Short answer

A replica Lange Söhne is a counterfeit A. Lange & Söhne watch made in China. Sellers price them from $60 to $1,200. The cases copy the Lange 1, Saxonia, Datograph, and Zeitwerk shapes. The movements do not. No replica uses an in-house Lange caliber, and none carries a valid Lange serial number.

What the real watch is

A. Lange & Söhne sits in Glashütte, Saxony. Ferdinand Adolph Lange founded the firm in 1845. The East German state took over the factory in 1948. Walter Lange restarted the brand in 1994. Retail prices start near $20,000 for a Saxonia Thin in gold and pass $100,000 for a Datograph Perpetual. Output is small. The company makes a few thousand watches a year.

Price tiers

  • $60 to $120. Stainless case, mineral glass, quartz or a low-grade hand-wind. Painted dial. Bonded leather strap.
  • $150 to $400. 316L steel, sapphire crystal, Seagull ST19 or Peseux 7001 clone. Applied indices on some dials. Gold tone comes from PVD, which rubs off in 12 to 24 months.
  • $500 to $1,200. Better case geometry, tighter dial printing, decorated plates, thicker plating. Sellers claim some use solid 18k gold cases; few do.

Movements

Lange builds its own calibers. The Lange 1 uses a hand-wound movement with a 72-hour power reserve. Genuine finishing includes the Glashütte three-quarter plate, gold chatons, blued screws, and a balance cock cut by hand. Replicas run on Seagull, Hangzhou, or Peseux 7001 copies. Makers add fake perlage and laser-cut engraving. A replica will not hold the same rate as a Lange caliber and has no service network.

Faults to check

  • Outsize date. The Lange 1 and several Saxonia models use a two-disc date with a jump mechanism. Replica date wheels sit off center and turn over late, often past midnight.
  • Balance cock. Hand engraving on a Lange shows cuts of different depth. Replica engraving is uniform.
  • Weight. A gold case feels heavier than a plated steel case of the same size.
  • Dial text. Genuine printing stays sharp under a loupe. Replica printing shows ink spread and uneven spacing.
  • Caseback. Genuine models use a sapphire display back that shows the movement and the plate finish.

US law and customs

Counterfeit trafficking is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. Section 2320. A first offense carries up to 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine for an individual. U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at ports and mail centers. Seized goods are destroyed. The buyer gets no refund from the seller. Brands can file civil claims under the Lanham Act.

Service and resale

Replicas hold no resale value. Most watchmakers will not service a counterfeit. Parts do not interchange with genuine watches. A failed movement turns the watch into scrap. Genuine Lange watches need service every 5 to 7 years, handled through the brand's own service centers.