On 7 December 1845, Adolph Lange established the Saxon precision watchmaking industry in Glashütte near Dresden. This is where he furbished his first workshop and recruited 15 talented youngsters from among the town's totally impoverished inhabitants with the intention of transforming them into consummate watchmakers. With unfaltering perseverance and horological ingenuity, Adolph Lange developed totally new precision tools and measuring instruments during the years that followed. He invented pioneering designs and production methods. For instance, he replaced the bows with which lathes had been driven and used flywheels instead - with the result that his turned parts were of much higher quality than conventional ones. In 1864, to enhance the stability of his movements, he introduced the three-quarter plate which is still a typical feature of watches from Glashütte. From the very beginning, he discarded stubbornly obsolete traditions and spared no effort to reform horology from the bottom up. His decision to replace the complicated Parisian system of lignes with the metric system was of historical import. It was Adolph Lange who introduced the millimetre as the underlying unit of measurement in watchmaking. In 1875, Adolph Lange died at the early age of 60. His sons inherited a most respected company. The town of Glashütte, which he had served as a mayor for 18 years, erected a monument for him in 1895. Additionally, he encouraged many of his employees to establish specialised workshops for jewels, screws, wheels, spring barrels, balances, and hands. Thanks to his initiatives, the economy of Glashütte flourished, bringing prosperity to the townspeople.