If someone handed me a pen and asked me to sketch the most majestic, elegant, and imperial-looking watch I could imagine, I wouldn’t—frankly, because I can’t draw. But if I were to describe it, it would probably look something like this Datograph Handwerkskunst from A. Lange & Söhne.
Hand-stitched dark brown alligator leather strap, a deployant buckle, a case made from 18-karat yellow gold contrasted by a black-rhodiumed dial, Roman numeral-inspired indices, an intricate movement composed of 426 parts, and a flyback chronograph. This is A. Lange & Söhne’s Datograph Handwerkskunst, a timepiece so dreamy it had me daydreaming of hypothetical situations. The features highlighted would typically be touted as the key selling points of any watch, but I haven’t even touched on the most interesting aspects of this one yet.
Comprising of 426 parts and 43 jewels, the Lange manufacture calibre L951.8 is a manually wound movement that aptly represents the pinnacle of A. Lange & Söhne’s meticulousness and artistry. Assembled and decorated entirely by hand, the calibre’s architecture features black-polished chronograph levers. This rare, time-consuming technique causes the surface to reflect light only from specific angles, appearing jet black at times, and glossy at others. The hand-engraved balance cock, adorned with a delicate vine motif, rises subtly from the surface, setting the mood for the rest of the movement. The untreated German silver plates and bridges contribute to a sense of organic growth within the movement. Would it be remiss to suggest that the overall architecture of the movement is reminiscent of intertwining vines? You can be the judge of that by examining the caseback, where every polish, grain, and engravement is showcased, revealing the hard work of the artisans’.
This movement powers a 60-hour power reserve and a flyback chronograph with a precise jumping minute counter, allowing for seamless resets and efficient timing adjustments. The outsize date display, a signature of the house creates an elegant symmetry so pleasing it could bring tears to Leonardo da Vinci’s eye. All this can be adjusted through a crown for winding and setting, two chronograph buttons, and a button for rapid correction of the outsize date.
Immediately, the surface of the black-rhodiumed dial is what draws eyes. Brought to life by an intricate tremblage engraving—a historical technique practised by very few artisans due to the years of training required—it creates a fine-grained, 3D texture that captures and reflects light in subtle ways, lending the 41mm timepiece a certain air of mystery rarely seen in modern watchmaking.
As the eighth model in A. Lange & Söhne's special HANDWERKSKUNST series, the Datograph Handwerkskunst is limited to just 25 pieces worldwide, but it makes sense. I’ll let Anthony de Haas, Director Product Development explain, “Manually executed with the highest degree of precision, the decorations and finishing exhibit aesthetics that no machine in the whole world could possibly achieve.”
