A. Lange & Söhne

Dear all,

Of course both are great watches and it is a matter of taste. Of course...
But, as a very fine timepiece to keep a lifetime, which one would you choose ?

Best.

... also, reading the different posts, I see discussions on a possible improvement of the Date. Is it something Lange is working on ? Is the 1815 chronograph "better" (on a purely technical level, I mean) ?
Do you think langmatik perpetual upgrades are also considered ?
THANKS !

Maybe they will improve the Dato ( it was a virtual discussion, by the way ), or maybe discontinue it...

Who knows?

Best,

Nicolas.

both share (most of) the same unique selling points. The biggest difference is the "style" and the wearing comfort.
Which one is better? None, the personal taste is the key.

When it comes to Lange,  I hava a very simple golden rule: One watch, one  movement.

Keeping this criteria in mind, if I had the pleasure to torture my mind with the Dato or the Langematic Perpetual, I would, without any hesitation, go for the Dato.

The Dato came in 1999 with its own movement, which is now considered ( and at that time too, by the way ) as a Reference in the world of fine chronos.

While the Langematik Perpetual houses the movement of a ... Langematik.

I would rather consider a nice Langematik, such as the Anniversary and a Dato.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that the Langematik Perpetual is not a nice watch, I honestly think that it is one of the nicest Perpetual, but it houses a movement which was not created for it.

Best,

Nicolas.

Great breakdown and analysis!

but being more of a chronograph lover I would go with the Datograph. Don't worry about what Lange does about updating it or not as the watch is nearly perfect as is. (The 1815 Chrono is nice as well.)

Tony

KIH has owned both of those pieces before as well as the 1815 Chrono. Maybe he'll chime in here!

Tony

How are you, Tony, my friend?

Ken

... whether you want chrono more than perpetual or the other way around.

Since I don't know the extent of your collection, I assume this will be the only watch for you (which is VERY unlikely because I have been there ).

"To keep a lifetime" may be the keyword here.  The answer first: I bought Perpetual as my first hi-end watch thinking that it would be the first and the last expensive watch.  Boy was I wrong.  The following month, I already bought 1815 CHR and Lange 1.  And then a while later Dato.....  When I look back, all are great watches and the brand, Lange, is THE great brand.  I have let go Perpetual because, while it is a great perpetual watch, I was/am getting old and the small sub-dials were getting a bit harder to read all the time.  So, I would pick Dato, if I intend to keep a lifetime.....  Also, Dato is more of an Icon of Lange than the relatively newer Perpetual is.  There are simpler and easier to read perpetuals out there.

I can see your future having both and more of Lange and other brands...

Good luck hunting!

Ken


This message has been edited by KIH on 2011-07-30 06:52:32

I must have been reading your mind as my post came a minute before yours! All is well here, when will you be back to visit?

Tony

the answer is a pretty clear "both" ...

(picking the same shirt for ease of comparison )

although it has to be said that while I was pretty sure that the Datograph was the one for the "chronograph" slot in my lineup, I have been trying, and then ended up not loving, several perpetuals before finally ending up with the Langematik Perpetual. I hear what Ken is saying but fortunately I am myopic so I will be able to see the dial even when my lenses will have fully hardened, so right now, I expect they are both here to stay. I also prefer this pair to the Datograph Perpetual. YMMV.

 

Best

ANdreas

Yes, if I could, I would have kept both   Wonderful pair - I agree that better than Dato Perpetual, which IMHO is not the best of Lange.

Thanks Andreas,
Ken

PS: I see that your Perpetual is in German

yes, I wanted that, and it also has the button at 10 pm, not the recessed pusher, so I can manually adjust it on the fly. Took me a while to find one!

Hest

Andreas

over the Dato perpetual as well. Two Lange's are always better than one!

Tony

In fact what will, today, make me chose the Langematik perpetual is that I want to wear this watch during the week so, as I'm not a how-happy-I -am-when-I-manually-wind-up-my-watch-every-morning fellow, at all, I really like the fact that it is ... automatic.

