A. Lange & Söhne

Fx

I first realized this with the various Lange 1 guilloche dial models. Photos couldn't accurately convey the (positive) feeling I got from seeing how these guilloche dials would change their appearance under different lighting conditions. I also had a much more positive reaction to the old Lange 1 luminous models (101.029 and 115.029) that were sold around 2003-2008 after seeing them in person but initially not liking the photos.

When the Zeitwerk Lumen ("Phantom") was first released, I had a pretty strong negative reaction both to the photos and to seeing it in person. I found myself wanting to see much more of the mechanism through the dial than just the date discs (which are the only visible components that one can see through that model's transparent dial). The dial also looked unbalanced near the top because I found the power reserve indicator -- a small, non-luminous hand -- to be obnoxiously cluttered and hard to read due to cacophony of date discs that are directly underneath it. Seeing that power reserve indicator above the nexus of date discs, all condensed in that small upper area of the dial, doesn't work for me.

That negative reaction to the ZW Phantom, the first lumen model, initially turned me off to the entire lumen series, so I didn't pay much attention to the Grand Lange 1 Lumen when it was introduced as the second of the lumens. Then I later saw the Grand Lange 1 Moonphase Lumen in person when that third lumen model was introduced, and I immediately had a much more positive reaction to that particular model. Aesthetically, I found the balance of the dial's appearance to be really pleasing -- which is no easy task with these semi-transparent dials -- and I was happy to see more internal components visible through the dial.

So the new Dato Up/Down Lumen is one I'm pretty excited to see in person sometime, especially to see how it looks under normal indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.

One thing to remember is that Lange's luminous components (these dials, luminous hands/markers, etc.) lose their charge after only a few minutes, even after exposure to very bright light. They glow only very briefly. So in "real life" -- normal daily use -- you hardly ever (basically never) see the watch glowing brightly. Last night I saw a play and wore the G L1 MP Lumen. I sat in the front row, and there were bright lights very near me on the floor that were part of the set (it was a "black box" theater so no traditional stage). These lights would vary in intensity throughout the play. During the less interesting parts of the play, I was playing with the Lumen, trying to charge the dial from the exposed bulbs by my feet and then seeing how long the charge would last. The bottom line is that the date ("25") was pretty much invisible (totally dark) to me throughout the entire play -- little or no glow. And yes, I think the people sitting near me wondered what the hell I was doing and why I wanted to know what time it was so very badly.

The Datograph is all about haute hologerie in the context of austere Teutonic design.  

...a well-designed and executed micro machine that exudes solidity and precision.

Add a bunch of lume and in the dark it looks like a Kickstarter special. 

Why would I want to walk around with my Datograph glowing that brightly at night?

I don't get it...

Cheers,

John

I posted elsewhere that “this is the offspring of an illicit affair between my Datograph and some skanky Luminox”.   

The Datograph Lumen in my opinion is the legendary watch’s crazy twin brother! It looks like a Lange and is built to the company’s ridiculously high standard but doesn’t feel like the Lange we know and love- feels like a stranger.