More space for watchmakers: A. Lange & Söhne expands its premises in Glashütte
The ground-breaking ceremony on 5 September marked the start of construction on the Manufaktur’s new annex. The new building provides more than 11,000 square metres of additional space for more improved processes.
The global demand for A. Lange & Söhne's exquisite timepieces is constantly growing. Accordingly, the successful Saxon watch brand has constantly expanded in the past years. It is the largest employer in the town of Glashütte, providing jobs for more than 500 people. Their workshops are spread across several buildings. The new annex will accommodate the movement assembly departments and the machines for the production of the delicate movement components in a single complex. Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid welcomes the start of the construction works: "The annex was long overdue. The new building will allow us to clearly improve production processes and working conditions."
Wilhelm Schmid (left) and Walter Lange (right) at the ground-breaking ceremony on 5th September 2012
The two-part extension has a gross floor area of 11,300 square metres. A skybridge across Altenberger Strasse will connect the new building with the "Lange II", currently the largest production venue. On the side facing the street, the production of the movement components will be accommodated on three floors. The rear wing of the building provides watchmaker workshops on five levels. The double walk-through façade has a climate-control function and allows distraction-free tours in these zones. With its discreet design, the new building blends in well with the existing ensemble and takes the architectural geographical particularities of the area into account. The geothermal heat pump used for heating, cooling, and hot water contributes to the ecological soundness of the manufacturing operations. The building stands on 70 concrete piles. Driven into the ground to a depth of up to 20 metres, they constitute a solid foundation. The structural work is scheduled to begin this coming spring and is supposed to be finished within two and a half years. Lange will invest a two digit million amount.
Impression of the new building of A. Lange & Söhne
About A. Lange & Söhne
With the establishment of his manufactory in 1845, the Dresden watchmaker Ferdinand A. Lange laid the foundation for Saxony's precision watchmaking industry. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. After the comeback in 1990 by his great-grand son Walter Lange, Lange crafts today only a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum per year. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and assembled by hand. In a period of little more than 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne developed more than 40 manufacture calibres and secured a top-tier position among the world's finest watch brands. Its biggest successes include innovative timekeeping instruments like the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a regularly produced wristwatch as well as the LANGE ZEITWERK with its perfectly legible, precisely jumping numerals: both have become icons of the venerable brand.
Official site of A. Lange & Sohne.
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Impression of the new building of A. Lange & Söhne
