A. Lange and Sohne were one of the first watch brands started up in the German town of Glashutte, the home town to several well-known watchmakers. A. Lange and Sohne were founded by Adolf Lange in 1845. Before launching his namesake brand, Lange worked as an apprentice under then renowned watchmaker J.C. Friedrich Gutkaes. At that time, they made the best replica watches on commission for elite clients. It was here that Lange not only obtained his watchmaking techniques but also developed a detail-focused and customer-oriented work ethic.
Lange graduated from his apprenticeship with great performance in 1835. He then decided to improve his techniques and learn from a well-respected chronometer maker. Soon after, he returned to Glashutte to started his own workshop. At the beginning of the business, Lange had immediately begun innovating. In 1846, he invented the three-quarter plate, which had been adopted till today. He also substitutes the Parisian system of lines with the metric system, introducing the millimeter as a form of measurement in the fake watch industry. In 1848, Lange was nominated to be the Mayor of Glashutte. During his tenure of nearly two decades, he changed the modest town into the thriving industrial center for watchmaking we know today.
Although Lange had made notable achievements in administration, he still regarded watchmaking as of great importance to his family. So, he began passing all his knowledge in this field to his sons, Richard and Emil, in the late 1860s and early 1870s. Then, in 1875, Lange passed away from heart failure at the age of 60. In the years to follow, his sons and later grandsons continued his spirit of innovation. In 1900, A. Lange and Sohne released their No. 42500 Grand Complication. A private client commissioned the pocket watch. However, to this day, it is one of the most technically complex replica watches created by the brand. 
The early 20th century was the beginning of a hard period for A. Lange and Sohne and the world. WWI, the economic crisis that followed, and the continued strife of WWII heavily impacted the town of Glashutte and the watch manufacturing there.
During the Second World War, A. Lange and Sohne provided oversized cheap watches for the German Air Force. However, immediately following the war, the company faced severe difficulty. In the ending phase of the war, their workshops were bombed and destroyed. By 1948, the Lange family was expropriated, and the Soviet administration nationalized the company's remaining property. For the next 45 years, the A. Lange and Sohne have thought disappeared.