A. Lange & Söhne Two-Day Marine Chronometer No. 5397

Technical characteristics

Date

1944

Type

Two-day marine chronometer

Dimensions

19 cm high, 20 cm wide, 18.5 cm deep

Escapement

Earnshaw type spring detent escapement

Dial Signature

A. LANGE & SOHNE, GLASHUTTE, B/DRESDEN

Place recorded

Germany

Maker and Serial

A. Lange & Söhne, No. 5397

Maker / attribution

A. Lange & Söhne

Design

Visible features

• Two-tier mahogany box shown open with brass gimbal suspension and corner-mounted winding key. • Inside lid contains an adhered rating record certificate from Etablissements Viallet. • Black-finished plaque on top lid reads 'A. LANGE & SÖHNE / 5397 / GLASHÜTTE I/Sa.'. • Satin-white dial signed 'A. LANGE & SÖHNE / GLASHÜTTE B/DRESDEN' with subsidiary seconds displaying '5397' and up/down indicator at 12 o'clock.

Dial and Case Configuration

The marine chronometer features a 3.75-inch circular satin-white dial with Arabic numerals, gilt spade hands, and a 0–56 state-of-wind indicator positioned below 12 o'clock. The dial is signed centrally 'A. LANGE & SOHNE, GLASHUTTE, B/DRESDEN', with the subsidiary seconds dial bearing the serial number 5397. The movement sits within a lacquered brass bowl secured by a screw-down bezel and is gimbal-mounted alongside a brass tipsy winding key in a two-tier mahogany glazed-top box. The case features applied wooden side carrying handles and an applied front plaque inscribed 'A. LANGE & SOHNE, 5397, GLASHUTTE I/Sa', with serial number 5397 also stamped directly into the wood of the lower tier near the lock.

Reported Movement Architecture

According to the auction catalogue, the instrument is powered by a circular three-pillar single-chain reverse fusee movement fitted with Harrison's maintaining power and five-spoke wheel crossings. The escapement is described as an Earnshaw-type spring detent system with jewelled escape wheel pivots, regulated by a Guillaume-type split bimetallic 'integral' balance with cylindrical compensating weights, a blued steel helical balance spring, and a jewelled endstone. The internal plates carry specific workshop markings reported by the saleroom: the backplate features a separate mainspring pivot plate applied with a spring set-up ratchet, stamped with an 'A. LANGE & SOHNE, GLASHUTTE' roundel over serial number 5397 adjacent to the balance wheel, while the inside of the frontplate is stamped '97' and the dial plate '397'.

Documentation and Historical Service Context

The lot includes archival documentation consisting of a build record certificate issued by the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum together with a copy of the original supply invoice to Bremen-based marine chronometer maker Enno Koopmann, aligning with the catalogued 1944 date. Subsequent operational history is evidenced by later service labels inside the lid. While existing observations note a rating record certificate from Etablissements Viallet, the auction catalogue description notes overlaid third-party rating labels inside the case, including one from Piraeus, Greece, dated 27 October 1976.

Identification

Serial number

5397

Source note

Facts transcribed from the linked source listing or collection record. Attribution and specifications are source-reported and have not been independently authenticated.

Catalogue references

No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.