A few ago, GaryG wrote about one collector’s obsession with the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Lumen and the platinum Lange bracelet made by Wellendorff, and wanting to combine the two. The result was spectacular, and now he brings us another view of it told through his own photographs.
If there were a watch enthusiasts’ encyclopedia, under “embarrassment of riches” the image might just be a side-by-side shot two of contemporary watchmaking’s great complicated pieces: the “mighty” A. Lange & Söhne Double Split and Patek Philippe’s Reference 5370P split-second chronograph. In this article, GaryG compares and contrasts them to come out with a winner.
From the moment Lange launched the first Datograph in 1999, it was a watershed for its maker and the industry at large. At the time, Lange was still a young brand, and it had only recently embraced display casebacks: the jump from seeing nothing with a solid caseback to the sensational caliber L951 was a quantum leap.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Zeitwerk represented a total break with Lange’s conservative streak. The Zeitwerk felt shockingly fresh and a clean break with the previous Lange house style.
A. Lange & Söhne flagship Richard Lange model is the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite (TPLM). It features fusée-and-chain constant force, a tourbillon regulator, and a power reserve indicator. And the hand finishing is superb!
The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon lives up to its name. It has a date, a chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and a tourbillon. But it has more: this watch has character. Assigning human traits to a cold machine is a – romantic – fool’s errand, but it’s also irresistible in the presence of a masterpiece. A. Lange & Söhne’s warmest watch is more than a machine with a heartbeat. It has soul.