Brand Guides / A. Lange & Söhne / A. Lange & Söhne Datograph
Reviewed by the Fine Watch Guide team · October 2026
The Datograph, introduced in 1999, is Lange's flyback chronograph with an outsize date and a precisely jumping minute counter, and its movement is regularly cited as one of the finest chronographs ever made.
The Datograph is the watch that convinced many collectors Lange could build a chronograph as well as anyone. Its manually wound movement is a flyback chronograph controlled by a column wheel, with a minute counter that jumps rather than creeps. Seeing it through the caseback explains the reputation. It also explains why only experienced chronograph watchmakers should open one.
A flyback chronograph lets you reset and restart timing with a single press of the lower pusher while the chronograph is running. The Datograph adds an outsize date and a minute counter that jumps precisely at the end of each minute, which makes elapsed times easier to read.
The movement is manual-wind, built with Lange's German silver plates and visible layering of levers and springs. It's a showpiece, but it's also a working chronograph with many interacting parts.
Chronographs are among the hardest watches to service well. The column wheel, clutch, hammers and flyback works all need adjusting so the chronograph starts, stops and resets cleanly without affecting timekeeping. On a Datograph, that work happens on German silver surfaces that mark easily.
Send it to the brand or to a chronograph specialist with Lange experience. Report any symptoms clearly: a hand that doesn't reset to zero, a pusher that feels gritty, or timekeeping that changes when the chronograph runs. They're all signs the chronograph works need attention.
There are several Datograph generations and variants, including Up/Down versions with a power reserve, perpetual calendars and the Datograph Handwerkskunst editions. Confirm which reference you're buying and that the movement matches.
Test the chronograph functions under supervision: start, stop, reset and flyback. Check that the minute counter jumps cleanly and the outsize date changes properly. Then have a specialist examine the movement, since chronograph wear and careless service both leave traces.
The Datograph's flyback function invites fiddling, and it's built to be used, but a few habits help. Start, stop and reset in the normal order unless you mean to use the flyback, press the pushers fully and deliberately rather than half-pressing them, and don't operate the chronograph under water. Leaving the chronograph running for long stretches isn't harmful on a well-serviced movement, but it does draw more power from the mainspring and can affect timekeeping over the day.
Because the Datograph is manual-wind, wind it at a regular time and keep an eye on the power reserve indicator on versions that have one, such as the Datograph Up/Down. A chronograph that's allowed to run down and restart repeatedly isn't damaged, but consistent winding gives the most stable rate.
Owners are sometimes surprised by how long a Datograph spends at the brand. A chronograph of this kind has many more parts than a time-only watch, and the column wheel, hammers and jumping minute counter all need adjusting after cleaning so the functions engage at exactly the right moment. Every adjustment is made on German silver plates that can't be refinished if they're marked.
Plan for the watch to be away for several months rather than weeks, and ask for a written estimate that lists what will be replaced. A good service record from the brand is also one of the strongest selling points if you ever part with the watch.
Watch for hands that stop a fraction away from zero on reset, pushers that feel softer or grittier than they used to, a minute counter that hesitates instead of jumping, or a rate that changes noticeably when the chronograph runs. Any of these means the chronograph works need attention, and catching them early keeps the repair to an adjustment rather than replaced parts.
One that lets you reset and restart timing with a single press while it's running, instead of stopping, resetting and starting again.
In 1999.
The brand, or a chronograph specialist with Lange experience. It's a complex movement with finishing that marks easily.
It moves in one clean step at the end of each minute instead of creeping, which makes elapsed time easier to read accurately.
A. Lange & Söhne Datograph owners use A. Lange & Söhne specialists for servicing, authentication and restoration.
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