With the upcoming Lange 1 20th anniversary by A. Lange & Söhne, we were privileged to be invited for a pre-festivity photo shoot. Together with friends of the show Kristian Haagen and Alexander Linz we travelled to Dresden, where a themed photo shoot was arranged for us. After our individual arrival  on monday, we enjoyed dinner with Wilhelm Schmidt, Arnd Einhorn and Clemens Von Walzel from Lange. During the presentation of the desert we found an extra sweet treat on our plate. This was the moment we would find out what our theme for the next day would be. With three options (air, land or sea) the color of the ice cream inside the chocolate lollypop would correspond with an envelope would containing the matching program for the next day. Exciting!


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And it’s green! Which means we received the envelope with the green sticker, containing the program for the land theme, including two truly unique experiences. Visiting the restoration department of the Dresden State Art collection, and being the only guest at the ‘Green Vault’. To make it even better we got to take along two Lange 1 watches with us during the entire experience.

The next day we went for an early walk and enjoyed the great view of Dresden, from the banks of the ‘neustadt’ (new city)  looking at the ‘altstadt’ (old city) which just catched the first light by the upcoming sun. Great spot for some photos of the Lange 1 watches with the skyline of Dresden in the background.

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After enjoying the short walk and breakfast it’s time to hit the road! With an action packed afternoon program in the centre of Dresden we decided to explore the rural area around the city. With the roof down, iPhone installed with our personal choice of music, we took off in the BMW convertible and quickly found some great places overlooking Dresden. Relaxing meadows and cows included.

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We went well prepared with the right GoPro accessories for our behind the scenes video footage which will follow soon. Returning right in time for our land experience we transferred to the Dresden State Art Collection restoration department, where we got a behind the scenes look. Down these stairs our behind the scenes tour starts.

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This was ever so impressive. It is amazing to see how old art artefacts are restored. Where you would expect to find mostly hand tools we were quite surprised to see how high-tech this kind of work actually is. One of the restoration projects we got to see up close was  this astronomical clock of which only a hand full are made. When we visited the opening of the Mathematische-Physikalische Salon, or MPS in short, there was a similar one on display. During the explanation of the restoration proces and the mechanics itself you wonder how this was done in the mid 1500’s. Everything is so incredibly precise and well made with many, many details. At that time they already incorporated bearings in the movement. Against our expectation we learned that the power of the large barrel was transferred to the movement by organic material.

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Next stop is the ‘Grüne Gewölbe’, also translates to ‘the green vault’ for an afternoon in the museum. Located in the Dresden Royal Palace this exhibition contains several rooms filled with thematically combined artefacts from the past. Normally only accessible (with limitations) within a schedule, yet absolutely worth a visit if you have the chance. We experienced the exhibition being the only guest with a tour guide for some explanation of the rooms and displayed items. This was a truly surreal experience.

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The entry to the ‘Grünes Gewölbe’, or Green Vault pictured above.

The following images show exhibits of the Historic Green Vault, all rights reserved by the Dresden State Art Collections.

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For more information about the exhibition and possibilities for visiting check the Historic Green Vault website. Also make sure you check out this virtual tour which gives an excellent impression and has more information on several items that are on display.

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Looking up at the Hausmann tower, our last stop and part of the Dresden Castle. Only 327 steps separate you from the observation deck but  it’s worth every one of them. On the way to the top of the tower we pass the mechanical movement of the tower clocks.

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Lange-1-Dresden-020During the experience we were followed by a camera team, who captured us for a promotional video for the upcoming Lange 1 20th anniversary.

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Looks like the program came to an end here. With a lot of impressions we headed back to the hotel for a last photo shoot with the Lange 1 watches before returning home the next day.

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We would like to thank A. Lange & Söhne for their great hospitality during the Lange 1 20th anniversary pre-festivity photo shoot, and are looking forward to the upcoming festivities. Until then keep an eye on the A. Lange & Söhne website for any possible news updates.

Make sure you check out the air adventures of Alexander Linz and  water experience of Kristian Haagen.