The short answer: A. Lange & Söhne has never catalogued a reference called Lange 2, so a watch sold as a fake Lange 2 tourbillon is nearly always a copy of the Lange 1 Tourbillon with a seller invented name attached. The top pick in this category is a Lange 1 Tourbillon style copy with a working one minute carriage, the asymmetric dial and the outsize date at one o'clock. Grade every candidate on those three points plus case finishing and movement decoration. Box, papers and a printed certificate tell you nothing about the watch.

What the name usually refers to

Wholesale sheets use "Lange 2 tourbillon" for one of three real watches: the Lange 1 Tourbillon, the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, or an 1815 Tourbillon. On a plain Lange 1 the small seconds sits at seven o'clock. On the tourbillon version the seconds hand rides on the carriage itself, so the dial keeps the same layout of big date at one, main dial at nine and power reserve at three. Ask a vendor which reference they copied. A seller who cannot answer is guessing about the product as well.

The tourbillon carriage

A genuine tourbillon rotates the balance and escapement inside a cage, usually once per minute, and you can watch it move. Fakes split into two groups: an open dial with a static cage hiding a quartz or three hand automatic movement, and a flying tourbillon module bolted onto a stock movement that turns but keeps poor time.

  • Pros of a working carriage: the seconds hand sweeps from the cage, the beat is visible, and the watch holds attention when the dial is on show.
  • Cons: thicker case, more weight, higher service risk, and the cage stalls if the jewels are oiled badly.

Use case: pick the working carriage if you wear the watch with the dial visible and accept the service bill. For daily wear, a three hand Lange 1 style copy carries less risk and less thickness.

Dial layout and the outsize date

The outsize date is the feature people recognise first, and it is also where cheap copies fail. Look at the two date discs: on a good copy they sit flush under the window, the numerals are crisp and centred, and both discs change at midnight together.

  • Pros of a well built dial: correct date aperture proportions, applied markers with clean edges, printed text that sits flat under a loupe.
  • Cons to expect: mismatched disc heights, a date that jumps early or late, and printed text that looks thick or smudged.

Use case: if the date window is the reason you want the watch, inspect macro photos of it before anything else. A crooked date kills the look faster than a wrong movement.

Case, lugs and finish

Lange cases are polished on the bezel and lugs with brushed flanks, and the transition line between the two should be sharp. Run a finger along the lug edges. A copy with soft, rounded edges came off a low grade polishing wheel.

  • Pros: correct 38 to 41 mm span, drilled or solid lugs as per the source reference, crown that sits flush and winds without grit.
  • Cons: oversized cases sold as tourbillons, uneven brushing, crowns that feel loose after a month.

Use case: a 38 to 39 mm case suits a wrist under 7 inches. Anything past 41 mm looks like a different watch once it is on the arm.

Movement decoration and serviceability

Turn the watch over. On a Lange the balance cock is hand engraved, and on the tourbillon models that engraving is a signature element. Copies either laser etch a flat pattern or leave the cock bare.

  • Pros: engraved cock, blued screws, Geneva stripes with visible depth, a movement a local watchmaker will agree to open.
  • Cons: glued on decoration plates, fake jewel holes, a caseback gasket that tears on first service.

Use case: if you plan to own the watch for years, choose a copy whose movement any competent watchmaker can service. Ask the seller for the base calibre before you buy.

Matching the grade to the buyer

  1. Display and collection: working tourbillon, engraved cock, macro grade dial. This is the only grade worth the extra spend.
  2. Regular wear: three hand Lange 1 style copy, accurate, thin, easy to service.
  3. First purchase: skip the tourbillon entirely and learn how the seller handles questions, photos and returns.

Pre purchase checklist

  1. Confirm which reference the copy is based on.
  2. Request a video of the carriage in motion, not a still photo.
  3. Ask for macro shots of the date window and the crown.
  4. Ask for the base calibre and the beat rate.
  5. Confirm the case diameter and thickness in millimetres.
  6. Confirm the return window and the warranty terms in writing.

Treat the name "Lange 2 tourbillon" as a listing label rather than a model. Grade the carriage, the date, the case and the finishing, and you will end up with the watch you thought you were ordering.