A 30th anniversary is no small thing for a brand. For some perspective, only 25% of new companies even survive for 15 years. As such, it?s rightly a cause for celebration. This year, A. Lange & Söhne is celebrating two anniversaries, the 25th anniversary of the Datograph, and the 30th anniversary of the brand being relaunched. For the Datograph, we saw four exceptional and highly exclusive pieces. At Watches & Wonders, they launched the elegant Datograph Up/Down Limited Edition in white gold with a blue dial, as well as the über Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold ?Lumen.?
That duo was followed up by the recently announced Datograph Handwerkskunst and Datograph Up/Down ?Hampton Court Edition.? The Handwerkskunst is an über watch of a different nature than the ?Lumen,? demonstrating the brand?s dedication to handcraft and the artistry of watchmaking. Anthony de Haas, Director of Development, described the process of creating the dial, which consists of an ?outer ring, the main carriage dial, and then the sub-dials, all four out of solid yellow gold. We take a milling machine and take away all the material, except for the numerals and the letters and the text, so they are in relief.?
The process then goes to an engraver, who meticulously applies ?tremblage,? creating the uniform stippled texture across all surfaces. This task is made even more difficult as the engraver must navigate all of the engraved details, such as the arching logo. To get the unique c...