A. Lange & Söhne - The Geneva Watch Auction: XVII Geneva Saturday, May 13, 2023 | Phillips
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    • Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne
      Year: 2005
      Reference No: 403.025X
      Movement No: 41'719
      Case No: 148'204 further stamped with limited edition number Pisa 04
      Model Name: Datograph "Pisa"
      Material: Platinum
      Calibre: Manual, cal. L 951.1, 40 jewels
      Bracelet/Strap: Leather
      Clasp/Buckle: Platinum Lange pin buckle
      Dimensions: 39mm Diameter
      Signed: Case, dial, movement and buckle signed
      Accessories: Accompanied by fitted box, International Guarantee, solid caseback, instruction manual, polishing cloth and outer packaging

    • Catalogue Essay

      There are rare watches, there are watches that have been heard of and talked about but never seen, there are historically relevant ones, there are visually arresting pieces and there are grails. Some watches are all of these at once and the present A. Lange & Söhne Datograph limited edition made for Italian retailer Pisa is part of this exclusive and elite group.

      In less than a generation - since its launch in 1999 - the Datograph has become a modern horological icon and considered by the cognoscenti as one of the finest modern chronograph wristwatches produced by any firm. The relevance of this model can only be underlined by the fact that one of the greatest living watchmakers, Philippe Dufour, wears one.

      It boasts an in-house manual movement, expertly finished throughout with Glashütte stripes and a signature hand-engraved balance cock. The full lexicon of movement finishing is unleashed on each component of a Lange wristwatch: black polishing, perlage, straight and circular graining, mirror polishing, chamfering, and anglage, amongst others.

      Interestingly, the only Datograph to be made as a limited edition remains the present example made in 10 pieces for the Milanese retailer Pisa Orologeria of which this is number 4.

      The Datograph was originally launched in platinum with black dial, followed by pink gold examples with either a black or silver dial. It was subsequently replaced in 2012 with the Datograph Up/Down, which increased the case size, changed the hour markers from Roman numerals to baton indexes, and most notably, added a power reserve indicator.

      The Pisa limited edition, introduced in 2004, was and remains until today the only example in platinum with silver dial.

      However, the present Pisa Datograph has a unique element that we believe the other 9 examples do not have: the second chronograph hand is rhodium plated and not blued giving the watch an incredible monochromatic appeal. The blued continuous seconds and minutes counter hands add a dash of vigorous color to the dial.

      There is an intense sense of exhilaration when such a rare timepiece comes to the international auction market for the first time and the present ultra limited and coveted Datograph – offered with its full set of accessories and extra solid caseback – is a must have for the collector of rare and historically relevant timepieces.

    • Artist Biography

      A. Lange & Söhne

      German • 1845

      Originally founded in 1845 by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Dresden, Germany, the firm established an entire watchmaking culture and industry in Glashütte. The brand quickly became Germany's finest watchmaker, first creating dependable, easy-to-repair watches before going on to produce some of the world's finest complicated pocket watches, including Grande Sonnerie watches, tourbillon watches and Grande Complications.

      On the final day of World War II, their factories were destroyed by Russian bombers, and in 1948 the brand was confiscated by the Soviet Union. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990, Ferdinand's great grandson Walter Lange re-established the brand with the objective to once again produce top-quality luxury watches. Now part of the Richemont Group, its original vintage and modern creations are highly coveted by collectors. Key models from the modern era include the Lange 1, Pour Le Mérite Tourbillon and the Zeitwerk.

      View More Works

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Ref. 403.025X
A striking and rare platinum flyback chronograph wristwatch with oversized date display, guarantee and presentation box, number 4 of a limited edition of 10 pieces for Pisa Orologeria

2005
39mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and buckle signed

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
CHF100,000 - 200,000 
€104,000-208,000
$114,000-228,000

Sold for CHF228,600

Contact Specialist

Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East

+41 79 637 17 24
AGhotbi@phillips.com

Tiffany To
Head of Sale, Geneva

+41 79 460 55 88
TiffanyTo@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: XVII

Geneva Auction 13 - 14 May 2023