Replica Saxonia Tourbillon: Short Answer
A replica Saxonia Tourbillon is a copy of the A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia Tourbillon. The genuine watch is a hand-wound tourbillon from Glashütte, Germany, sold in platinum and gold. Auction prices run between $80,000 and $180,000. No replica matches it. Many watches sold under this name are not tourbillons. They use an open-heart automatic movement with a cutout shaped like a tourbillon cage.
Genuine Reference Points
A. Lange & Söhne restarted production in 1990 after Walter Lange re-registered the brand. The Saxonia line is the brand's entry family. The Saxonia Tourbillon carries a one-minute tourbillon with a stop-seconds device, a patented mechanism that stops the balance so the wearer can set time to the second. Dial text reads "A. Lange & Söhne" and "Made in Germany." The case back is sapphire with an engraved reference number. Lange does not publish total production for most references. Exact counts for each Saxonia Tourbillon variant are unknown.
What the Replica Movement Is
Two movement types appear in replica listings.
- Real tourbillon: Seagull ST8000 family or Hangzhou tourbillon movements. The cage turns one full turn per minute. Movement cost is $200 to $600.
- Fake tourbillon: a standard automatic movement with a decorative bridge and a cutout. Nothing rotates around the balance.
Automatic winding is a signal. The genuine Saxonia Tourbillon is hand-wound. A rotor behind the sapphire back means the watch is not a copy of a Lange.
Legal Status in the US
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import and to sell. 18 U.S.C. § 2320 sets prison terms of up to 10 years for trafficking in counterfeit goods. US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit shipments at ports of entry. Buying a replica for personal use is not a federal crime in most cases. Reselling one is.
Checks Before You Buy
- Ask for a photo of the movement with the case back open.
- Confirm the cage makes one full turn in 60 seconds.
- Look for a rotor. The genuine watch is hand-wound.
- Check the case metal. Lange used platinum and gold for this model, not steel.
- Request the serial number and reference number under the lugs.
A replica carries no Lange service record, no Lange papers, and no serial in the Lange database. Sellers who claim otherwise are wrong.