What We Know
Happy birthday, A. Lange & Söhne. It’s October 24th, which marks another anniversary since the name was revived in Glashütte watchmaking in 1994. For the past few years, the brand has often used this milestone day to release a heavy hitter or two—the 30th-anniversary Lange 1s and the second-generation Zeitwerk come to mind. Today, Lange is dropping something absolutely nuts—a 50-piece limited edition of the Datograph Perpetual in platinum, with a diamond-baguette-adorned dial and a platinum bracelet.
Yes, that’s right. Odysseus aside, this is A. Lange & Söhne’s first commercially available watch with a bracelet since the long-gone Wellendorf days. And boy, is it a doozy. The dial retains the familiar layout seen in past iterations of the Datograph Perpetual, with the oversized date window at twelve o’clock, the two offset subdials below, and a moonphase at six o’clock.
The subdials, which convey both information for the chronograph and the calendar complications, feature two small interruptions (subdials on top of subdials, basically) by way of a day/night indicator and the perpetual calendar’s leap year pointer. Aside from those two elements, the month, day of the week, running seconds, and thirty-minute counter are all contained within these two areas.
What immediately stands out (and even more so in person) is a big twist that feels quite different from typical Lange—baguette-cut diamonds are used in place of baton indices for the hour markers. The total weight is around 0.13 carats, Lange says, with two shorter diamonds at three and nine o’clock so as not to obstruct the subdials, and two diamond markers at twelve o’clock. Surprisingly, even the black dial is novel—it’s the first standard Datograph Perpetual to come in black, with previous editions having either grey or silver-hued dials.
This new limited run focuses almost entirely on aesthetics. It doesn’t mark a new generation of the Datograph Perpetual with an updated or improved movement, though it certainly ushers in a new era of non-sport-watch Langes with bracelets. What this means, however, is that the manually-winding perpetual calendar chronograph movement inside is still the same L952.1 caliber as in prior references. The big shortcoming remains in the measly 36 hours of power reserve—especially since this is a manually-winding perpetual calendar, after all.
That dial is set in a 41mm platinum case with a 13.5mm thickness, which then flows into that ultra-dense, fully platinum bracelet. Its five-link design alternates between brushed and polished links, though even the brushed sections sport generously polished chamfers. This new bracelet features screwless links, just like on the Odysseus, but one big difference comes in the clasp. Since the Datograph Perpetual isn’t a sports watch design, the clasp here is a conventional deployant that does not include toolless adjustment or any microadjustment at all. In trade-off for convenience, the clasp of the Datograph Perpetual sits flush and integrates well into the bracelet itself for a more elegant look.
Recessed pushers are found on the sides of the case to adjust each calendar function individually. However, what remains my favorite part of most of Lange’s annual and perpetual calendar designs is the pusher at ten o’clock. Each push advances all the calendar functions by one day, so it’s much easier to resync the perpetual calendar if you haven’t worn the watch in a few days. No need to grab a tool if you just need to push it a few times to catch it up. And in classic Lange over-engineered fashion, this pusher has two security features. You’ll need to pull out the crown for the pusher to actually adjust the calendar, and the pusher deactivates during the calendar’s danger zone as it approaches midnight and shortly after.
The new Datograph Perpetual in platinum, with diamond indices and a platinum bracelet, is available through Lange boutiques and priced around EUR 280,000. We’ll update the article once we have the exact pricing, as it is “on request.”
What We Think
It’s about damn time we started seeing bracelets come back into the equation for A. Lange & Söhne. I think this bracelet looks great, and I hope it marks the beginning of a return to this option, with at least a few Lange designs going forward. If we forget price for a second, Lange’s often top-heavy designs would benefit from the counterweighting a bracelet provides on many of its watches, especially the modern Datograph iterations. And even though this Datograph Perpetual feels like it weighs a literal ton, it’s a much more balanced experience. What I’m a little sad about, however, is the lack of any microadjustment at all. Yes, I appreciate the much more elegant clasp that evokes the Wellendorfs of the past, but so much metal on the wrist will be rather unwieldy if worn a bit loose.
A lot of the surprise of this execution comes in that dial, with those diamond indices. Though I’m sure some may have wanted “Darth”- style black date discs for the oversized date window, I think the white discs are appropriate here to complement the silvered subdials. Is the diamond dial too much? I don’t think so, given how small the diamonds are on the dial and the baguette cut that resembles the normal applied markers.
Paired with the visual of the bracelet, the markers make for a Lange that feels loud in presence, even if that still is incredibly restrained compared to many other brands. But what I do know for sure is that this small run of 50 pieces, no doubt offered only to the largest VIP collectors of the brand, appeals exactly to that demographic. It’s a fun twist and a swing from Lange, resulting in a design that feels appealingly novel for those who already have many of the classics.
My colleague Mark, who also saw the watch with me while in Glashütte, has many thoughts on the subject, especially what it means in the context of the ongoing Wellendorf bracelet hype. Stay tuned very soon for more thoughts from him via a hands-on review.
The Basics
Brand: A. Lange & Söhne
Model: Datograph Perpetual
Reference Number: 410.136E
Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 13.5mm
Case Material: Platinum
Dial Color: Black
Indexes: Baguette-cut diamonds (F-G, VVS, total weight approx. 0.13 carats)
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 30m
Strap/Bracelet: Platinum bracelet with deployant clasp
The Movement
Caliber: L952.1
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph, perpetual calendar with oversized date, moonphase
Diameter: 32mm
Thickness: 8mm
Power Reserve: 36 hours
Winding: Manual
Frequency: 18,000 VpH
Jewels: 45
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Rapid-correction pusher for jointly advancing all calendar indications, with safety protections built-in
Pricing & Availability
Price: To be confirmed, but around EUR 280,000.
Availability: Lange Boutiques
Limited Edition: Yes, 50 individually numbered pieces.
For more, click here.
