A. Lange & Söhne

Datograph (Black Dial)

Name: A. Lange & Söhne Datograph (Black Dial)
Brand: A. Lange & Söhne
SKU: 405.035
Availability: PreOrder

Ref. 405.035

On requestSourced to order

Message on WhatsApp

Case41mm platinum

DialBlack, applied markers

MovementL951.6

StrapLeather

PapersBox and Papers

The Datograph is widely called the finest chronograph movement of the modern era, the watch Philippe Dufour keeps for himself. Flyback, outsize date, and finishing without equal at the price of admission.

This A. Lange & Söhne Datograph wears a 41mm platinum case with a black, applied markers face. L951.6 movement inside.

Fun fact: Philippe Dufour has called the Datograph the finest chronograph movement in current production. Its flyback column wheel calibre is assembled twice: once to fit, then taken apart, finished, and built again.

Platinum Up/Down, black dial, jumping minute counter

Reference405.035

Case41mm platinum, 13.1mm thick

MovementManual-wind L951.6, flyback chronograph

Introduced2012, succeeding ref. 403.035

Why this one matters

Lange introduced the Datograph in 1999 with the L951.1 in a 39mm platinum case, at a point when most chronographs on the market ran on supplied ébauches. The specification was unusual for the time: column wheel control, a flyback function, a minute counter that jumps rather than creeps, and the outsize date carried over from the Lange 1.

That first generation was produced until around 2012, when the Datograph Up/Down was shown at SIHH. Reference 405.035 keeps platinum and a black dial but moves to 41mm, adds a power reserve display at six, and runs the L951.6, a development of the earlier calibre with 60 hours of reserve rather than around 36. The 39mm case and the L951.1 in that form were not carried forward.

The movement

Manual winding, 60 hours of reserve shown on the Auf/Ab display at six, and an 18,000 vph beat that steps the chronograph seconds hand in fifths. Column wheel control, horizontal clutch, and a minute counter geared to jump in one move as the seconds hand passes 60. Finishing follows house practice: untreated German silver three-quarter plate, screwed gold chatons, a hand engraved balance cock and a black polished cap over the column wheel. Lange gives the calibre 451 parts and 46 jewels.

On the wrist

41mm across and 13.1mm thick, so it is not a slim watch, and platinum concentrates the weight rather than spreading it. The black dial with rhodium hands and applied markers reads cleanly in daylight, and the power reserve display sits below the centre without crowding the counters. On a dark alligator strap it reads as dress, and the pushers ask for a deliberate press.

Questions we are asked about this reference

Is this the same watch as the original 1999 Datograph?

No. This is reference 405.035, the Datograph Up/Down shown in 2012: 41mm, calibre L951.6, a power reserve display on the dial and 60 hours of running time. The earlier reference 403.035 is 39mm, runs the L951.1 and carries around 36 hours.

Why does it beat at only 18,000 vph?

The calibre runs at 2.5 Hz, which gives fifth of a second resolution on the chronograph seconds and matches the traditional architecture Lange chose for it. It is low by modern standards, where 4 Hz and above is common.

What is it like to live with daily?

Manual winding with 60 hours of reserve, so it survives a night off the wrist but wants winding on a regular rhythm. Platinum scratches easily, though the metal displaces rather than wears away, so marks polish out with little loss. It is heavy, and the case rewards being kept away from steel desk edges.

Datograph

The flyback chronograph built to be judged through the caseback

Introduced in 1999, the Datograph pairs a flyback chronograph with the outsize date, and it was the first chronograph Lange built. The minute counter jumps precisely, the column wheel and levers are finished to be looked at, and the caseback matters as much as the dial. Later versions added a perpetual calendar, then a power reserve display.

flyback chronograph

precisely jumping minute counter

outsize date at 12

column wheel construction

Sizes in the family

39 mm original, 41 mm Up/Down and Perpetual, 41.5 mm Perpetual Tourbillon

Who it suits

For the buyer who decides on the movement side and wants a chronograph worth studying through the back.

See every Datograph we have