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Lot Essay
It is difficult to find a watch more technically and functionally brilliant than the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon. Unveiled in SIHH 2015 to the great awe and shock of the audience, the present example was created by Lange to showcase their prowess and leading position in the field of watchmaking. So complicated and exclusive is this watch that only 100 were made (the present example being numbered ‘005’). Essentially speaking, this watch manages to combine a jumping displays perpetual calendar, flyback chronograph, tourbillon, moon phases and finally a power reserve indicator (near the end of the tachymeter scale), all housed into a beautifully finished movement and visible through the sapphire case back.
Beautiful as the watch’s dial side is, it is the movement itself that is truly impressive and characteristic of Lange’s technical perfectionism and attention to detail. Not only is the movement simply aesthetically astounding (with a hand engraved balance cock and an incredible level of hand-finishing), but it is also designed with function in mind. Two subtle yet complicated mechanisms underlie just how intricate Calibre L952.2. is. Firstly, pulling the crown out to adjust the time instantly stops the movement, halting the tourbillon, allowing the time to be displayed with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. This function, first introduced in 2008 by Lange, has been made possible by the modification of the balance, which now oscillates at a slightly lower frequency.
Secondly, and perhaps most impressively, is the watch’s unique ability to advance every single display on the perpetual calendar once (moon phase, date, day) by one single compression of the pusher at 10 o’clock. To prevent accidentally pressing the pusher and needlessly activating the instantaneous display adjustment, Lange has designed the watch in such a way that the function is locked unless the crown is pulled out. This not only protects the movement itself but also ensures that the function is only used when the watch truly needs correction – i.e. when the power reserve has depleted (an idiosyncratic yet ultimately incredibly thoughtful and important feature).
As befitting a watch of such a high pedigree, only precious metals have been used: the hands are rhodium-plated and solid gold and the case is made of platinum. The present example is a must-have for the ultimate collector, and for those who are interested in seeing how far the innovative and technical boundaries of horology can be pushed.
Beautiful as the watch’s dial side is, it is the movement itself that is truly impressive and characteristic of Lange’s technical perfectionism and attention to detail. Not only is the movement simply aesthetically astounding (with a hand engraved balance cock and an incredible level of hand-finishing), but it is also designed with function in mind. Two subtle yet complicated mechanisms underlie just how intricate Calibre L952.2. is. Firstly, pulling the crown out to adjust the time instantly stops the movement, halting the tourbillon, allowing the time to be displayed with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. This function, first introduced in 2008 by Lange, has been made possible by the modification of the balance, which now oscillates at a slightly lower frequency.
Secondly, and perhaps most impressively, is the watch’s unique ability to advance every single display on the perpetual calendar once (moon phase, date, day) by one single compression of the pusher at 10 o’clock. To prevent accidentally pressing the pusher and needlessly activating the instantaneous display adjustment, Lange has designed the watch in such a way that the function is locked unless the crown is pulled out. This not only protects the movement itself but also ensures that the function is only used when the watch truly needs correction – i.e. when the power reserve has depleted (an idiosyncratic yet ultimately incredibly thoughtful and important feature).
As befitting a watch of such a high pedigree, only precious metals have been used: the hands are rhodium-plated and solid gold and the case is made of platinum. The present example is a must-have for the ultimate collector, and for those who are interested in seeing how far the innovative and technical boundaries of horology can be pushed.