award), and multiple prizes in the men's complication category for models including the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar and the Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar "Terraluna." In 2022, the Odysseus Chronograph won the Men's Collection prize at the GPHG, demonstrating the brand's consistent competitive standing in international watch competitions.

The brand's watches are regularly featured in the "serious collector" tier of reference guides including Revolution Watch, WatchTime, and Europa Star. The Lange 1's off-center dial layout and outsize date display became reference points in watch design when introduced in 1994 and have been cited by horological historians as among the most original designs of the late twentieth century.

A. Lange and Sohne Recalls & Controversies

A. Lange and Sohne has no product recalls on record. The brand's ultra-low production volume and fully in-house manufacture provide close quality control at every stage of assembly. Each movement is assembled twice: once for testing and regulation, then disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled for final delivery. This double-assembly process is uncommon in the industry and significantly reduces the probability of production defects reaching customers.

No significant controversies involving brand conduct, pricing practices, or corporate governance have been publicly documented for A. Lange and Sohne as a standalone brand. The broader Richemont group has faced scrutiny over returns policy and the destruction of unsold luxury goods, an industry-wide practice that drew regulatory attention in France in 2020, though this issue was not specific to A. Lange and Sohne's operations.

A. Lange and Sohne Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Richemont's resources fund research and development for highly complex calibres without short-term commercial pressure
+Ownership by the world's second-largest luxury goods group provides global distribution infrastructure and retail access
+Portfolio synergies with Jaeger-LeCoultre and IWC enable shared manufacturing technologies while preserving brand independence
+Richemont's long-term ownership approach supports the slow, deliberate production schedules appropriate to ultra-luxury watchmaking

Considerations

-Richemont's portfolio emphasis on Swiss maisons means A. Lange and Sohne is the only major German manufacture in the group, with limited internal knowledge transfer specific to Glashutte traditions
-Conglomerate ownership may constrain brand autonomy in pricing and distribution decisions
-Limited annual production of under 5,000 watches restricts revenue growth relative to Swiss volume peers

Frequently Asked Questions About A. Lange and Sohne

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to A. Lange and Sohne

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
Jaeger-LeCoultreSister Brand	Richemont	Switzerland	1833	Luxury	Global	Unisex
IWC SchaffhausenSister Brand	Richemont	Switzerland	1868	Premium luxury	Global	All Genders
Vacheron ConstantinSister Brand	Richemont	Switzerland	1755	Ultra premium	Global	Unisex