Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New White Gold & Blue Dial A. Lange & Söhne Datograph UP/DOWN
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Lange’s benchmark flyback chronograph returns in a white gold case with a blue dial.
A. Lange & Söhne’s most emblematic chronograph, the all-time glorious Datograph, needs little introduction. As it is referred to among collectors, the Dato is considered one of the most iconic chronographs on the market. Turning 25 this year, ALS is celebrating the Datograph’s anniversary with a new 125-piece edition in white gold with a blue dial. While covering a new iteration of the Datograph UP/DOWN is always exciting, the focus reverts to the importance this watch enjoys on the chronograph podium.
Chronographs are notoriously complex creatures. One of the first brands to emerge with an in-house chronograph after the decimation of the quartz era was A. Lange & Söhne. Following the brand’s renaissance in 1994, one of the priorities set out by Günter Blümlein was to develop a proprietary chronograph movement.
Just five years later, Lange released the Datograph calibre L951.1, a refined in-house chronograph that beat other leading brands like Patek Philippe, IWC or Rolex to the finish line and which is rightfully considered the benchmark of a high-end chronograph. The sophisticated technology powering the classic column-wheel movement with flyback functionality was also a spectacle to behold, with its 3D landscape of bridges, levers, cams and jewels all displaying beautiful Glashütte school finishings. A distinctive dial that could never be confused with any other watch on the market completed the package with Lange’s signature outsize date at noon and the two subsidiary dials and a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock, forming an equilateral triangle.
Updated in 2012 with some design tweaks and an increased power reserve of 60 hours to become the Datograph UP/DOWN, the Datograph has spawned the development of 13 trail-blazing chronograph movements and the increasingly complex Datograph Perpetual and Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Lange introduces a white gold version of the Datograph UP/DOWN with a blue dial. Having been available in platinum and pink gold with black dials, this third iteration of the Datograph shares identical specifications to its siblings.
The 41mm white gold case is 12.1mm high and has polished surfaces on the front and a brushed case middle and back. Now rendered in blue for the first time, the dial hosts contrasting rhodium-plated luminous white gold hour, minute and power reserve hands, a rhodium-plated steel chronograph seconds hand, white gold applied baton markers, and blued steel hands in the sub-dials.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Datograph is its legibility and user-friendliness, which are comparable to those of an aviation instrument. Allowing two consecutive time measurements with virtually no delay, the flyback mechanism means the chronograph can be stopped, reset to zero and started again in one single action. To consult the elapsed times, the jumping minutes counter at 3 o’clock does precisely that: it jumps with precision to the next increment when the chronograph seconds hand completes the 60th second. The AB/AUF counter at 6 o’clock indicates how much juice is left in the 60-hour petrol tank, and on the third day, the hand pivots into the red section, reminding you to wind the watch without forgetting that the outsize date can be easily corrected via one of the chronograph pushers.
Powered by the in-house manual-winding calibre L951.6, the 451-part movement is assembled twice. Beating at 18,000vph, the elapsed time measurements are accurate to one-fifth of a second. The sapphire caseback reveals the jumping minutes counter and column wheel in action and boasts the spectacular finishings associated with Lange: untreated German silver bridges, hand-engraved balance cock, four gold screwed chatons, Glashütte ribbing, etc.
Availability & Price
The white gold and blue dial A. Lange & Söhne Datograph UP/DOWN comes on a hand-stitched blue alligator strap with a white gold prong buckle. It is limited to 125 watches, and the price is upon request. For more information, please consult alange-soehne.com.
