Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
A. Lange & Söhne · Richard Lange
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 39 mm Black 18k
Reference 34555OR.59
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- A. Lange & Söhne
- Collection
- Richard Lange
- Model
- A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 39 mm Black 18k
- Reference number
- 34555OR.59
- Year / era
- 1959 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Perpetual calendar
- Movement
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Dial type
- Black lacquer
- Strap / bracelet
- NATO textile strap
- Water resistance
- 30 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 39 mm
- Case thickness
- 14.1 mm
- Case material
- 18k yellow gold
- Bezel
- Smooth polished
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Black lacquer
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- NATO textile strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 30 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 76A — In-house tourbillon, manual-winding
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 5 days
- Number of jewels
- 27 jewels
- Complications
- Perpetual calendar
- Functions
- Flying tourbillon, power reserve
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1959 – 1974
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 39 mm Black 18k sits within A. Lange & Söhne's Richard Lange line, introduced in 1959. It carries the house codes established since 1845 — 18k yellow gold case, black lacquer dial and in-house tourbillon, manual-winding — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
The House
A. Lange & Söhne
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1845
- Founder
- Ferdinand Adolph Lange
- Headquarters
- Germany
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Lange 1, Saxonia, Odysseus, Datograph, Zeitwerk, 1815, Richard Lange
- Signature technologies
- Composite and ceramic case materials · In-house hairspring production
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 40 mm Slate Platinum (1978) · A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 39 mm Green Stainless (1969) · A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 44 mm Blue Quartz (1954) · A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 41 mm Silvered Quartz (1973)
Brand history
A. Lange & Söhne has spent more than 181 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Lange 1, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Ferdinand Adolph Lange established A. Lange & Söhne in 1845, working from Germany at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every A. Lange & Söhne calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1845
Ferdinand Adolph Lange founds A. Lange & Söhne in Germany.
1885
A. Lange & Söhne earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces A. Lange & Söhne to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
A. Lange & Söhne enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
A. Lange & Söhne continues to produce Lange 1, Saxonia, Odysseus and other icons in limited numbers.
More Richard Lange
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 43 mm Silvered 18k
Ref. 55591OR.69
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 38 mm Skeletonised Sapphire
Ref. 57873OR.77
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 36 mm Silvered Platinum
Ref. 38647OR.45
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 37 mm Blue 18k
Ref. 57648OR.18
A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange 38 mm Skeletonised Ceramic
Ref. 62963OR.80