Welcome to our series highlighting the exceptional watches available through PERPETUAL, Phillips’ boutique service offering immediate access to the world’s rarest and most desirable timepieces. You can view all currently available watches by stopping in at our London headquarters at 30 Berkeley Square, or by visiting Phillips PERPETUAL online. Our new "Buy Now" button makes acquiring the watch of your dreams easier than ever.
Launched in 1999, the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph has widely been regarded by collectors as one of the finest modern chronograph wristwatches produced by any firm. Since its re-establishment, A. Lange & Söhne has been creating some of the most impressive timepieces executed to the highest quality.
Featuring an in-house manual movement, it is expertly finished throughout with Glashütte stripes and a signature hand-engraved balance cock. The oversized date window display, particular to Lange wristwatches, inspired by the Dresden Semper Opera clock, sits perfectly legible at the 12 o’clock position.
The first generation of the Datograph features a 39mm diameter case without a power reserve indication, giving the dial a clean and simplistic appeal. Furthermore, the platinum case and black dial is the original Datograph that captured the admiration of so many collectors and connoisseurs when it first appeared at Baselworld in 1999.
The present reference 403.035 displays many of the tiny peculiarities that set the earliest Datographs apart from their later counterparts and excite keen-eyed connoisseurs. Indicative of a first-generation example, the present lot bears a desirable “METER” dial, rather than “meters” on the tachymeter track, only seen in pieces produced before 2005.
The German silver sub-dials have taken on a subtle patination, another feature of first-generation examples.
The ref. 403.035 remained in production in this configuration from 1999 to 2012. Because of such a long run, it's the most common Datograph. This is the reference that premiered to much fanfare at the 1999 Basel Fair and forced everyone who wasn't already aware of Lange – and by then, most connoisseurs were – to sit up and pay attention.
Since its introduction, the Datograph has expanded into a family of models including the Datograph Perpetual and the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon, as well as the Datograph Lumen and related models like 2004's 1815 chronograph on one end of the complexity scale, and models such as the Double Split (also from 2004) and the Triple Split on the other
Common to all is the placement of the chronograph sub-registers at 4:00 and 8:00, rather than 3:00 and 9:00 as is often the case in two-register chronographs.
The Datograph houses the Lange in-house flyback chronograph caliber L951.1 – a movement that was part of a changing landscape in terms of how enthusiasts, collectors, and the industry think about chronographs. Before its debut, little had occurred in the way of development of classic high-end chronograph movements for many years.
The example currently available through Phillips PERPETUAL dates to 2005 and features the early "METER" dial with subtly patinated sub-dials. Crafted in solid 950 platinum, this ref. 403.035 is unmistakably Lange, with all the heft, balance and sheer mass that the German manufactory is known for.
The watch comes with its original box and warranty booklet, carries a price of £59,500, and can be viewed in greater detail right here.
You can learn more about the above watch and see all the currently in-stock watches online at Phillips PERPETUAL.
Phillips PERPETUAL offers a boutique experience to clients for both the sale and purchase of fine and rare watches, in London’s Berkeley Square and the Gstaad Palace, in Switzerland.
Visit Phillips PERPETUAL /
30 Berkeley Square, London, United Kingdom, W1J 6EX (map)
Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM – 17:30 PM
Contact & Consignment Enquiries /
00 44 207 901 7916
perpetual@phillips.com
@phillipsperpetual