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View Full Version : Man was i supprised: A. Lange & Sohne Military


GusR
September 15th, 2007, 01:52
I had recieved my grandfathers watch collection a few months ago, i've made a few posts here about it before. Anyway the plan has been to cycle the watches through a watchmaker i have found near me to get them all serviced and in running order. Untill a few days ago i had only had the funds to do one watch, a white gold omega that i have carried almost every day since i got it serviced. But then the money fairy visited so it was time to take in another watch.

the watch i chose to take in this time was this watch worn by my grandfather when he served as a fighter pilot during WW2.

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa241/souprat/flightwatch.jpg

Untill yesterday that was all i knew about the watch. but when my watchmaker took the back cover off he imidiatly sarted asking questions: -where did you say you go tthis?

-my grandfather.

-where did he get this?

-it was issued to him.

The movement in this watch was made by A. Lange & Sohne. Now i'm new to watch collecting so i had never heard of them but my watchmaker showed me a book he had on colectable watches and apparently this piece i have here can sell for 3,000 euros. That just about blew me away. And the best part about it is that the last time the watch was serviced was in 1956, and yesterday when we fired it is it was only gaining 5 seconds every 24 hours.

I called my mom to tell her that evening and her first question was "so your going to sell it?":roll:
you have to be kidding me, sell the memory of my grandfather and my familys history for 3K? yeah right.

Although, before i really knew what i had here i told my sister that she could have it. The reasoning was i got to keep the rest of the collection. i dont mind her having it, she appreiciates antiques( she has a very nice collection of old dolls), and is an aerospace engineer so she has that connection to planes. But man. Maybe i can get her to accept another watch.

Ether way i'm getting a picture of my grandfather in his uniform, a brass engraving of his plane that i have, and putting it all together with the watch in a nice frame. Just have to see if i can get a period correct band too.

Gus

SonnyD
September 15th, 2007, 03:54
Very COOL watch, and an even Cooler story! I'm glad your not selling it. Some people would only get dollar signs in their eyes with stuff like that. I know, I have one as a sibling, it's always, I wonder what that's worth?
It's cool that you have a Sister that would appreciate and Cherish it too.
Thanks for posting a very Cool watch and Story.
Regards Sonny

woodenbull
September 15th, 2007, 05:23
never sell that watch :)
-the memories are something you coudl never get back,
and you are to one heck of a start with a timepiece like this,
many only dream od a watch like this,
learn as much as you can about it,
the more you learn, to more you will appreciate what you have here ...

enjoy :)

gtopaul
September 15th, 2007, 16:10
i'm getting a picture of my grandfather in his uniform, a brass engraving of his plane that i have, and putting it all together with the watch in a nice frame. Just have to see if i can get a period correct band too.

Gus

I think it's very important, and interesting, to keep the watch with personal items from your grandfather during his WW2 time. I have aquired three chronographs from WW2 fliers. I have a Zenith chrono from a A-36 dive bomber pilot in North Africa and Italy. He's still alive and will be 90 this year. Great old guy to talk to and he sent me photo's and newsreel video of himself from that time. The second chrono is a Lyceum owned by a B-17 copilot who did 26 missions over Germany. I have his unit pictures, throat microphone and Ray-Ban sunglasses also. I spoke with his widow the other day, she's in an assisted living facility and still has his leather flying jacket. The third chrono I just received is an Abercrombie & Fitch once owned by a B-17 ball turret gunner that flew 30 missions over europe and later did clandistine jumps behind enemy lines for the OSS. He was a native born German that moved to the US before WW2 so was proficient German. The last two chrono's still had there original, tattered, WW2 leather straps. All very interesting and from a generation that is almost gone. What gets me is these guys were almost all 22-24 years of age or younger during WW2.

As an example, the pic attached is from the B-17 copilot who is standing 2nd from the left. It's so much more interesting when you can put a face with an old watch.

Regards.

Paul

http://members.aol.com/gtopaul/private/gryn1.jpg

GusR
September 15th, 2007, 16:47
^^ Now that sounds like a very cool collection.