The A Lange & Söhne watchmakers continue to break new ground, especially with their newest release – ODYSSEUS CHRONOGRAPH, the brand’s first self-winding chronograph.
Four years ago, with ODYSSEUS, the A Lange & Söhne watchmakers launched their first sporty-elegant timepiece, showcasing a unique design and a customised, exquisitely finished movement. The ODYSSEUS CHRONOGRAPH, while powered by a brand-new automatic movement that incorporates a novel and fanciful reset feature, the watch retains the same ODYSSEUS styling.
With this watch, they ventured into uncharted territory in several respects. One of them was the development of an individual movement, customised for novel applications ‒ the L155.1 DATOMATIC calibre.
Secondly, they struck a new and distinctive path when it came to designing ODYSSEUS: its contemporary appearance is based on openness, lightness and prominent features. Its narrow bezel allowed for a comparatively large dial. Together with the lancet-shaped hands and the typical Lange displays for the date and day of the week, it assures excellent legibility.
THE CHALLENGE OF A MANUFACTURE MOVEMENT
To this day, designing and building a chronograph calibre is considered to be one of the greatest challenges in precision watchmaking. Only a few manufacturers possess the knowledge and ability to develop and craft a similarly complex movement. With a total of 13 manufacture movements, chronographs have been among the most coveted A Lange & Söhne models since 1999.
To retain the characteristic dial design of the ODYSSEUS, the manufactory developed a customised movement that positions both chronograph hands in the centre, the minute counter with a lozenge-shaped tip as well as the red chrono seconds hand. As a consequence, the totalisers, which are conventionally arranged at 3 and 9 o’clock, could be dispensed with, and the style-defining positions of the outsize date and day of the week could be maintained.
DUAL-FUNCTION BUTTON
To ensure the chronograph’s safe and easy operation, the Lange product developers equipped the specially sealed, tapered buttons with a novel dual function. In the normal position of the screw-down crown, the buttons at 2 and 4 o’clock are used to operate the chronograph functions: start, stop and reset to zero. When the crown is pulled, the date and day of the week can be corrected with a newly developed mechanism.
DISTINCTIVE DESIGN
A distinctive design, the ODYSSEUS CHRONOGRAPH takes centre stage in a three-part stainless steel case with a diameter of 42.5 millimetres that withstands a test pressure of 12 bar and is robust enough to accompany its wearer even during sports and leisure activities.
The chronograph, which is limited to 100 watches, is equipped with a dial whose special architecture creates an illusion of depth ‒ a feature shared by the previous ODYSSEUS models.
The inner surface of the black main dial boasts a textured surface, the notched baton appliques made of white gold and the subsidiary seconds scale are underlaid with concentric circles. A palladium-coloured flange ring with a printed two-part minute scale frames the dial.
PATH TO PERFECTION
The L156.1 DATOMATIC calibre ‒ the manufactory’s first self-winding chronograph movement ‒ powers the ODYSSEUS CHRONOGRAPH.
Many unique, traditional elements are incorporated, for example, bridges and plates made of untreated German silver, the hand-engraved balance bridge or the gold chatons secured by blued screws. Additionally, all components, even those that are no longer visible once the movement is fully assembled, are, for the greater part, elaborately finished by hand. This can be admired through the sapphire-crystal case back.
“The ODYSSEUS CHRONOGRAPH symbolises the pioneering spirit of the manufactory, to explore previously undiscovered fields, to overcome obstacles and to implement innovative technical solutions,” says Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid. “Inventiveness and creativity, two A Lange & Söhne key areas of expertise, will continue to break the mould in traditional precision watchmaking.”
