One of the most celebrated modern chronographs ever, the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph receives an elaborate makeover
The birthday surprises keep coming. Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the highly coveted A. Lange & Söhne Datograph had welcomed two new models to its collection earlier this year: the Datograph Up/Down in white gold with a blue dial, and the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold ‘Lumen’. And now, the German marque springs another treat for Lange aficionados with the lavishly decorated Datograph Handwerkskunst, limited to only 25 pieces.
German for ‘craftsmanship’, the Handwerkskunst watches are subject to the most fastidious hand-finishing and ornamental decorations in Lange’s entire repertoire. From stupendous finishing on every single component of the watches, to stunning decorative techniques hewn from generations past, each Handwerkskunst edition had astounded collectors with sublime artistry that elevates the timepiece’s technical sophistication.
The new Datograph Handwerkskunst is no different. Joining only seven other models in the exclusive collection that was introduced in 2011, the newest member of the family exudes old-world refinement and invites close inspection with an eye loupe.
Its beautifully polished 18k yellow gold case frames a gorgeous black-rhodiumed dial decorated with tremblage engraving. Working with a single piece of solid gold plate, the engraver painstakingly decorates the entire backdrop with a uniform, dimple-like texture—the tremblage—that contrasts beautifully against the polished applied gold indicators. For added complexity, the tremblage finish on the sub-dials is different from the one on the main dial.
The Datograph’s hand-wound calibre L951.8 is renowned for its game-changing innovation (it was one of the first fully integrated modern chronograph movements to be produced entirely in-house) and gorgeous architecture.
Here, the 426-part movement looks even more spectacular with black polishing on the surface of the chronograph levers, and granular texture on the bridges that echoes the look of the tremblage engraving on the dial. For a final touch, the balance cock, which typically features hand-engraved arabesque swirls, is decorated with a special filigreed vine pattern in relief—a nod to Lange’s 19th century pocket watches.
Describing the watch’s “artisanal perfection”, Lange’s director of product development, Anthony de Haas, says that the creation “is a testament to the outstanding prowess of our engravers and finishers”. “Manually executed with the highest degree of precision, the decorations and finishing exhibit aesthetics that no machine in the whole world could possibly achieve,” he adds.
