Short answer
"Replica Lange mechanical watches" means watches that copy the case, dial, and hands of A. Lange & Söhne models and use a mass-produced mechanical movement in place of the in-house Glashütte calibres. They are not made by A. Lange & Söhne. In the United States, import and sale of a watch carrying a counterfeit trademark is illegal.
What the term covers
A. Lange & Söhne was founded in Glashütte, Saxony in 1845 and relaunched in 1990. Current lines include Lange 1, Saxonia, 1815, Richard Lange, Datograph, Zeitwerk, and Odysseus. Retail prices run from about $25,000 for a plain Saxonia to $80,000 and above for a Datograph. Replica makers target the Lange 1 and the Datograph most, because both dials are easy to recognize.
Sellers use tier labels such as "AAA" and "1:1." These labels have no agreed definition. In practice they describe case plating, steel grade, and crystal type, not the movement.
Movements in replica Langes
Lange states that its calibres are built in Glashütte. The L121.1 in the Lange 1 is manual wind with a 72-hour power reserve and a jumping outsize date. The L951.6 in the Datograph Up/Down is a flyback chronograph with a 60-hour power reserve.
Replicas use other movements:
- Sea-Gull ST19, a column-wheel chronograph, used in Datograph copies
- Sea-Gull ST2130 and Hangzhou 6300, both ETA 2824-2 pattern, 28,800 vph
- Miyota 9015, Japanese, 28,800 vph, about 42 hours of reserve
- Outsize date modules built from two printed discs on a separate plate
None of these have the hand-engraved balance cock, the screwed gold chatons, or the three-quarter plate of a genuine Lange.
How the copies differ
Case diameter runs 1 to 2 mm wider than the genuine watch to fit a stock movement. The case is thicker for the same reason. Movement finishing is machine-applied. Replica Lange 1 dials place the outsize date window off center in many samples. Weight differs because the case is steel with plating, not solid gold or platinum.
Legal status in the United States
18 U.S.C. § 2320 makes trafficking in counterfeit goods a federal crime. 19 U.S.C. § 1526(e) bars import of merchandise bearing a counterfeit trademark. Customs and Border Protection seizes shipments and destroys them. Brand owners record their marks with CBP to trigger seizure. Richemont owns A. Lange & Söhne and enforces its marks.
Personal-use purchase draws fewer charges than selling, but CBP can still seize and destroy the item, and the buyer has no recourse. A genuine Lange carries a serial number, papers, and a service record. A counterfeit has none of these and cannot be serviced by the brand.