A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon 740.056

About This Watch

The A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon is one of the most complicated wristwatches ever produced by the manufacture, combining a flyback chronograph, perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and outsize date within a single manually wound movement. The caliber L952.2 contains 729 individual components, each finished by hand to Lange's exacting standards. The tourbillon cage at 6 o'clock completes one rotation per minute, counteracting the effects of gravity on timekeeping, while the perpetual calendar accurately tracks day, date, month, moon phase, and leap year until 2100. The column-wheel chronograph mechanism adds the ability to measure elapsed time with flyback functionality. The black dial organizes these multiple complications with remarkable clarity, aided by recessed sub-dials that create visual depth. The 41.5mm platinum case provides the weight and prestige appropriate for a watch of this significance. Through the caseback, the movement is a masterclass in haute horlogerie decoration and construction. Production is extremely limited — estimated at fewer than a dozen per year — making the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon one of the rarest and most desirable watches in contemporary horology.