Sports, like so many things in life, are a matter of taste and talent. One person may choose to compete in the Ironman challenge while another considers chess to be a sport. The latter is in good company because the International Olympic Committee agrees with him.

Eager to woo adherents of both viewpoints, A. Lange & Söhne advertises its new Odysseus, our test watch, as a “sporty, elegant watch for very active people.” The elite manufacture has given this new watch plenty of features that make it more robust and enlarge its field of activity. Choosing stainless steel as the material for its case already helps quite a bit because this alloy is much less susceptible to scratches than the precious metals gold and platinum, which Lange has used exclusively in its watches. And unlike Lange’s typical crocodile-skin straps, this model’s stainless-steel bracelet doesn’t mind a dip in a lake. Furthermore, wearing this watch while enjoying activities that raise a sweat doesn’t mean you’ll have to pay €290 plus VAT (around $375 total) to replace a stained but otherwise high-quality leather strap.

A Supple Stainless-steel Bracelet with a Sophisticated Clasp
High temperatures or physical exertion can also cause your wrist to swell slightly, but that’s not a problem for Lange’s Odysseus thanks to the clever adjustment system in its clasp. The circular logo on the buckle can be pressed down, thereby lengthening the strap in fine increments to add a maximum of 7 mm. Simply push the strap back into the buckle to shorten it. This practical mechanism works very well and we used it more often than we’d initially expected.

Alongside stainless steel as the material for the case and bracelet, the case’s increased resistance to pressure qualifies this watch to participate in a wider range of activities. The Odysseus is the first Lange watch that can withstand pressure of 12 bar, which corresponds to water pressure at a depth of 120 meters. Strictly speaking, the pressure resistance to a depth of 30 meters that Lange typically provides isn’t even suitable for a shower or a swimming pool. Thanks to its screw-down crown, the Odysseus can easily survive a dive from the deck of a sailboat. A sporty watch should be easy to read, both in the light and in the dark. The Odysseus meets this requirement with luminous material on its hour hand, its minutes hand and its large indexes; only the small seconds hand remains dark.

With all of these new features, is the Odysseus still recognizable as a Lange watch? There’s no cause for concern here because the manufacture has retained important characteristic features. This applies to the lance-shaped hands and to the seconds hand with its skeletonized counterweight, to the typeface used for the calibrated scales and, to a certain extent, to the case, for example, the shape of the lugs and the polished bezel. Of course, Lange’s big date display also contributes to recognizability. The large width of the bracelet at the lugs and the comparatively delicate hand for the small seconds admittedly take some getting used to, but all in all, Lange has adroitly combined new and old design features.

The Blue Dial — a Work of Art in Itself
The dial is a work of art: both the wreath of hour indexes and the subdial for the seconds are grooved, while the inner part of both the main dial and the subdial have rough surfaces. The bar-shaped hour indexes are made of white gold and each one not only slopes downward toward the center of the dial, but also has an M-shaped cross section and is filled with luminous material along its midline. The satin-finished minutes scale runs along the flange — a practical solution, and a somewhat unusual one for Lange. The red numeral 60 on the flange adds a dash of sportiness and also recalls the red numeral 12 that Lange used on rare anniversary models with enamel dials.

Also new, the day of the week appears in a window positioned directly opposite the double aperture for the big date. Like the dial, the disks for these two displays are blue — a small but important detail that’s all too often ignored. And when it’s overlooked, the mismatched color scheme detracts from the harmony of the design. In addition, the typeface chosen for the displays is the same one that spells out the brand’s name on the dial.

Lange not only developed the mechanism for the day-of-the-week display; it also redesigned the mechanism for the big date because the latter is now located near the edge of the dial, instead of closer to the middle as before. To achieve the largest possible display area, the big date indicator puts the digits into a ones ring and a 10s disk instead of in the previous cross shape. Furthermore, the ones ring is now larger and runs around the periphery of the movement, so it’s marked with the digits 0 to 9 twice.

