nwk00
585
IMO
Jun 18, 2020,09:16 AM
I think the 5170 is technically very compelling like the patented teeth profile and column wheel cap.
From SJX,
- "Interestingly the column wheel cap is not just for tradition
and aesthetics. While in the past the cap was used to keep the
chronograph levers in place when shocked, the cap in the CH 29 is used
to adjust the meshing of the chronograph wheels."
- "Another impressive detail is the patented tooth profile of the gears in
the chronograph mechanism. Designed to eliminate the annoying and common
jump in the hand when starting or stopping the chronograph, as well as
improve efficiency, the teeth are ever so slightly inclined in one
direction (conventional teeth are basically aligned straight)"
But the movement aesthetics to me are visually unpleasant. There are large broad curves where efforts could have been make to finesse the shape of the parts, no doubt to save costs. I have highlighted the offending parts with arrows(there are more but I guess we can leave that for another day)
Again from SJX,
They reminded me of entry level chronos.
Image from Darlinboy over at Omegaforums
The parts on the Patek are no doubt finished to a good level compared to the Landeron movement, but Patek have forgotten about the importance of the beauty of individual components.
Image courtesy of Timetapestry
In comparison the Lange chrono movement is a feast for the eyes. And to think this was over 20 years ago, when everyone was recycling Lemania chronographs..... Think contextually about the competition in time frame, what Lange did was quite incredible. And what everyone else is doing now and how much/little they achieved.
To play at this kind of price level, the maker cannot just master the technical side of things, aesthetics is important too(and quality). If you only want to think about technical stuff, we have Rolex for that, and then you have Rolex pricing. You need to do both and I think the Datograph does not come up short.