A. Lange & Söhne Extends Cultural Diversity Partnership with the SKD

Richard Lange Perpetual Calendar “Terraluna” next to the moon-phase
mechanism in the astronomical clock by Eberhard Baldewein (1568).

At the annual press conference of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) on 9 March in Dresden, SKD director Hartwig Fischer and Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid announced the continuation of their partnership, which began in 2006, for another five years. The cultural partnership between the traditional watchmaker and the world-famous museum association experienced another highlight last year in the form of the special exhibition “Simple and perfect – Saxony’s path into the world of international watchmaking”, which marked 200 years since Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s birth.

The SKD’s 14 museums, including the Grünes Gewölbe (green vault), the Galerien Alte und Neue Meister (old and new masters’ galleries), the Porzellansammlung (porcelain collection) and the Mathematisch-Physikalische Salon, are some of the most famous collections of their kind in the world. A. Lange & Söhne has particularly close ties with the Mathematisch-Physikalische Salon, which stretches back to the early days of precision watchmaking. This is where the young Ferdinand Adolph Lange became enchanted with the craft of watchmaking in 1830. Experiencing these masterfully crafted timepieces from the region and other places in Europe gave rise to his dream to create the very best timepieces in the world in Saxony.

A Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase beside a
Tellurium that is part of the SKD collection.

However, A. Lange & Söhne’s dedication is not just about honoring its historical roots. What is decisive for Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid is what the partners can bring to each other in the present: “Together with the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, A. Lange & Söhne wants to revive the tradition of cultural diversity that was one of the defining characteristics of Saxony for centuries. As a watchmaker that is seen as the leading representative of Saxon precision watchmaking in over 60 countries worldwide, a cosmopolitan attitude and tolerance are some of the linchpins of our culture. That’s why I am delighted with the extension to our successful partnership.”