Each year at Watches & Wonders, we see a handful of novelties that I think can fairly be described as Super Watches. These are the truly audacious creations that are, effectively, out of reach for all but that 1% of the 1% that has the coin and the inclination to buy into something incredibly niche, that’s incredibly expensive, that (honestly) might be years away from actually being produced and successfully delivered. The Grand Seiko Kodo, I think, is a good example of a Super Watch. It stopped everyone in their tracks, had an eye watering price point, and was the ultimate artistic and mechanical expression of the brand that made it. This year had a few Super Watch candidates (including another Kodo) but I think the winner walking away was a watch from A. Lange & Söhne that took the radical step of combining all the things people love about the brand into one watch. A Super Watch, if you will.
The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” was easily my favorite watch name to say aloud during the show. When someone would ask me what my favorite watch of the week was (a question you’re asked about fifty times per day, minimum) I’d reflexively say “Oh, the Lange,” and then continue, probably looking skyward while counting out the watch’s cumbersome title on my fingers, like a school kid figuring out a math problem, “the Datograph, perpetual, tourbillon, lumen,” (I’d always screw it up here) “in honeygold!” I’d be really proud of myself for identifying all of the watch’s key features, even if I made a mistake in the order.
We already told you about the other Lange that made its debut this year, the sedate by comparison Datograph in white gold. The Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” is several levels up on the Lange ladder in terms of complexity and rarity. Of course, it’s a Datograph we know and love, but this is the flagship, with a perpetual calendar in addition to the beautifully executed integrated chrono with a trademark big date. Honeygold is a rarely used proprietary alloy that Lange saves for special releases. This is only the 14th time it’s been used. And even fewer watches get the “Lumen” treatment (this is the sixth).
The lume is really what makes this watch extra special. In addition to being rare, it also looks incredible, and sees Lange tweaking their stoic German aesthetic more than in any other environment they find themselves in. Lume, after all, is inherently playful in addition to being functional. Lange is a lot of things, but I don’t think even their biggest fans would describe the brand as playful. There’s a seriousness to their watchmaking that comes through in just about everything they touch. A commitment to old-world craftsmanship, as well as what feels like a responsibility to continually raise the bar.
The Lumen watches do not just have lume applied, but they typically take on a pseudo-skeletonized appearance, which is very unlike Lange. The dial is a semi translucent smoked sapphire crystal, through which you can make out the large date discs near the 12:00 position. The discs, of course, are lumed, and you can make out the lume faintly through the smoked sapphire, but it really pops at the double date aperture. The subdials in the dial’s lower portion are also fully lumed, as is the moonphase display at 6:00.
To handle a watch like this, even if only briefly, is a special thing. You realize when you’re in the room with it, after the presentation from the brand, that you’ll almost certainly never encounter one again. It might as well be vapor. It’s not, of course. It’s a real product that Lange is making, and it has the feeling, almost, of fan service, or a reward to the most dedicated collectors. It’s hard to wonder how they might top this, with the watch being what amounts to a mashup of all the stuff Lange collectors prize most. Perpetual calendar Datograph? That’s the king of the Datographs. Honeygold? Sure, no problem. Lumen? We’ve come this far. Oh yeah, there’s a tourbillon as well, which might lowkey be the biggest flex here, given that it’s not exposed on the dial side.
How many of these do you think Lange is making? If a Lange employee had told me they were making 10 in our presentation, I would have thought that was a completely normal amount. Same if they had said 20, or 30. These can’t be easy to make, right? It turns out there will be 50 of these when it’s all said and done, a number that, frankly, seems high for a Super Watch, but points to what has to be incredible efficiency in Lange’s production that is likely close to a perfected state. The price? That’s pure Super Watch territory: $620,000. A. Lange & Söhne
