Our journey of haute horology takes us across borders. Germany is mostly known for its automotive industry with huge brands like Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, BMW, etc. But in a small village called Glashütte in the Free State of Saxon, you will find one of the most prominent names in fine watch making: A. Lange & Söhne.
Personally, I think the German brand has some of the most beautiful dress watches on the market. Although released in 2016, the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon made in Platinum with dial in black (reference: 740.036) is currently one of my favorites as it combines three remarkable compilations.
The first is the flyback chronograph with a precise jumping minute counter. The wearer of the flyback chronograph does not have to stop the time before using the reset function (for regular chronographs, the user must stop, reset, and restart the chronograph in order to time an event after the chronograph has started.)
The second complication is a perpetual calendar with moon phase display. This mechanism correctly displays the date on the watch ‘perpetually’ respective of the different lengths of the months as well as leap years. All perpetual calendar indicators of the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph jump ahead and are thus clearly legible at all times. The watch doesn’t need to be adjusted until March 1 of 2100.
A.Lange Sohne Datograpgh Perpetual Tourbillon
A.Lange Sohne Datograpgh Perpetual Tourbillon
The third complication is a tourbillon with a patented stop-seconds mechanism. The fascinating mechanics of the tourbillon are only revealed when looking through the sapphire crystal case back. Also eye catching is the striking dial, which combines elegance and technical functionality.
The development, finish and assembly of the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon’s L952.2 caliber, which consists of 729 parts, place high demands on the manufacture. A great synergy of experience, intuition and patience is required by the watchmaker to ensure the perfect interplay of the complex mechanical parts. The caliber allows stop times to be displayed to the nearest fifth of a second thanks to A. Lange & Söhne’s first tourbillon with 18.000 semi-oscillations per hour.
As mentioned above, this model was introduced in 2016 and is limited to 100 timepieces. The case is made from 950/000 platin while the dial is made of solid silver and is black rhodium plated with solid gold indexes. The hour and minute hand as well as the hour indexes at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock are luminous.
Summary
Brand:
A. Lange & Söhne
Model:
Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, reference 740.036
Price:
Official retail price is EUR 285,000, while market price is around EUR 290,000
Limitation:
100 watches
Measurements:
diameter: 41.5 mm; height: 14.6 mm
When to wear:
I was always imagined I would wear such a beauty at a nice gala event with a tuxedo. An elegant statement for anyone who knows anything about the watch industry.
What we love about the watch:
The watch is limited to only 100 pieces due its high complexity. A watch not everybody would immediately choose but it’s hard not to agree with the beauty of the timepiece. Once you try it on, you wish it will never leave your wrist again.
Photography by the respective brand: A. Lange & Söhne from www.alange-soehne.com Instagram: @alangesoehne
