A. Lange & Söhne

As the Datograph is not in my collection, onr in the Lange collection anymore, I thought that these 2 pictures of a watch which made me dream, before making me happy for several years, would pay a nice homage to tjhis great watch, revisited now, as announced some days ago.









A tad short and bulky, it had the qualities of its flaws, a strong character and a refinement which the new one won't beat, I fear...

Goodbye, the Datograph, you really made my day!

Best,

Nicolas.

Lovely pictures from an iconic watch.

Great pictures, Nico !

Your pictures make the most of the fascinating contrasts of these SUPERB case and dial.

Not to mention the light and color contrasts in the movement (indeed one of the nicest and finest in the industry, and certainly THE best of the handwound chronographs), the black Datographs have a luminosity of their own which keeps fascinating me.

The black dial is not exactly black, but depending on the light conditions in the middle between ultra matte BLACK and "PRUSSIAN BLUE" (a color very appreciated by some painters, among them Vincent Van Gogh himself, as i have discovered recently visiting his Hospice at St Rémy).

In some sense, it is a black that is "blacker than black". And that black SHINES, it illuminates, IRRADIATES, when under low light conditions, litterally. I think this is due to the thickness of the beautiful bezel, the two very metalic subdials, the date window, the three applied roman numerals forming a second triangle... All that clarity (whether in rose gold or in platinum) constrasts so much with the intensity of the black that the results is PURE LIGHT.

It is the only object i know where ABSOLUTE DARKNESS is converted into PURE LIGHT.

And, my friend, i must say that your pitures have grabbed that special light almost perfectly.

Now, regarding the proportions, i love my Dato for its relative thickness as compared to its diameter. I find that this is part of its personality and i love it like that. It sits perfectly well on the wrist at least if you have a déployante. It is at the same time massive and modest. The impression of DENSITY is incremented by these proportions. Other (flatter) proportions like the ones of the 1815 Chrono, i find, would be more "banal". That, together with the roman numerals, will probably be lost in the new version, and it makes me love the CLASSIC all the more.

Needless to say, i'd rather starve than part with my Datograph

Thank you, Nicolas, for sharing these wonderful photos of the ICON.

Fred

 

Same for the 1815 moonphase in platinum, by the way.

But yes, a page has been turned, and with it, an icon.

Enjoy yours, as you're lucky enough to still own it.

Best,

Nicolas.

But i believe you can still manage to replace it if you want to.

 

 

As it was stolen...

So, psychologically speaking, it is a real dilemma.

And I also have to replace my Anniversary.

Best,

Nicolas.

It is not impossible that someone can track them back.

 

This message has been edited by passetemps on 2012-01-08 08:57:21

VERY SAD !!!  My thoughts are with you....if my dato would be stolen, I would be devastated.

But still in my mind, and in my heart...

There were much more stolen watches though...

Best,

Nicolas.

and nicely covered, but it was time to say good bye.

From my point of view there are enough pieces in the market and it will be interesting to see how it performs in the future "vintage" market.
Time to say "Hello & Welcome" to the new one

Long live the legend!

Oliver

Not very convinced by the pictures.

We'll soon see it in the flesh!

Best,

Nicolas.

"décevant"="disappointing"

is already a tough job. Lot´s of people try to do it and most of the them fail.

To replace an icon is even harder, isn´t it?

Only a few more days until we can see it in the metal ...

Oliver

because I saved them when you first posted them. I think they are among the best to bring the black and white allure of the Datograph out. Really sorry that you could not repllace it yet, I would wish you that the day comes soon! Best, Andreas

To find a brother to the only one which reamins in my collection, the Patek 5070.

Will also have to find a Duometreà Chronographe, too.

And, cherry on the cake, a Les Historiques Chrono from Vacheron.

All a program!

Best, and thanks for your nice words, Andreas.

Nicolas

No message body

Even only one of them would make my day!

Best,

Nicolas.

To create a triumvirate with the Dato!

The irony of the story?

I stay with the 5070...

But I will give it at least one brother.

Duo is Pole position.

Best,

Nicolas.

I admire the 5070, of course, but for one reason or another (in truth, it's price is partly the reason) I have never seriously considered it.  Paying private tuition x2 now, it will be a long time before I can seriously consider the Duo or Les Historiques.  But as I have maintained since I first held a Duometre in my hand, one day...

May she work her way back onto your wrist one day soon.

Best,

CaliforniaJed

The Duometre is one of my absolute priority, and THE priority if we consider the Chronos, only.

My favourite, among the modern manual winding Chronos, by far.

Best, and thanks for your kind words, once again, my friend.

Nicolas

I have held a Duométre too and, while it is very interesting conceptually, the Datograph is far superior in terms of finishing, robustness, strap, weight, and overall impression of quality.
In general, JLC is not quite at the level of Lange in all these aspects.
Lange is in a superior league of craftmanship, IMHO.
But yes, in any case, the Duo is a wonderful invention, like a 18th Century scientific instrument. In itself it flyes high above most of JLC's collection.
BW,
Fred

In truth, I cannot compare the two. I suppose I made a "choice" when I went for the Dato first,  but that was as much about the opportunity that presented itself when it presented itself. Suffice it to say that IMHO, trying to compare these two and pick a winner is like comparing Neptune and Pluto to determine which is the better planet!  They are both out of this orbit!

Best,

CaliforniaJed