A. Lange & Sohne Datograph Perpetual Calendar (410.038FE) Watch Review

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WatchBox Reviews
Published on Oct 26, 2018

The A. Lange & Sohne Saxonia Datograph Perpetual Calendar was redesigned for SIHH 2015. Each Lange Datograph Perpetual Calendar is a flyback chronograph with a perpetual calendar system. The perpetual calendar includes am/pm (danger zone) indicator, a day, date, month, and moon phase display. Each Datograph Perpetual includes a manufacture caliber L952.1 manual wind movement with a 36-hour power reserve, 18,000 VpH beat rate, and stop seconds functionality for precise setting of the time. Fine finish on this A Lange & Sohne watch includes bridges and plates in German silver (nickel, copper, zinc alloy), Glashutte stripes, mirrored anglage beveling of bridges, black polished and fired blue screws, and a hand engraved balance bridge. The Datograph features a dial of solid silver that is coated with ruthenium and graced with applied white gold baton indices. Hour and minute hands are filled with Super LumiNova for easy viewing at night. For 2015, the Datograph Perpetual has been refined with a darker dial, a more domed bezel profile, and the substitution of baton indices for the previous Roman numerals. The A Lange & Sohne Datograph 410.038 features a 41mm 18k white gold case surrounding a grey dial on a black alligator strap with an 18k white gold deployant buckle. Functions include hours, minutes, seconds. day, date, month, perpetual calendar, moon phase, chronograph and day/night indicator. The watch also measures 14mm in thickness and 50mm from lug-to-lug.


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Datograph Perpetual

OVERVIEW
Calibre L952.1
The complex calibre L952.1 of the DATOGRAPH with chronograph and perpetual calendar consists of 556 individual parts. The chronograph mechanism, controlled by a classic column wheel, is located on the sapphire-crystal caseback side. The intricate 223-part calendar mechanism is positioned on the dial side of the movement.

DETAILS

Functions
Hours and minutes; subsidiary seconds with stop seconds; chronograph with flyback and precisely-jumping minute counter; perpetual calendar with outsize-date, day-of-week, month and leap-year display; moon-phase display; day/night indicator; 36 hours power reserve

Case

Diameter: 41.0 millimetres; height: 13.5 millimetres

Materials & Colors

Reference: 410.038
Case: White gold
Dial: Solid silver, grey; subsidiary dials rhodié
Hands: Hour and minute hands in rhodiumed gold, luminous; day, month and four-year hands in rhodiumed gold; chronograph sweep seconds hand, subsidiary seconds hand and minute counter hand in blued steel

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The immaculate movement

All 556 parts of the L952.1 manufacture calibre are lavishly finished. The sharply polished reentrant angles of many calibre components are an indication of the amount of work involved: this delicate, time-consuming process can only be executed by hand.

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The chronograph mechanism

The 8-gap column wheel coordinates all the switching operations of the chronograph mechanism. Rockers and levers of various shapes engage with this wheel. The considerable length of the levers is due to the special dial arrangement. They bypass the outsize-date mechanism and bridge the distance to the subsidiary dials located below the centre line.

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Balance wheel with eccentric poising weights and Lange balance spring

Lange’s proprietary balance with six precisely adjustable poising weights assures superior rate accuracy. It is powered by a balance spring crafted in-house at Lange. Each spring is scrupulously matched to the characteristic of the respective movement to assure optimised rate values at its frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour.

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The Lange outsize date

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The precisely-jumping minute counter

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The precisely-jumping minute counter

The Precisely Jumping Minute Counter mechanism
The precisely jumping minute counter advances by one graduation exactly after 60 seconds have elapsed, even if the time measurement is stopped at that very moment. This useful mechanism was already incorporated in historic pocket watches and high-end wristwatches crafted during the last century. But Lange’s calibre engineers refined it in an ingenious way: a patented switching lever now allows the watchmaker to precisely determine the timing of the minute counter jump without having to disassemble the movement.

 
​A very handsome, and impressive, standard size, hand wind, multi-function, chronograph, from Lange & Sohne. Just about all the "Bells, and Whistles" you could ask for, and find useful. Thanks Mike.:cheers:
 
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