A. Lange & Söhne has given one of its most intricate modern watches a markedly more precious frame.
For the 20th anniversary of the Datograph Perpetual, the Saxon manufacture introduces reference 410.136E, a 50-piece limited edition in 950 platinum with a black dial, baguette-cut diamond markers and an integrated platinum bracelet.
The watch matters because the Datograph Perpetual has always sat at a demanding crossroads, combining a flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar and Lange’s outsize date in one tightly organised display.
At a glance
- A. Lange & Söhne marks 20 years of the Datograph Perpetual with a 50-piece limited edition in 950 platinum.
- The watch combines a flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar, outsize date, moon phase and black silver dial with baguette-cut diamond hour markers.
- Reference 410.136E is priced on request and each watch carries an engraved edition number.
A more formal Datograph Perpetual
The original Datograph Perpetual arrived in 2006 as the first A. Lange & Söhne wristwatch to combine a chronograph and perpetual calendar with the brand’s outsize date.
This anniversary edition keeps that essential architecture but changes the tone through metal, bracelet construction and dial treatment.
The 41 mm case is made from 950 platinum and measures 13.5 mm thick, giving the watch substantial presence without moving away from the established proportions of the model.
Its five-row platinum bracelet uses alternating polished and matte surfaces, with chamfered link edges to catch the light across a metal known more for density than flash.
A quick-release deployant buckle in platinum secures the bracelet, extending the same material language from case to clasp.
The black dial is technical rather than decorative
The dial is made from 925 silver and finished in black, a restrained background for a display that carries a lot of information.
Eleven manually applied baguette-cut diamonds serve as hour markers, with two stones at 12 o’clock and the markers at 4 and 8 o’clock omitted to make room for the lower-set auxiliary displays.
The diamonds are graded F–G in colour and VVS in clarity, with a combined weight of approximately 0.13 carats.
The outsize date sits in its framed double aperture at 12 o’clock, maintaining one of the clearest identifying traits of Lange’s complicated watchmaking.
Below the horizontal centreline, the left subdial groups subsidiary seconds, the day of the week and the day/night display at 9 o’clock.
At 3 o’clock, the watch places the month, leap-year indication and precisely jumping chronograph minute counter, while the moon-phase display occupies 6 o’clock.
The auxiliary dials are finished in rhodié colour, adding contrast against the black background without making the layout feel visually fragmented.
Lange also separates functions through the hands, with 18-carat gold used for the hour, minute and calendar hands, blued steel for the chronograph minute-counter and subsidiary-seconds hands, and rhodiumed steel for the central chronograph-seconds hand.
A tachymeter scale and stop-seconds function complete the indications.
Inside the calibre L952.1
The manually wound Lange manufacture calibre L952.1 sits at the centre of the watch, made from 556 components and fitted with 45 jewels.
The movement measures 32 mm across and 8 mm high, runs at 18,000 vibrations per hour and delivers a 36-hour power reserve when fully wound.
It is precision-adjusted in five positions and uses a shock-resistant balance with eccentric poising weights, along with an in-house balance spring.
The precision beat-adjustment system uses a lateral setscrew and whiplash spring.
The chronograph is controlled by a traditional column wheel, which coordinates the switching sequences of the mechanism.
Its flyback function allows an ongoing timing operation to be stopped and restarted with a single pusher action, while the precisely jumping minute counter is designed for a clean reading of elapsed minutes.
The perpetual calendar displays the date, day, month and leap years correctly over long periods, with the standard Gregorian-calendar exception requiring a one-day correction on 1 March 2100.
The moon-phase display is calculated to deviate from the actual lunar cycle by one day after 122.6 years, provided the watch continues to run.
Calendar indications and the moon phase can be advanced together through the rapid-correction pusher at 10 o’clock, or adjusted individually through recessed correctors.
A safety mechanism prevents accidental activation of the rapid-correction pusher, while the crown handles winding and time-setting and two pushers operate the chronograph.
Hand finishing behind the sapphire back
The sapphire-crystal case back shows a calibre built in Lange’s familiar traditional idiom.
Its plates and bridges are made from untreated German silver, the balance cock is engraved by hand and four screwed gold chatons add a classical detail to the construction.
The movement is assembled twice, allowing components to be inspected, finished and adjusted before final assembly.
Through the back, the owner can see the column-wheel chronograph and the levers that coordinate the chronograph and calendar systems within the movement architecture.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | A. Lange & Söhne |
|---|---|
| Model | Datograph Perpetual |
| Reference | 410.136E |
| Edition | Limited to 50 watches, each with an engraved edition number |
| Case size | 41 mm |
| Case height | 13.5 mm |
| Case material | 950 platinum |
| Dial | Black 925 silver dial with rhodié-coloured auxiliary dials |
| Hour markers | Eleven manually applied baguette-cut diamonds, F–G colour, VVS clarity, approximately 0.13 carats combined |
| Bracelet | Five-row 950 platinum bracelet with quick-release platinum deployant buckle |
| Movement | Manually wound Lange manufacture calibre L952.1 |
| Movement size | 32 mm diameter, 8 mm height |
| Components | 556 parts |
| Jewels | 45 |
| Frequency | 18,000 vibrations per hour, 2.5 Hz |
| Power reserve | 36 hours |
| Functions | Flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar, outsize date, moon phase, day/night display, tachymeter scale, stop seconds |
| Price | Price on request |
This is a Datograph Perpetual for collectors who already understand the underlying machine but want it in a rarer, more formal expression.
The diamonds don’t change the watch’s purpose, but they do sharpen its character, placing one of Lange’s most complex chronograph calendars firmly in evening-wear territory without obscuring the engineering that made the model significant in the first place.
