A. Lange & Söhne’s New Datograph Perpetual Arrives in Style

From the chronograph side, the watchmaker went with a classic column-wheel transmission, using the central second hand as its timer. Traditional pushers above and below the crown at 2 and 4 o’clock handle the start/stop/flyback/reset duties, but in those we see the same frankly unmatched, hand-worked tactile feel as the pushers on the multi-rattrapante Triple Split debuted at the Concours of Excellence Hampton Court Palace earlier this summer.

Finally, a subsidiary seconds counter just under 9 o’clock and a jumping 30-minute totaler just under 3 o’clock deliver that information in a familiar bicompax dial layout, ensuring a fifth-of-a-second timing accuracy for today.

The timepiece’s perpetual calendar functions, however, are decidedly more far-flung, with its date, day, month, day/night, leap year, and moonphase accuracy engineered for decades of precision. A quick-correction pusher at 10 o’clock (or individual recessed correctors, if you wish) can jointly handle any corrections due to running out of power.

That said, you (or your descendants) likely won’t need to make any adjustments until the first of March 2100, when the leap year will be eliminated, or in 122.6 years, when the moonphase indication will deviate by one day if the watch runs continuously. A safety mechanism on the rapid-corrector pusher prevents inadvertent errors from finger fumbling.

Advent Calendar

Lange’s signature outsized two-digit date windows dominate the upper portion of the dial, while an elegant crescent-shaped moonphase indicator sits at 6 o’clock; the wonder of this timepiece lies in the balanced, unobtrusive integration of the month, leap year, and day/night functions with the bicompax chrono apertures.

The inner disc of the 30-minute totalizer functions as an independent month indicator with its own rhodiumed metallic pointer. Meanwhile, a smaller recessed circle handles the leap year cycle with deft integration into the core functions of that sub-dial. The inner disc of the subsidiary seconds sub-dial independently delivers the accurate day of the week with a similar metallic pointer, while a small integrated arrow-and-gauge indicator handles the day/night information, only slightly breaking the aperture’s circular line.

Face Value

The 41mm 950 platinum case, crown, and pushers frame a deep black dial with .13 carats of baguette diamonds used as hour indices (4 and 8 o’clock remain unadorned to accommodate the sub-dials), plus twin diamonds at 12 o’clock, for a total of 11 gems. Lastly, a gauged outer dial ring includes a portion dedicated to a tachymetric scale for more detailed time-telling.

On the flip side, the platinum caseback offers the expected etched limited-edition and brand references, plus a view of the exquisitely finished, twice-assembled, manufacture hand-wound L952.1 caliber, which features a Lange tell-tale hand-engraved balance cock and a 36-hour power reserve.

While many would consider A. Lange as a “leather-strap” watchmaker, and you certainly wouldn’t want to generically apply the term “sport watch” to a timepiece of this complexity and value, the new Datograph Perpetual’s 950 platinum, alternating, five-link bracelet delivers a burly, artful, and decidedly elevated sense of a sporty vibe.

Pricing & Availability

Perhaps in recognition of the model’s 20th anniversary, only 50 editions of the new A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual will be produced, and no pricing information was available at press time (nor information on how many of those editions may already be spoken for). For more information, check out A. Lange & Söhne’s website.