The Datograph is an icon of A. Lange & Söhne, with its over sized date window and beautifully proportioned dial. Add a perpetual calendar and a tourbillon to the equation and the timepiece is elevated to further heights. Introducing the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, limited to 100 pieces.
The new limited edition A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon up close.
The timepiece has a 41.5-millimetre case made from platinum and features a black solid-silver dial. This new timepiece combines three of A. Lange & Söhne’s specialties.
Firstly the chronograph. The column wheel flyback chronograph with precise minute counter from A. Lange & Söhne needs no introduction as it already holds a place in watchmaking, for its design and functionally. The flyback function allows for the user to reset the chronograph immediately without needing to stop it and carry on timing the new event. We love it and cannot sing its praises enough. Hence the Datograph part of the name.
The next complication is the Perpetual Calendar and this references the Perpetual in the name. A perpetual calendar shows the wearer the day, date, month and leap year. It automatically adjusts for months with 28, 30 or 31 days and adjusts for for the 29th of February every 4 years without any problems whatsoever. The perpetual calendar in the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is instantaneous. This means that there is no delay in the oversized date and the subsidiary dials when changing over at midnight.
A first correction of the mechanism by one day can wait until the first day of March in the secular year 2100. A perpetual calendar is usually accompanied by a moonphase indicator. On the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon this is located at the 6 0’clock position on the dial. The moon-phase display will only deviate from the true lunation by a single day after 122.6 years. The iconic oversized Date has the same background colour as the dial making the white numerals pop and makes it aesthetically pleasing on the eye.
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon with a 41.5mm platinum case.
The day, month, leap year indicator, day/night indicator, running seconds and the 30 minute counter for the chronograph in two concentric circles at the 8 and 4 o’clock positions.
The power reserve on the Datograph Up/Down is usually at the 6 o’clock position, but since the moonphase is occupying that position in the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, you will find it located in between the 9 and 10 o’clock area at the end of the tachymeter scale.
Now for the last complication the Tourbillon. The one minute tourbillon is discreet and is only viewable through the sapphire crystal caseback. The only clue for the connoisseur is the word tourbillon on the dial. For the first time in a Lange tourbillon with chronograph, the balance beats at a rate of 18,000 instead of the conventional 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour. This corresponds to a frequency of 2.5 hertz. Consequently, stopped times can be displayed with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. The patented stop-seconds mechanism instantaneously brings the balance wheel inside the tourbillon cage to a standstill when the crown is pulled. This allows the watch to be set with one-second accuracy.
The one minute tourbillon is viewable only through the sapphire caseback.
The wonderfully finished in house manually wound L952.2 movement is comprised of 729 parts. Decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; intermediate wheel cock and tourbillon bar engraved by hand. The movement has a power reserve of 50 hours when fully wound.
The wonderfully finished in house manually wound L952.2 movement, a sight to behold.
A Lange & Söhne have done a fantastic job on this timepiece and it looks very good. We look forward to taking a closer look at this wonderful time piece at SIHH.
It will retail for €295,000 Euros.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThYS0j8VfiI
For more information please visit A Lange & Söhne.
Technical Specifications
DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON Ref. 740.036F
Movement: Lange manufacture calibre L952.2; manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; intermediate wheel cock and tourbillon bar engraved by hand
Movement parts: 729
Bearing jewels: 59, including one diamond endstone
Screwed gold chatons: 5, including one diamond endstone
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillator: Shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights; balance spring manufactured in-house with a frequency 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour
Power reserve: 50 hours when fully wound
Functions: Time indicated in hours, minutes and seconds, tourbillon with patented stop seconds; flyback chronograph with precisely jumping minute counter; tachymeter scale; perpetual calendar with outsize date, day of week, month, and leap year; day/night indicator; moon-phase display; power-reserve indication
Operating elements: Crown for winding the watch and setting the time, two pushers for operating the chronograph, rapid-correction pusher for collectively advancing all calendar displays, one recessed corrector each for adjusting the day of the week, the month, and the moon phases
Case dimensions
Diameter: 41.5 millimetres; height: 14.6 millimetres
Movement dimensions
Diameter: 32.6 millimetres; height: 9.0 millimetres
Crystal and back
Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Case
Platinum
Dial
Solid silver, black
Hands
Hour and minute hands in rhodiumed gold, luminous; seconds, day, month, and four-year hands as well as minute-counter hand in rhodiumed gold; chronograph sweep seconds hand in rhodiumed steel
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator leather strap, black
Buckle
Platinum deployant buckle
Limited edition of 100 watches
