Hodinkee
Hands-On: The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold 'Lumen' - Lange's Most Expensive Serially Produced Watch
It's a big watch to celebrate a big year for the Datograph. Now we take a closer look.
704 articles · 5 videos found · page 8 of 24
The 1994 watch that relaunched A. Lange & Söhne. Golden-ratio dial and outsize date.
The 2009 mechanical jumping-digital wristwatch from A. Lange & Söhne. Hours and minutes on three discs.
The 1999 flyback chronograph from A. Lange & Söhne with the in-house Cal. L951.1 movement.
One of the four founding references of the 1994 A. Lange & Söhne relaunch. Time-only Saxon classic.
Hodinkee
It's a big watch to celebrate a big year for the Datograph. Now we take a closer look.
Deployant
“Me and Mrs Jones, we got a thing going on, we both know that was wrong but it’s much too strong to let it go now…” sang the Canadian crooner Michael Bublé. That’s exactly how I feel about the A. Lange and Söhne’s Langematik. Now here’s my love story.
Quill & Pad
One of Martin Green's favorite complications is the perpetual calendar, aka QP. While he knows that an annual calendar can do almost the same for a lot less, he is still mesmerized by the human ingenuity of being able to a miniature mechanical device that can even deal with leap years.
SJX Watches
The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” is a union of almost everything that is associated with A. Lange & Söhne, from the Lumen treatment to the case metal. Appropriately enough, it was conceived to mark a milestone: the 25th anniversary of the Datograph, the brand’s trademark chronograph. While the impressive watch has nearly all of Lange’s signature elements, is it truly great? Initial thoughts The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” is ambitious because it is an all-in-one limited edition. The watch is big, heavy, and flawlessly executed. It feels like an object of exceptional quality, and lives up to expectations under a loupe. It captures Lange as a brand in tangible terms. The long name is descriptive and sums up the key elements of the watch, almost all of which are unique to Lange. While the earlier versions were already extremely complicated, this goes a further by incorporating uniquely Lange livery with the Lumen dial and Lange’s own Honeygold alloy. Essentially everything synonymous with Lange can be found here. There’s the Datograph chronograph movement, outsized date, a hacking tourbillon with a cage that will be familiar to fans of German watchmaking, the tinted-and-luminous dial, and the case in Lange’s proprietary gold alloy. The only distinctively Lange features missing are Handwerkskunst decoration and a chain and fusee, either of which would have hoisted the price past the million-dollar mark. But the latest...
Monochrome
Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Germany, A. Lange & Söhne has become over the past years one of the most important watchmakers of the Saxon region. The story of Lange Uhren GmbH is, however, not as simple as it seems and despite subsequent generations of the family keeping the brand […]
Fratello
Today, Walter Lange would’ve turned 100 years old. It’s a special day for A. Lange & Söhne because Walter Lange, who passed away at the respectable age of 92 in 2017, revived the brand his great-grandfather founded in 1845. In December 1990, a year after the Berlin Wall fell, Lange re-established his great-grandfather’s legacy under […] Visit A. Lange & Söhne Remembers Walter Lange On What Would’ve Been His 100th Birthday to read the full article.
Revolution
Quill & Pad
GaryG provides us with a look at why he bought the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split even though he already owned the brand’s Datograph. The Double Split is the world’s only double rattrapante capable of both split-second and split-minute interval timing, which may shed some light.
Revolution
SJX Watches
A. Lange & Söhne marks the 25th year of its landmark chronograph this year, with two commemorative editions so far – a tremendously expensive all-in-one edition and the relatively more accessible Datograph Up/Down 25th Anniversary. The first Datograph with a white gold case and also the first regular production model with a blue dial, the anniversary edition the result of a relatively modest cosmetic makeover – but unexpectedly compelling. Initial thoughts The Datograph in an imperfect watch – amongst other things it’s top heavy with a somewhat dated dial design – but it has an intrinsic appeal because its movement is outstanding. Even though it’s already 25 years old, the movement remains exceptional in terms of aesthetics. The fact that it’s 25 years old also makes the Datograph important, because Lange created such a movement long before such things became a thing. So the 25th anniversary of the Datograph is an occasion worth marking. Lange debuted two watches for the anniversary (with perhaps a third one to come): the complicated and expensive Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold Lumen, and the more accessible Datograph 25th Anniversary. On its face the Datograph Up/Down seems a bit mundane for an anniversary watch. Both the blue dial and white gold case are unique for the Datograph, but together the watch doesn’t look or feel that different. But like the Datograph as a model, the anniversary edition is imperfect yet appealing. Though it is plain...
Quill & Pad
If you’re at all a Lange enthusiast like GaryG, you’ll likely understand the most compelling reason for buying the Odysseus is that it's an A. Lange & Söhne watch you can wear every day.
Hodinkee
Plus, a cutting-edge and impressively thin offering from Bulgari along with a lovely and classic Carrera from Tag Heuer.
