While no longer revolutionary, Lange finishing still ranks among the best. Today, the L952.2 upholds the reputation of Germany’s foremost watchmaker. Back then, it was a watershed moment for the industry – a wake-up call – and it’s no coincidence that Swiss haute horlogerie movement finishing took huge reactionary steps forward in the early 2000s. And while the hacking seconds feature no longer is as rare on tourbillons as it used to be, it remains a thrill to see.įinish matters, and the Datograph’s original Caliber L951’s stunning finish shocked and appalled many in Swiss watchmaking when it debuted in 1999. The tourbillon carriage takes the form of an historic wire-style cage, and there’s an overcoil to even out positional variation. Consider the endstone atop the cage: it’s a genuine brilliant-cut diamond. Not every tourbillon is created equal, and the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon’s regulator is proudly superior to most. If the watch stops for four days, simply wind, click four times, and then set the hands. For the sake of convenience, a pusher on the case flank moves all the displays in sync. In addition to its mechanical programming until the year 2100, the Lange Perpetual adds a moon phase that’s set-it-and-forget-it reliable for more than 122 years. First, it’s an instantaneous jump system, which is an order of magnitude more difficult to achieve than a dragging display. Perpetual calendars vary from brand to brand, but Lange’s is a standout. Yet again, beautiful imperfection prevails. The lateral clutch isn’t as seamless in operation as a vertical unit, but it’s more beautiful and more demanding for a watchmaker to tune. Lange employs a fresh column wheel that rewards every click with a crisp report. As with other Dato models, the chronograph in the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is a flyback unit that can reset without pausing.
The heart of every Datograph is its chronograph function. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon As with the 850CSi and G63 6×6 engines, a German design team has hidden an eye-watering amount of engineering behind an innocuous acronym. “Caliber L952.2” isn’t a sexy name, but those who know break out in sweat. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon: the movement Creating a stunner without a blank check is a feat to be admired, and Lange’s watchmakers chose to put their money where it matters most: the movement. Perfect is a Honda Accord, a Texas Instruments calculator, or a Rolex Submariner. And it’s equally a reason that the Datograph feels so soulful. A generic profile doesn’t ruin the watch, but it’s the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon’s standout weakness. But when your $300,000 watch is stuck in the body of a machine one-tenth that price, the impression is that somebody in Glashütte ran out of money or took the easy way out.
On a manual-wind 1815, you appreciate the finish and the value for money. With few exceptions, this round case/stepped lug design has been iterated across so many disparate models for 28 years that it becomes an occasional liability. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual TourbillonĪnd then there’s the shape, which has become too familiar. This 18-karat medallion adds an element of decadence to a watch that already borders on baroque.Ĭalendar correction pushers on the case band of the A. While most Lange dials are cut from sterling silver and then galvanized to achieve their final colors, salmon-dialed – pink gold-dialed – products of the Saxon manufacture are exactly what they appear to be. Some were better than others, but the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon may have been the best. Salmon-dial watches had a moment from 2018 through 2020. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon: no fish here
And today’s subject, a 100-piece edition in white gold, was announced at SIHH 2019. The first Dato graph Perpetual Tourbillon arrived in 2016 as a platinum limited edition of 100 pieces. A perpetual calendar variation arrived in 2006, and a controversial redesign – the 41 mm Datograph Up/Down – arrived in 2012. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual TourbillonĪt Basel 1999, the first 39 mm Datograph hit Swiss watchmakers like a seismic shock.
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