A. Lange & Söhne marks the 20th anniversary of the Datograph Perpetual with a new limited edition in 950 platinum.
Combining a flyback chronograph with a perpetual calendar and the manufacture’s characteristic outsize date, the new Datograph Perpetual reference 410.136E revisits one of the most technically demanding models in the collection.
It is distinguished by a black dial set with baguette-cut diamond hour markers and an integrated platinum bracelet.
Introduced in 2006, the original Datograph Perpetual was the first A. Lange & Söhne wristwatch to combine a chronograph and a perpetual calendar with an outsize date.
The new edition retains the characteristic arrangement of its indications while introducing a different material and decorative treatment.
The 41 mm case, measuring 13.5 mm in height, is crafted from 950 platinum and paired with a five-row platinum bracelet.
Alternating polished and matte surfaces, together with the chamfered edges of the links, emphasise the properties of the precious metal.
The bracelet is secured by a quick-release deployant buckle in platinum.
The black dial, made of 925 silver, features eleven manually applied baguette-cut diamonds as hour markers. The stones, graded F–G in colour and VVS in clarity, have a combined weight of approximately 0.13 carats.
A pair of diamonds marks 12 o’clock, while the markers at 4 and 8 o’clock are omitted to accommodate the lower positioning of the auxiliary dials, which are finished in rhodié colour to provide contrast against the black background.
The outsize date occupies its familiar framed double aperture at 12 o’clock.
Below the dial’s horizontal centreline, the subsidiary seconds, day-of-week indication and day/night display are arranged at 9 o’clock, while the month, leap-year indication and precisely jumping chronograph minute counter sit at 3 o’clock. The moon-phase display completes the configuration at 6 o’clock.
The hands are made from different materials according to their functions. The hour and minute hands, along with the calendar hands, are crafted from 18-carat gold, while the chronograph minute-counter and subsidiary-seconds hands are blued steel and the chronograph-seconds hand is rhodiumed steel. A tachymeter scale and stop-seconds function complete the indications.
At the heart of the watch is the manually wound Lange manufacture calibre L952.1, comprising 556 individual parts and 45 jewels.
The movement measures 32 mm in diameter and 8 mm in height, and provides a power reserve of 36 hours when fully wound.
It is precision-adjusted in five positions and operates at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz).
Its shock-resistant balance features eccentric poising weights, while the balance spring is manufactured in-house. The precision beat-adjustment system uses a lateral setscrew and whiplash spring.
The flyback chronograph is controlled by a traditional column wheel, which coordinates the switching sequences of the mechanism.
The flyback function allows an ongoing measurement to be stopped and restarted with a single pusher action, while the precisely jumping minute counter ensures clear readings of elapsed time.
The perpetual calendar is designed to display the date, day, month and leap years correctly over decades. Like other perpetual calendars following the Gregorian calendar, it requires a one-day correction on 1 March 2100, when the century year is not treated as a leap year.
The moon-phase display is calculated to deviate from the actual lunar cycle by just one day after 122.6 years, provided the watch continues to run.
The calendar indications and moon-phase display can be advanced together using the rapid-correction pusher at 10 o’clock or adjusted individually through recessed correctors. A safety mechanism prevents accidental activation of the rapid-correction pusher.
The crown is used to wind the movement and set the time, while two pushers operate the chronograph.
Visible through the sapphire-crystal case back, the L952.1 is decorated and assembled by hand. Its plates and bridges are made from untreated German silver, while the balance cock is engraved by hand. Four screwed gold chatons add further traditional detail.
The calibre is assembled twice, allowing the watchmakers to inspect, finish and adjust the components before final assembly. The transparent case back reveals the column-wheel chronograph and the levers required to coordinate the chronograph and calendar mechanisms within the movement’s architecture.
The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual reference 410.136E is limited to 50 watches, each identified by an engraved edition number. Price on request. alange-soehne.com
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