New A. Lange & Söhne WATCHES AND WONDERS 2024

A shining example is the watchmaking art of Lange & Söhne

25 years after the launch of DATOGRAPH, A. Lange & Söhne presents a bold new interpretation: DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD “Lumen”. At Watches and Wonders 2024, the watch, combining a chronograph with a precisely jumping minute counter, an oversized perpetual calendar and a tourbillon with a stop-second movement, will be presented for the first time in exclusive Lange (HONEYGOLD®) honey gold and as a “Lumen” version limited to 50 hours.

Introduced in 2016, the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON, with its three eponymous complications, occupies a prominent place in precision watchmaking. DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD “Lumen” now also demonstrates its technical finesse and design assets in the dark.

Three complex complications with distinctive additional features

The following complications make this watch an all-encompassing work of art:

The first part of its name, DATOGRAPH, stands for an oversized Lange date chronograph. The flyback mechanism allows you to quickly measure time in a row, because the three switching steps stop, reset to zero, and start at the touch of a button. The minute counter provides unambiguous readings of the stopped time at any given time: it jumps to the next increment at the very moment when the chrono’s second hand completes the 60th second.

The second component of its name, PERPETUAL, refers to the perpetual calendar with its instant switchable display. Taking into account the long-term measurement of time, it is based on the Gregorian calendar and takes into account various lengths of months, including deviations in the calendar year.

The 10 o’clock quick correction button can be used to simultaneously advance all calendar displays by one day. Three correctors on the flank of the case allow you to separately adjust the display of the moon phase, day of the week, month and year of sunrise.

The TOURBILLON attribute refers to a one-minute tourbillon with a seconds-stop mechanism; it compensates for the effect of gravity on a running train. Once a minute, it rotates the speed-regulating components-balance, lever, and escape wheel-inside the filigree cage around its own axis around the stationary fourth wheel. A very aesthetically pleasing and watchologically complex device enhances the accuracy of mechanical watches.

More than 200 years after the invention of the tourbillon, A. Lange & Söhne introduced its stop-second mechanism in 2008, which significantly took a huge step towards optimizing this device. This made it possible to stop the tourbillon at will and set the clock to one-second accuracy for the first time, regardless of the angular position of the balance or the orientation of the tourbillon cage.

Check the chronograph function

Check the chronograph’s operating mode here. All time and calendar readings work in real time, and can also be observed in the dark.

Aesthetics of form and function

The DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD “Lumen” stands out not only for its unintelligent mechanisms, but also for its clear display layout, translating technical sophistication into an exceptional design language.

The dial’s architecture, consisting of an equilateral triangle formed by an oversized Lange date framed by two auxiliary dials, is a well-organized model of clarity, despite the abundance of displays. An auxiliary seconds dial, day of the week, and day/night indicator are located on the left side, while a counter for precisely jumping minutes, month, and lunar year can be found on the right. The 6 o’clock moon phase display is harmoniously integrated into the ensemble.

Radiant elegance ‒ day and night

The HONEYGOLD PERPETUAL TOURBILLON “Lumen” DATOGRAPH also reveals its radiant personality in the dark, thanks to its translucent dial and luminous coating that make the displays and functions glow. The darker the environment, the more visible the glowing elements appear.

The luminous oversized date, a distinctive highlight, was first introduced in the GRAND LANGE 1 “Lumen” in 2013, making visible the ingenious mechanism of the disc. Ensuring that the oversized date display also glows immediately after the daily switch sequence presented a major challenge. In typical Lange fashion, a solution was found: the decimal cross and the unit disk are covered with a luminous compound and printed with black numbers, which allows you to closely observe the renowned date switching performance at midnight.

Doubly exclusive: 18-carat HONEYGOLD® and “Lumen”

The DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD “Lumen” is the sixth limited edition model of the “Lumen” series, and after the ZEITWERK HONEYGOLD “Lumen”, released in 2021, it is only the second model that combines the special hardness and incomparable luster of honey gold with a luminous “Lumen” coating.

LIMITED EDITION

DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD “Lumen”

Reference 740.055FE

in 18-carat HONEYGOLD®

Price upon request

Production of the L952.4 caliber

The L952.4 fusion calibre is located in the DATOGRAPH PERPETUAL TOURBILLON HONEYGOLD “Lumen” center: it consists of 684 parts and is assembled twice. The classic column-wheel chronograph is equipped with a freely oscillating Lange balance spring, as well as a Lange balancing wheel with eccentric weights, providing excellent speed stability throughout the entire power reserve of 50 hours. It is calibrated to a frequency of 18,000 half-vibrations per hour (2.5 Hertz), which allows measurement to be accurate to one-fifth of a second – in the light of a minute scale with a total of 300 markers.

Typical distinguishing features of Lange quality, such as bridges made of raw German silver, beveled and polished edges, gold shutters and blue screws, can be seen through the sapphire crystal case.