Short answer: The A. Lange & Söhne Saxonia reference 202.026 is a precious-metal dress watch, so the first question to ask of any example is whether the case is solid 18k gold or platinum. Fakes almost always show a steel or plated case, a dial that is not solid silver, printed or laser-etched text that breaks down under a loupe, and a third-party movement dressed up with Lange-style engraving. One of those four will be wrong on a replica, and usually more than one.
Lange reference numbers group by model and variant, and online listings mislabel them often. Before judging one watch, pull the specification for 202.026 from the manufacture or an auction archive so you know the correct case metal, diameter, dial layout and calibre.
What you need
- A 10x loupe or a macro lens
- Bright, directional light and a matte surface under the watch
- Calipers for diameter and thickness
- Reference photos of a documented original
- The box, certificate and service records, if the seller has them
Check the case and dial
- Turn the watch over and read the hallmarks inside the caseback and on the lugs. A genuine Lange carries the fineness stamp (750 for 18k gold, 950 for platinum) and the maker's mark. Nothing, or "stainless steel", ends the inspection.
- Weigh the watch in your hand and compare it to the published figure. Solid gold has a density that plated brass and steel cannot imitate.
- Look at the dial surface at an angle. Lange uses a solid silver dial with a soft, even sheen. Painted brass and cheap silver-plated blanks look flatter and show tool marks at the edges.
- Study the applied markers with the loupe. Each gold baton has polished, mirror-cut bevels and sits straight. Glued or soldered markers sit unevenly and show adhesive.
- Read the printing. "A. LANGE & SÖHNE", "SAXONIA" and "MADE IN GERMANY" are sharp, evenly spaced and level. On fakes the letters crowd, the strokes look thin and the ink sits on top of the dial.
- Check the hands. Original hands are gold or heat-blued steel with clean edges and a correct, tight fit on the pinion. Chromed or painted hands look dull under the loupe.
- Inspect the crystal. Both sides are sapphire with an even antireflective coating. A mineral glass front, or a plastic-looking crystal with a purple cast, is wrong.
Check the movement
- Open the display back and look at the plate layout. Lange uses a three-quarter plate in untreated German silver with Glashütte ribbing running in one direction.
- Find the gold chatons. Screwed gold chatons around the jewels, with blued screws, are a Lange signature. Plain rubies set straight into the plate point to a third-party movement.
- Examine the balance cock. Every one is engraved by hand with a floral motif, so no two are identical. Laser etching and stamped patterns look uniform and shallow.
- Check the fine adjustment. Lange fits a swan-neck spring on the balance cock. A plain regulator index or an Etachron-style stud is a copy.
- Read the movement number under the loupe. It is cut into the plate, matches the case number, and can be verified against the manufacture's records.
- Wind the watch and set it. The crown should turn smoothly with defined stops, and the crown logo should be crisp and centered under magnification.
Check the paperwork, price and seller
- Compare the certificate, box and manuals against a documented set. Fakes ship with generic boxes and copied paperwork that carries spelling and font errors.
- Check the price against completed sales from auction houses and established dealers. A precious-metal Saxonia trades in the thousands of US dollars. Any offer in the low hundreds is a replica, whatever the listing claims.
- Ask for a service history. Genuine owners hold invoices from the manufacture or an authorized watchmaker.
- Have the watch authenticated by a Lange-authorized watchmaker or a specialist before money moves. No single visual check settles the question on its own.