For many passionate watch enthusiasts, the legendary A. Lange & Söhne Datograph has become a benchmark of excellence in classical chronographs, its name intoned with the greatest of respect and reverence. It’s certainly hard for this enthusiast to disagree. Before even considering the absolutely exquisite A. Lange & Söhne L951.1 movement, with its unsurpassed visual beauty and mechanical virtuosity, one simply cannot fail to be stunned by the delicious aesthetics that the Datograph watch possesses, from its massive gold or platinum case, all the way to the solid silver dial with its immediately recognizable yet classic layout, presided over by the famous Lange outsize date display.

When you DO turn this A. Lange & Söhne watch over, something incredible happens. You lose all sense of the time, and forget about any nagging aggravations–that intricate three-dimensional structure of beveled German silver bridges, steel chronograph levers and jumpers pulls you in. It’s a whole other world in there amidst the golden chatons, blued steel screws, and the column wheel, whose precise advances can be admired each time you operate the chronograph sequence. As much as probably any watch out there, the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph watch epitomizes the inexplicable magic and micro-mechanical wonder of exceptional haute horlogerie.

Even legendary independent watchmaker Philippe Dufour, who’s Simplicity, Duality and Grande Sonnerie wristwatches represent the summit of hand-craftsmanship for many collectors, owns and greatly admires the Datograph—there is no higher compliment that can be paid the watch, than this!