Cover The new A Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” (pictured left) and Datograph Up/Down (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
The new A Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” (pictured left) and Datograph Up/Down (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
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The German manufacture has unveiled the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” and Datograph Up/Down
The accolades of A Lange & Söhne are unmatched. Renowned for its highly sought‑after timepieces, such as the 1815, the Double Split, the Lange 1, the Saxonia, the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite” and the Zeitwerk, A Lange & Söhne has contributed numerous patented technologies to the world of mechanical watchmaking, including remontoirs d’égalité (constant force mechanisms), that result in innovations such as beryllium alloy balance springs, new styles of dead‑beat seconds, and novel escapement designs.
Then there is the inimitable Datograph, which raised the bar for in‑house chronographs and won over fans such as six‑time NBA champion Michael Jordan and the reigning English Premier League champion Manchester City FC’s manager Pep Guardiola. It has even garnered praise from lauded master watchmaker Philippe Dufour.
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Above The new A Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” (pictured left) and Datograph Up/Down (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
The new A Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” (pictured left) and Datograph Up/Down (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
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The story of A Lange & Söhne’s Datograph can be traced back to the early 1990s, when Swiss horology finally recovered from the quartz crisis. The manufacture was relaunched by Walter Lange and Günter Blümlein, who aspired to create an impressive chronograph with a new and unique blueprint.
To ensure that their proprietary chronograph would be unlike anything before seen and not easily copied, they decided to shift the subdials from the traditional 3 and 9 o’clock positions to the 4 and 8 o’clock positions, such that they form an equilateral triangle with the Datograph’s namesake outsize date—a move that warranted a massive reengineering of the conventional column‑wheel chronograph, no thanks to space restrictions.
An instantly recognisable calling card of A Lange & Söhne, the eye‑catching date display mimics the five‑minute digital clock built by German clockmaker Johann Christian Friedrich Gutkaes that adorns the Semperoper opera house in Dresden, Germany. This particular clock was chosen as brand founder Ferdinand Adolph Lange was the son‑in‑law of Gutkaes, and also his apprentice around the time he made the said clock.
Above The semi‑transparent dial of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” allows a peek into the inner workings of an A Lange & Söhne grande complication, while its concentric subdials display the perpetual calendar in a novel way (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
The semi‑transparent dial of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” allows a peek into the inner workings of an A Lange & Söhne grande complication, while its concentric subdials display the perpetual calendar in a novel way (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
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The first Datograph—its name a portmanteau of its date and chronograph functions—was presented in 1999. It was driven by the sophisticated calibre L951.1, which endowed the timepiece with a flyback function and a precisely jumping minute counter—meaning, the minute hand “jumps” to the next numeral exactly as the chrono seconds hand passes its 60th second. Impressive technical accomplishments such as the Datograph are responsible for winning A Lange & Söhne, a German brand, the respect of the Swiss watchmaking industry.
New Look
This year, A Lange & Söhne celebrates a quarter‑century of the Datograph with two remarkable new models unveiled at the 2024 edition of Watches and Wonders, the world’s largest luxury watch trade fair: the Datograph Up/Down in white gold with a blue dial and the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”.
An updated version of the groundbreaking 1999 Datograph, the Datograph Up/Down—also known by its German name, the Datograph Auf/Ab—was first launched in 2012 with a platinum case and a solid silver dial coloured black that features a power reserve indicator from which it got its name. This year’s version, the Ref. 405.028, comes in a white gold case with a blue dial, rhodium‑coloured subdials, and luminous hands and indices.
Above Making its return in white gold with a blue dial, the Datograph Up/Down
is known for its unusual subdial locations, outsize date and “Up/Down” power reserve indicator (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
Making its return in white gold with a blue dial, the Datograph Up/Down is known for its unusual subdial locations, outsize date and “Up/Down” power reserve indicator (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
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Limited to 125 pieces, it retains its predecessor’s 41 mm case diameter and 13.1 mm height, and is driven by the L951.6 movement of 2012 that has a column‑wheel chronograph function (a column wheel mechanism prevents the stuttering of the chronograph and ensures a smooth start). This lauded movement also endows the chronograph with a flyback function and beats at a frequency of 18,000 semi‑oscillations per hour, which means the watch is accurate to one‑fifth of a second.
After clocking laps with its chronograph function, its wearer can tally time measurements against the tachymeter scale inscribed on the flange to determine average speeds. The small seconds counter is located at the 9 o’clock position while the precisely jumping minute counter is located at 3 o’clock.
Above The dial and hands of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” are coated in the manufacture’s proprietary luminous “Lumen” compound (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
The dial and hands of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” are coated in the manufacture’s proprietary luminous “Lumen” compound (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
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Come and Glow
Certainly one of the most talked‑about novelties when it launched at Watches and Wonders 2024, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” Ref. 740.055FE is a grande complication that combines the Datograph’s flyback chronograph with a precisely jumping minute counter with a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon with a stop‑seconds mechanism. This special edition of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon unveiled in 2016 is limited to 50 pieces.
Its highly precise perpetual calendar takes into account leap years and its moon phase will only deviate by a single day after 122.6 years. A single push of the rapid‑correction button at the 10 o’clock position will simultaneously advance all displays by one day, while the three correctors on the flank adjust the moon phase display, the day of the week and the month separately.
Above A Lange & Söhne movements, such as the L951.6 of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”, are renowned for incorporating a litany of hand‑finishing techniques, which one can admire through the sapphire caseback (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
A Lange & Söhne movements, such as the L951.6 of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”, are renowned for incorporating a litany of hand‑finishing techniques, which one can admire through the sapphire caseback (Photo: A Lange & Söhne)
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Its tourbillion, which is located on the caseback—recalling the tourbillion wristwatches and stopwatches made before the 1980s, which usually saw the complication in the same position—has a stop‑seconds mechanism that enables the wearer to stop it instantly. This mechanism, introduced to the tourbillon by the brand in 2008, is activated with a simple pull of the crown, which halts the balance and tourbillon cage. To start the balance and tourbillon again, just push the crown back in.
These functions are part of the high‑precision L952.4 calibre, which also beats at a high frequency of 18,000 semi‑oscillations per hour and is housed in a 41.5 mm‑wide, 14.6 mm‑thick case in tough Honeygold, A Lange & Söhne’s patented alloy. The case boasts a gorgeous “Lumen” coating, which is the manufacture’s proprietary glow‑in‑the‑dark compound that was introduced in the early 2010s.
With the new Datograph Up/Down and Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen”, A Lange & Söhne reiterates its commitment and passion for engineering innovative chronographs.
Credits
Images: A Lange & Söhne