The mechanism for the day of the week and the big date is propelled by the hour wheel, which completes one full circle every 12 hours. Its motion is transmitted to the 24-hour wheel, which requires one full day to finish each 360° rotation. The 24-hour wheel directly advances the day-of-the-week indicator. At the same time, it also propels a program wheel that guides the proper progress of the ones ring and the 10s disk. The program wheel powers the gear train of the ones ring so that it advances by one increment per day. An exception occurs when the 31st day of an expiring month transitions into the first day of a new month, in which case a missing tooth in the program wheel assures that the gear shift is skipped once. The program wheel also propels the gear train of the 10s disk every 10 days. Only when changing from the 3 to the empty field does switching take place after two days rather than 10. To correct the date, Lange has integrated two pushers into a component that’s likely to be mistaken for a crown protector: the upper pusher advances the date and the lower one resets the day of the week by one day. These pushers, disguised as crown protectors, are easy to operate and each has a precise pressure point. It’s extremely unlikely that they would be triggered unintentionally. The special design also makes it possible to switch both indicators forward or backward by turning the crown clockwise or counterclockwise beyond the midnight position. The mechanism cannot be damaged by incorrect use. In total, the calendar system consists of 99 components.

A New Movement, from Automatic Winding to The Balance
Lange didn’t merely redesign the calendar function; the entire movement was engineered specially for the Odysseus by the Glashütte-based company. Caliber L155.1 Datomatic with unidirectional winding rotor builds up a 50-hour power reserve. With a diameter of 32.9 mm, it’s the right size for this watch and, in addition to automatic winding, it offers other features that are appropriate for a sports watch movement. For example, it’s the first Lange caliber with a balance paced at the speedy frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Thanks to this faster pace, shocks and vibrations exert less of an effect on the accuracy of the movement. To minimize air turbulence at this higher frequency, the engineers designed a smooth balance wheel with four countersunk regulating screws rather than relying on a classic screw balance or a balance with regulating weights on top of its wheel.

Lange also designed the bearing of the balance wheel for optimum robustness. Instead of a cock, which is borne on only one side, the balance of the Datomatic is supported by a bridge, which is screwed on both sides. Lange’s typical swan’s neck fine adjustment for the beat has been replaced by a similar construction in which a vertical eccentric screw replaces the horizontal one.

When it comes to embellishments, Lange has upheld its time-honored practices. The balance’s bridge is manually engraved with floral motifs, its edges are beveled and polished, and its screws are blued. There’s a three-quarter plate and at least one bearing jewel in a screwed gold setting, which accepts the pivot of the escape-wheel’s shaft and thus defines the heart of the watch in a very traditional way. Only the striped pattern has slightly wider stripes than usual. Every detail embodies horological artistry at the highest level, just as one would expect to encounter in a Lange timepiece.

A Genuine Lange Watch with an Expanded Field Of Application
The rate values are equally impressive. The Odysseus that we tested gained only 1 second per day on the wrist. Our timing machine reconfirmed the accurate timekeeping and calculated an average daily deviation of +1.1 seconds with a fully wound mainspring. The amplitude and thus also the accuracy decrease significantly after 24 hours, but this is less relevant for an automatic watch. What is important, however, is the wearing comfort. When it comes to metal bracelets, you sometimes have to make compromises, but Lange’s new bracelet lies very smoothly on the wrist and doesn’t pinch any hair. In addition to the quick adjustment mechanism mentioned earlier, the bracelet can also be shortened easily. Two recessed pushers on the back and toward the outside of each link can be pressed to remove individual links.

Lange modified the design of the bracelet and the clasp. The ingenious extension system in the buckle and the construction of the bracelet were developed by IWC for its Pilot’s chronographs. (Lange and IWC are both part of the Richemont Group.) The workmanship is perfect throughout the watch, with the sole exception of milling marks that weren’t polished off on the inner sides of the clasp’s hinges. Beveled and polished edges are a distinguishing feature of high-quality watches. Lange accordingly bevels and polishes the edges of parts in the watch’s movement, case and bracelet. These shiny planes contrast beautifully with satin-finished surfaces and add a distinctive sporty touch to the five rows of links that comprise the stainless-steel bracelet.

