Incoming: My first Lange — DATOGRAPH Up/Down (and a “quick” review)

[nyc2la]

I just picked this up and I wanted to share my initial thoughts.


I’m speechless! Blown away!

Having been a staunch supporter of Patek for many years, including having owned a Platinum PCC, there is something incredibly (and more) special about this watch. Blasphemy? I think not! :)

It’s hard to describe but the Dato feels much more robust and solid than any other dress watch I’ve owned. It is German engineering at its finest. You can feel the balance of a watch that is both solid and refined on the wrist. The chrono pushers are sublime. The winding crown is tactile, smooth, and incredibly satisfying.

The Dato is a cool blend of strap and sporty. It can be worn with jeans or with a suit. It doesn’t scream “look at me” but you know it’s special when you look at it. The strap watch is not dead!

The dial is absolutely perfectly balanced. And I love the reverse panda dial!

The Big Date paired with the two white subdials with the black dial background provides such an amazing synergy.

The counter-balance weight on the chrono seconds hand is an incredible touch of craftsmanship and creativity while remaining true to the structured purpose of the watch.

And while the watch is 41mm (for some, they will say too big), the size of the dial is perfect and the prominent and perfectly proportioned bezel gives it a strength and robustness while remaining elegant and classy. It wears smaller than 41mm in my opinion. And the lug to lug affords a comfortable wear on smaller wrists. My wrist is about 7 3/8” for reference.

Everything is perfectly sized. Everything. The pushers. The crown. The lugs.

The platinum case paired with the black dial. It doesn’t get better!

The finishing is sensational, really. From the thoughtful mix of polished and brushed finishing on the case and pushers, to the recessed silvery white subdials, to the blued hands, and of course the movement - I will leave that review to the experts, but I feared not and took a loupe to it - and BRAVO! Just incredible. And the unique balance cock engraving - I plan to spend a lot of time with a loupe enjoying the craftsmanship.

The strap works perfectly with the watch. It looks like a gun metal grey color, with a blue-ish hue to it too. It’s fantastic.

I added a platinum deployant and it fits very well. It also adds a nice weight to the underside of the wrist to make the watch so well balanced to wear.

Finally, everything is so well thought out. Not one thing is an afterthought with this watch.

Here are a few pics.

If you can’t tell, I’m over the moon.