When one thinks of the fantastic world of watchmaking, only one area of Europe, from which our beloved timepieces come to life, can only come to mind, namely Switzerland.
Moving a little further north, about 1,000 kilometers, from the heart of Swiss watchmaking, we come to the interior of a small town in Saxony of 6,000 inhabitants, where the most important manufacturers of German watchmaking are based.
These are small haute horlogerie companies, sometimes with multi-centennial histories, that have been able to give birth to incredible creations within the world of timepieces and that, nowadays, represent the object of desire of many enthusiasts.
And this is precisely the case for A. Lange & Söhne, the historic German brand founded back in 1845 and relaunched on the market 30 years ago, which this year introduces a new variant of its iconic Datograph.
It is a model, which today combines some of the most incredible complications ever made by the world of watchmaking, along with the allure of a case made with a gold shade created by the house itself.
We therefore welcome the new A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen.
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen
Twenty-five years after the introduction of the Datograph collection, A. Lange & Söhne presents a new variant of the model, equipped with several incredible complications, as well as the allure of a case with a unique shade of gold enclosing a unique dial inside.
This is a watch equipped with a flyback chronograph, which is a mechanism that allows time to be measured in rapid succession, without the need to stop, reset, and then restart the chronograph, via a single button.
The special feature of such complication present on the new Datograph, also lies in the exclusive “jumping minutes exactly.”
In fact, this peculiarity allows the chronograph minute counter to advance one click at the exact moment when the chronograph second hand completes its revolution.
Encased within the new A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen, we also find a perpetual calendar, with the indications “jumping exactly” (meaning that the moment the date, day, and month change, the hand jumps immediately at the stroke of midnight), based on the Gregorian calendar.
This is a state-of-the-art perpetual calendar that can account for the varying length of months within a year, including leap years.
The moon phase display is also extremely accurate as it is a system that only requires correction by one day after 122.6 years.
Within a watch as complicated as it is fascinating, the tourbillon could not be missing.
In the case of the new Datograph we do not find a “simple” tourbillon, but rather a one-minute tourbillon with seconds stop.
In addition to allowing the watch to run more accurately, like all tourbillons, that of the new Datograph equipped with a seconds stop allows the watch to be stopped to set the time to the exact second.
All these indications, provided by the different complications, are shown above the semi-transparent dial with luminescent coating that can make the indications and functions shine even at night.
On the outside of the dial you can see the tachymeter scale while at 12 o’clock the luminescent Big Date stands out.
In the lower left part of the dial, on the other hand, is located the continuous seconds chanter along with the day/night indicator.
On the opposite side we find the “jumping exactly” chronograph minute counter, months, and leap year indication.
At 6 o’clock finally finds a place for the moon phase display.
Above the 41.5 mm-diameter case in honey-colored gold, a gem by A. Lange & Söhne, are the iconographic pushers at 13 (start/stop) and 16 (flyback/reset) o’clock, along with the crown at 3 o’clock for setting the time.
Instead, at 10 o’clock is located the quick correction button by which all calendar indications can be advanced by one day.
Finally, there are three correctors on the side of the case to separately adjust the phases of the moon, day of the week, month, and leap year.
Contained in a thickness of 14.6 mm and visible through the sapphire crystal case back, we find the manufacture caliber L952.4.
It is a hand-wound movement, consisting of 684 elements, with a power reserve of 50 hours.
In addition to the complexity of such a movement, it is possible to admire the very high quality finishes, of each component, signed by A. Lange & Söhne.
Price and availability
Limited to only 50 pieces worldwide, the new A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen will be sold at a list price of $620,000.
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