A. Lange & Söhne crowns the 25th anniversary year of its first chronograph calibre with a unique DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN timepiece that will be auctioned in November.
For the first time, the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN ‘Hampton Court Edition’ unites a 750 white-gold case, a grey dial with black subsidiary dials and an engraved hinged cuvette. The exceptional combination of colours emphasises the harmonious dial configuration, whilst the luminous gold hands for hours and minutes perfectly match the case material and contrast crisply against the grey background ‒ as does the red chrono seconds hand in the centre, adding a distinctive colour accent.
Located on the peripheral ring, the tachymeter scale determines average speeds and underscores the historical connection between motorsports and timekeeping, and a white-gold bracelet finishes off the subtle colour concept.
Beneath the engraved hinged cuvette, the manually wound 451-part L951.6 calibre can be admired, elaborately finished and assembled twice. The sapphire-crystal caseback affords a view of precisely orchestrated switching sequences, for example the minute counter mechanism and the column wheel. It also reveals the beauty of the superior degree of finissage and the ingenious composition of aesthetic details, combined with the technical intricacy of the movement. Further elements of this micromechanical work of art include bridges made of untreated German silver, the hand-engraved balance cock with a whiplash precision index adjuster and four screwed gold chatons.
“When our engineers developed the DATOGRAPH no less than 25 years ago, they created a chronograph that established technical and aesthetic benchmarks with its one-of-a-kind combination of an ingeniously engineered manufacture calibre and a lucidly configured dial. The DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN ‘Hampton Court Edition’ provides a fitting conclusion to the anniversary year. It is simultaneously a pleasure and an honour for us that, with this unique timepiece, we are able to support the important work of The Prince’s Trust.”
Wilhelm Schmid, CEO, A. Lange & Söhne
In November of this year, the DATOGRAPH UP/DOWN “Hampton Court Edition” will be auctioned by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo in Geneva, where the entire proceeds will go to The Prince’s Trust, including the auction house’s buyer’s premium. Under the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III, the mission of the UK-based youth charity is to help young people to develop essential life skills, prepare for work and access employment opportunities.
Technical Specifications:
| Lange manufacture calibre L951.6, manually wound, crafted to the most exacting Lange quality standards, decorated and assembled by hand; precision-adjusted in five positions; plates and bridges made of untreated German silver; balance cock engraved by hand | |
| No. of movement parts | 451 |
| No. of jewels | 46 |
| No. of screwed gold chatons | 4 |
| Escapement | Lever escapement |
| Oscillation system | Shock-resistant balance with eccentric poising weights; superior-quality balance spring manufactured in-house, frequency of 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour, precision beat adjustment system with lateral setscrew and whiplash spring |
| Power reserve | 60 hours when fully wound |
| Functions | Time indicated in hours, minutes, and subsidiary seconds dial with stop seconds; flyback chronograph with precisely jumping minute counter; tachymeter scale; UP/DOWN power-reserve indicator; outsize date |
| Operating elements | Crown for winding the watch and setting the time; two chronograph buttons, one button for rapid correction of the outsize date |
| Case dimensions | Diameter: 41.0 millimetres; height: 14.04 millimetres |
| Movement dimensions | Diameter: 30.6 millimetres; height: 7.9 millimetres |
| Crystal and transparent caseback | Sapphire crystal (Mohs hardness 9) |
| Case | 750 white gold, engraved hinged cuvette, exterior with Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace logo, interior with edition engraving “Unique piece” |
| Dial | 925 silver, grey, subsidiary dials black |
| Hands | Hour and minute hands: 750 white gold, rhodiumed, luminous; subsidiary seconds and minute counter hands: steel, rhodiumed; red chrono seconds hand: aluminium; power-reserve hand: 750 white gold, rhodiumed |
| Bracelet | 750 gold |
| Buckle | Deployant buckle in 750 gold |
| Limited edition | 1 watch |
For more information please visit A. Lange & Söhne