Revolution
Time+Tide
Any new A. Lange & Söhne releases is exciting, even when it's just a new dial for one of the most important chronographs ever.The post The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down gets a sporty lift in blue appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Quill & Pad
It still surprises Martin Green just how fast the Odysseus has become a staple collection for A. Lange & Söhne. It has only been three short years, during which time Lange has already launched stainless steel and white gold versions. And at Watches and Wonders 2022, A. Lange & Söhne presented a surprising Odysseus in titanium.
Time+Tide
This lusciously luminous piece ranks as one of the most complicated watches Lange has ever produced, both technically and aesthetically.The post A. Lange & Söhne trip the light fantastic with the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Lumen appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
CEO Wilhelm Schmid gives us an update on the Glashutte manufacturer's retail strategy – and provides some insight on the newest Datograph.
Monochrome
In the realm of chronographs in 1999, it was customary across the watchmaking industry to rely upon outsourced calibres. Rolex, for example, was still using a modified Zenith El Primero to power the Daytona, and Patek Philippe had yet to introduce its in-house chronograph (2005); Patek’s 1998 chronograph 5070 was built upon the Lemania 2310 […]
Time+Tide
This year Lange doubled its output from last year, going from one release to two - giving Jamie and Russell plenty to talk about.The post What we thought of A. Lange & Söhne’s 2024 Watches and Wonders releases appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Zach explains why, in his latest watch trade, he gave up his Rolex Explorer 1016 and Lange 1815 Up/Down for a Breguet perpetual calendar.The post I gave up my prized Rolex and Lange for this gorgeous Breguet Classique Perpetual Calendar 3057 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Each year at Watches & Wonders, we see a handful of novelties that I think can fairly be described as Super Watches. These are the truly audacious creations that are, effectively, out of reach for all but that 1% of the 1% that has the coin and the inclination to buy into something incredibly niche, that’s incredibly expensive, that (honestly) might be years away from actually being produced and successfully delivered. The Grand Seiko Kodo, I think, is a good example of a Super Watch. It stopped everyone in their tracks, had an eye watering price point, and was the ultimate artistic and mechanical expression of the brand that made it. This year had a few Super Watch candidates (including another Kodo) but I think the winner walking away was a watch from A. Lange & Söhne that took the radical step of combining all the things people love about the brand into one watch. A Super Watch, if you will. The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” was easily my favorite watch name to say aloud during the show. When someone would ask me what my favorite watch of the week was (a question you’re asked about fifty times per day, minimum) I’d reflexively say “Oh, the Lange,” and then continue, probably looking skyward while counting out the watch’s cumbersome title on my fingers, like a school kid figuring out a math problem, “the Datograph, perpetual, tourbillon, lumen,” (I’d always screw it up here) “in honeygold!” I’d be really proud of myself f...
Revolution
Worn & Wound
This is a pretty big year for A. Lange & Söhne. We’ve hit 25 years of the Datograph, which made its debut in 1999, and Lange is celebrating with a pair of very special limited editions of their iconic chronograph. One of them is truly off the wall, and we’ll get to that next week. For now, we’ll take a look at the Datograph Up/Down Limited Edition in white gold, with a blue dial. It’s a perfectly lovely example of the watch that many Lange collectors will insist put the brand on the horological map, and a strong counterpoint to the other Datograph that we’ll tell you more about soon. First, it’s crucial to understand the importance of the Datograph not just in Lange’s collection, but in high end watchmaking writ large. When it was first unveiled in 1999, Lange was a young brand, only five years into their relaunch. They had earned the respect of connoisseurs in the late 1990s, but the introduction of their first in-house chronograph caliber with the Datograph took them to another level. This was years before Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet would launch their own in-house chronograph calibers, in an era where using supplied calibers from chronograph was common for brands at every level, including the absolute upper tier. It can be argued that the Datograph ushered in an arms race of sorts that would find many of the highest end watchmaking manufactures in a constant state of one-upmanship that goes on to this day. There have been a variety of Datograph...
Revolution
Join Wei and Wilhlem Schmid, CEO of A.Lange & Söhne, as they go through their exciting new novelties for Watches & Wonders 2024.
Deployant
For 2024, two new Datographs. The base chronograph in white gold and a chronograph perpetual calendar tourbillon in honey coloured gold.
Monochrome
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 […]
Fratello
For A. Lange & Söhne, 2024 is the year of the Datograph. The brand’s famous chronograph turns 25 this year, so it’s time to celebrate. As expected, the Glashütte brand does so in style with two new Datograph releases. The first is the stunning Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen.” Supposing that you are familiar with […] Visit A. Lange & Söhne Celebrates 25 Years Of The Datograph With The Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” And A New Up/Down to read the full article.
Hodinkee
Celebrating 25 years of the Datograph with a limited edition in white gold.
Hodinkee
Two of the most coveted tricks in Lange's bag are now in one of the best watches they've ever made.
Monochrome
The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” is the indisputable highlight of A. Lange & Söhne’s novelties for Watches and Wonders 2024. Pulling out its big guns at Watches & Wonders, Lange has treated its über-complex flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar, and tourbillon cocktail to an exclusive Honeygold case and, for the cherry on top, a luminous […]
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