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Lot Essay
Christie’s is very proud to present this exceptional and important full-set early pink gold Datograph Flyback with black dial and baguette diamond-set bezel. As a limited edition of 20 pieces, to date only one other example of this reference has appeared at international auction.
A sublime watch, it is also important as an early ‘First Generation’ example of the Datograph and therefore an extreme rarity with diamond-set bezel. The bezel is set with 48 baguette diamonds weighing a total of 4.5 carats. The First Generation Datograph made approximately from 1999 until the early 2000s is identified by the tachymeter scale on the outer edge of the dial which features the words “BASE 1000 METER”, on later exmples this was changed to “BASE 1000 METERS”.
The movement is the Lange in-house flyback chronograph caliber L951.1, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful movements of all time. The movement consists of 406 parts, the plates and bridges are made of untreated German silver and finished with circular graining and Glashütte ribbing. The balance bridge is manually engraved with a master’s personal free-hand technique, making each Datograph a one-of-a-kind timepiece.
One of the great technical achievements of the Datograph’s flyback chronograph is the instantaneous jump of the minute counter hand. In a standard chronograph mechanism, the minutes counter starts to move just before a minute elapses and only falls into place once the minute elapses. In contrast however, the L951.1 chronograph minute hand moves at the exact instant the minute elapses. Until the development of the L951.1, the instantaneous register hand mechanism had never been used in the confined dimensions of a wristwatch. This feature perfectly aligned with Lange’s ambition to increase precision.
Introduced at Baselworld in 1999, the Datograph Flyback is the world’s first chronograph based on the classic column-wheel principle with precise jumping minute counter and patented oversized date. It stops events with a duration up to 30 minutes with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. The precise jumping minute counter allows easy reading of the stopped time. The flyback function allows the chronograph to be instantaneously reset to zero during an ongoing measurement by simply pressing the chronograph button. As soon as the button is released, a new timing cycle begins, hence eliminating the need to stop a measurement and reset the stop hand before starting a new timing. The patented oversized date in the twin gold-framed aperture ensures excellent legibility.
A sublime watch, it is also important as an early ‘First Generation’ example of the Datograph and therefore an extreme rarity with diamond-set bezel. The bezel is set with 48 baguette diamonds weighing a total of 4.5 carats. The First Generation Datograph made approximately from 1999 until the early 2000s is identified by the tachymeter scale on the outer edge of the dial which features the words “BASE 1000 METER”, on later exmples this was changed to “BASE 1000 METERS”.
The movement is the Lange in-house flyback chronograph caliber L951.1, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful movements of all time. The movement consists of 406 parts, the plates and bridges are made of untreated German silver and finished with circular graining and Glashütte ribbing. The balance bridge is manually engraved with a master’s personal free-hand technique, making each Datograph a one-of-a-kind timepiece.
One of the great technical achievements of the Datograph’s flyback chronograph is the instantaneous jump of the minute counter hand. In a standard chronograph mechanism, the minutes counter starts to move just before a minute elapses and only falls into place once the minute elapses. In contrast however, the L951.1 chronograph minute hand moves at the exact instant the minute elapses. Until the development of the L951.1, the instantaneous register hand mechanism had never been used in the confined dimensions of a wristwatch. This feature perfectly aligned with Lange’s ambition to increase precision.
Introduced at Baselworld in 1999, the Datograph Flyback is the world’s first chronograph based on the classic column-wheel principle with precise jumping minute counter and patented oversized date. It stops events with a duration up to 30 minutes with an accuracy of one-fifth of a second. The precise jumping minute counter allows easy reading of the stopped time. The flyback function allows the chronograph to be instantaneously reset to zero during an ongoing measurement by simply pressing the chronograph button. As soon as the button is released, a new timing cycle begins, hence eliminating the need to stop a measurement and reset the stop hand before starting a new timing. The patented oversized date in the twin gold-framed aperture ensures excellent legibility.