SPORT, BUT DIFFERENTLY
Wowing is an art. An exercise that the Saxony-based manufacture has accomplished hands down with this brand new automatic chronograph model boasting a one-of-a-kind measured-time display.
Drawing on its expertise in imagining chronographs, A. Lange & Söhne has rolled out some 13 hand-wound movements since 1999 and, once again, manages to astonish collectors of its timepieces and lovers of fine watchmaking. With its Odysseus Chronograph showcased during Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023, the German brand intended to shake up measured short-cycle time displays. And, to embody this goal, the pared-down dial id devoid of counters for totalizing the minutes! Two tapered central hands, one red, the other white, replace these counters by hovering over a flange adorned with two separate scales.
This duo is powered by the never-seen-before automatic L 156.1 Datomatic® caliber (50 hours of power reserve). The pushers perfectly integrated into the 42.5 mm-diameter steel case middle are endowed with two functions. When the crown’s screwed down, they’re used for traditional chronograph actions. If the crown’s pulled out, they let the wearer set the day and the oversized date. Yet, this isn’t the only artfulness of this piece. What if the time measured is less than 30 minutes? Well, the duo returns to its initial position anticlockwise when resetting to zero. Otherwise, the pair rotates classically. And, no matter what, the seconds hand performs a surprising choreography, circling the dial as many times as the minutes elapsed. Undeniably awe-inspiring.