The thing is that in this case I must draw a line under the Dato's back  :/

Furthermore, I think I may prefer the Langematik perpetual's proportions (thickness) and its dial's harmony as I'm focusing the platinum version (but may be the Pink gold for the Dato).

In spite of that, if I had to chose the one I would wear only once in a while, then I wouldn't need the automatic display and hence would chose the Dato, as finally the line is really thin between the 2 choices.

Tell us how your mind evolves !

Best;

Mark

growing on me, even when it is not my favorite complication in general.



Some people don´t like the Dato-Perpetual for several reasons and I was one of them. I changed my mind when I saw it with a grey dial. It is only a small change,
but for me it makes a huge difference. Some people still don´t like it? Who cares - not me

Both of your examples have been in RG, but as much as I like RG as a colour it doesn´t work for me - on my wrist.
Especially with Lange I prefer to see the middle part of the case - brushed. Lange doesn´t offer it for a good reason, for RG cases.
The brushed middle part is to me a part of the (visual) Lange DNA.

Oliver

and I agree with you on that gray dial of the Dato/perp. It made quite an impression on me.

Tough choice if you can't keep them both (certainly the ideal solution). But as has been alluded to, the Dato is the icon in this pair, and most folks probably prefer the chrono complication.

And don't listen too much to those who say the Lange perpetual is hard to read. On the contrary, from a practical standpoint it is the easiest to read of any perpetuals I can think of (except the Moser). When you glance at your watch, you want to know the time and date, and the big date display is the key to ease of use compared to other perpetuals. Do you really care if you have to squint a bit for the day of week or month or leap year?

After spending some time with a Lange perpetual, I think they got it right with their display.

Both are proofs of the Lange excellence but except the Lange quality, they don't share a lot of common points: handwind vs automatic, complication, thickness...

So nobody can help you, it is up to you, any choice will be the right one.

Fx

all things being equal and it is very much so in this case (both ALS in RG), the pc takes the cake in both status and in the horological hierarchy IMO, being a Grand complication. Personally, I also prefer the aesthetics of the dial layout in the pc over the RG Dato. However, if comparing a Pt. Dato, which is the iconic version IMO, with the RG Langmatik perp., then it's even stevens in my book.

cheers

F

 

I realy liked the perpetual in rose from the first time I saw it.  The PT and YG versions did not have the same impact on me.  The tone of the light tan dial and being able to read the time and date at a glance is terrific.

 

The Datograph is a great watch, especially if you could wear it with the movement facing up!  But I found that the hands appeared to be close in length for my eyes.  And the case was a little thick for the diameter.  Geeat watch though. 

 

The dato for me over the perp as it is hand wound vs auto.

Best of luck in your acquisition!

Stephen

the perpetual is more beautiful and has more 'going on'. The Dato is more of a standard bearer in terms of collecting... it represents The Ultimate Chrono... (some would say). I think it is 'up there'... but the point is, the Dato has become an emblem of The Best. The perpetual, while stunning and exceptionally exquisite, has not achieved this iconic status. If this sort of thinking matters to you, the Dato is the only choice. But I like the perpetual better. I would get the perpetual! I prefer the sharp hands, as opposed to the less sharp hands of the Dato. I love the moonphase--it is Lange's divine element, that moon... and I love the fine detail of the dial, which some might say is 'busy'. (I used to think so.) BUt when you want to really gaze at a dial, and explore the details and fine elements... the perpetual must be one of the best to do so... I owned a Dato for a while... and I found it very, very cold. Even the movement did not move me, after the initial 'awe' wore off... The perpetual has color and a levels... and many aspects that are warmer, even in platinum... although I would choose rose... well, anyway, as they say, no bad choice here--both Dream watches. Have fun and good luck. This message has been edited by Mostel on 2011-07-31 22:40:28