AnthonyTsai
[PuristS]
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A. Lange & Söhne DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN - black & white photos
Black and white
In the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN, harmony relies on the interaction of contrasts
The DATOGRAPH wrote a new chapter in watchmaking history when it was first presented in 1999. Launched merely five years after the debut of the initial new-era collection, it incorporated A. Lange & Söhne’s first proprietary chronograph calibre. Its technical features such as the column-wheel design, the precisely jumping minute counter, the flyback function and the outsize date defined benchmarks. Because of its balanced design, it soon developed a cult following, as did the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN with a power reserve of 60 hours and a power-reserve indicator presented in 2012. Not least, this was attributed to the puristic black-and-white appeal of the platinum version. The focus on form and contrast has a captivating effect. It clearly comes to the fore especially in juxtapositions with black-and-white objects.
Ebony and ivory: The DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN harmonises with the black-and-white rapport of the piano keyboard.
Classic, yet perpetually new: The royal game is a fitting metaphor for the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN. With its 30-minute counter, it can also be used in blitz chess play. Thanks to the precisely jumping minute counter, the player always knows exactly when the next minute begins.
Strength is rooted in composure: In the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN, the aesthetic equilibrium of the movement is reaffirmed by the harmonious architecture of the dial. The Lange outsize date and the two argenté-coloured subsidiary dials for the seconds and the minute counter form an equilateral triangle.
About A. Lange & Söhne
When Ferdinand Adolph Lange, a Dresden watchmaker, established his watch manufactory in 1845, he laid the cornerstone of Saxony’s precision watchmaking. His precious pocket watches remain highly coveted among collectors all over the world. The company was expropriated after World War II, and the name A. Lange & Söhne nearly fell into oblivion. In 1990, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s great-grandson Walter Lange had the courage to relaunch the brand. Today, Lange crafts only a few thousand wristwatches in gold or platinum per year. They are endowed exclusively with proprietary movements that are lavishly decorated and assembled by hand. In a period of little more than 20 years, A. Lange & Söhne developed 51 manufacture calibres and secured a top-tier position among the world’s finest watch brands. Its greatest successes include innovative time-keeping instruments such as the LANGE 1 with the first outsize date in a series produced wristwatch as well as the ZEITWERK with its supremely legible, precisely jumping numerals. In the meantime, both models have become icons of a brand rich in tradition.
DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN Ref. 405.035
Movement Lange manufacture calibre L951.6; manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; balance cock engraved by hand
Movement parts 451
Jewels 46
Screwed gold chatons 4
Escapement Lever escapement
Oscillator Shock-resistant balance wheel with eccentric poising weights; balance spring manufactured in-house with a frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring
Power reserve 60 hours when fully wound
Functions Time indicated in hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds with stop seconds; flyback chronograph with precisely jumping minute counter; power-reserve indicator; outsize date
Operating elements Crown for winding the watch and setting the time, two pushers for operating the chronograph, one rapid-correction pusher for the outsize date
Case dimensions Diameter: 41.0 millimetres; height: 13.1 millimetres
Movement dimensions Diameter: 30.6 millimetres; height: 7.9 millimetres
Case Platinum
Dial Solid silver, black; subsidiary dials argenté
Hands Rhodiumed gold hour and minute hands, luminous; chronograph hand in rhodiumed steel; seconds and minute-counter hands in blued steel
Crystal and back Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9)
Strap Hand-stitched alligator leather strap, blue-grey
Buckle Lange prong buckle in platinum
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2015-09-22 05:55:56
