FOUND (In A Toolbox): A World War II A. Lange & Söhne B-Uhr Wristwatch
It’s every car lover’s dream to come across a Ferrari in a barn. Similarly, watch collectors hope to stumble upon a pre-Moon Speedmaster at a garage sale or in a relative’s sock drawer. Well, it does happen and today we’ve got one of those stories. Ian Brown, owner of a jewelry store in Woodstock, Georgia, recently acquired a 1940s A. Lange & Söhne Beobachtungsuhr, or “B-Uhr,” that was found in a toolbox at an estate sale.
If you’re a regular reader of HODINKEE, you know we’ve covered these World War II pilot’s watches before. But here’s a refresher. The German air force, or Luftwaffe, commissioned five companies to build watches for its pilots and navigators: IWC, Laco, Stowa, Wempe and A. Lange & Söhne. All of the watches were built to the same specification – a 55mm case, hand-wound movement with center seconds, an oversized crown for easy winding while wearing gloves, an extra long riveted leather strap for wearing over a flight jacket and distinctive, legible dial markings. There were two dial variations of the B-Uhr: the Type A dial had a more standard outer minute track and a large triangle at 12 o’clock. The Type B dial had an inner hour track and a prominently demarcated outer minute track. The Lange you see pictured here is a Type B.
The B-Uhr style is extremely popular, with many modern watch brands, big and small, selling some variation of it. But it’s not so common to come across the genuine article from the 1940s. Last year we featured a remarkable collection of five Fliegers that was up for auction at Antiquorum, including a Type A dial Lange. Of the five makes that still are occasionally found today, IWC’s version seems to fetch the most when sold, perhaps because they only made them in 1940 and therefore are not as common. But to find any of these wartime relics, the majority of which were flown, is a rare treat. So when Ian Brown contacted us with his story, we knew it was special. Here’s Ian’s description, in his own words, of how he came to possess this Lange B-Uhr:
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