To mark 200 years since the birth of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, the special exhibition “SIMPLE AND PERFECT. Saxony’s Path into the World of International Watchmaking” presents the history of precision horology in Saxony based on some 80 exhibits.
It uses the works of three outstanding figures to demonstrate the development of the first precision timepieces up to high-quality series production, introducing the careers of the amateur Johann Heinrich Seyffert (1751–1817) and the master clockmaker Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes (1785–1845). Far away from the great clockmaking centres in England, France and Switzerland, these pioneers of Saxon precision clockmaking set the conditions for Ferdinand Adolph Lange (1815–1875) to successfully found a pocketwatch factory in Glashütte.
In this context, the exhibition focuses on the key role played by the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon in the development of precision horology in Dresden. In around 1780 the Salon became a centre for observational astronomy, making it dependent on precision timekeeping. Lange followed on from his predecessors’ efforts, bringing strict scientific methods into horology.
He constructed a mechanism which met high standards in terms of precision while at the same time fulfilling the needs of series production. This allowed him to produce timepieces which were both simple and perfect.
in cooperation with: A. Lange & Söhne