The Odysseus is therefore a genuine Lange watch — and readily recognizable as such —thanks to the movement’s technology and the typically high quality of the workmanship and embellishments. Furthermore, the manufacture from Glashütte has significantly expanded the range of applications for its watches with this first serially produced model in stainless steel, which offers a case made from a robust mater-ial and with greater pressure resistance, in combination with an excellent metal bracelet equipped with a quick-adjustment mechanism. These features are well worthwhile — not only on a sailing trip, but also on a summer day beside an invitingly cool lake.

SPECS:
Manufacturer: A. Lange Uhren GmbH, Ferdinand-Adolph-Lange-Platz 1, 01768, Glashütte, Germany
Reference number: 363.179
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, big date, day of the week
Movement: In-house Caliber L155.1, automatic, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels, Lange hairspring, Glucydur balance, Kif shock absorption, fine adjustment via four regulating screws, the beat can be finely adjusted via an eccentric and a swan’s neck spring, 50-hour power reserve, diameter = 32.9 mm, height = 6.20 mm
Case: Stainless steel, sapphire crystals rated 9 on the Mohs scale above the dial and in the back, water resistant to 120 meters
Bracelet­­­­ and cla­­sp: Stainless steel, secured deployant buckle with integrated mechanism to finely adjust the bracelet’s length
Rate results (Deviation in seconds per 24 hours, fully wound/after 24 hours):
On the wrist +1.1
Dial up +0.4 / +2.2
Dial down +3.3 / +3.4
Crown up -1.3 / -6.8
Crown down +2.5 / -4.0
Crown left +0.4 / -6.3
Greatest deviation 4.6 / 10.2
Average deviation +1.1 / -2.3
Average amplitude:
Flat positions 278° / 238°
Hanging positions 245° / 196°
Dimensions: Diameter = 40.5 mm, height = 11.1 mm, weight = 146.0 g
Price: $28,800

For a close look at the newest version of the Odysseus, in white gold with an integrated, sporty rubber strap, click here.

PATEK PHILIPPE PERPETUAL CALENDAR REF. 5940

Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5940

Patek Philippe’s cushion-shaped Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5940 is now also available with a rose-gold case. It is powered by Patek’s ultra-thin Caliber 240 Q with micro-rotor. The case measures 37 mm by 44.6 mm. The Ref. 5940R-001 is available for $87,320.

HERMÈS SLIM D’HERMÈS QUANTIÈME PERPÉTUEL

Hermes Slim d’Hermes Quantième Perpétuel

In January 2017, Hermès unveiled a new version of the Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel with platinum case and blue dial. The watch is powered by in-house Caliber H1950, an ultra-thin mechanical movement with micro-rotor. The Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel in platinum is available for $39,900.

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

During SIHH 2017, Audemars Piguet unveiled the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with black ceramic case and bracelet. The 41-mm-large case houses the self-winding Caliber 5134. The price for the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in full ceramic is $93,900. For more on the watch and its movement, click here.

FREDERIQUE CONSTANT MANUFACTURE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Frederique Constant Manufacture Perpetual Calendar

in 2016, Frederique Constant unveiled to the world the Manufacture Perpetual Calendar with a full, in-house-developed perpetual calendar, priced under $10,000. it is available in either a stainless-steel or rose-gold-plated case, priced at $8,795 and $8,995. We cover the Frederique Constant Manufacture Perpetual Calendar in detail here.

A. LANGE & SÖHNE POUR LE MÉRITE

A Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour Le Mérite”

The hand-wound Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite” in platinum is A. Lange & Söhne’s most complex watch with the attribute “Pour le Mérite.” The in-house movement combines five grand complications: perpetual calendar, chronograph, rattrapante function, fusée-and-chain transmission and tourbillon. The 43-mm-large Tourbograph Perpetual (we cover it in depth here) comes in a limited edition of 50 pieces, priced at 480,000 euros.

GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL SENATOR EXCELLENCE PERPETUAL CALENDAR

Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar in gold and steel

The Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Perpetual Calendar is based on the brand’s in-house automatic base movement, Caliber 36, and offers a 100-hour power reserve. The 42-mm watch sells for $22,000 in steel and $35,100 in rose gold. Click here for our full report on the watch from Baselworld 2017.

Rattrapante chronographs, also referred to as split-seconds chronographs, are a type of chronograph with two seconds hands that allow for the ability to time multiple simultaneous events, such as runners during a race. It can also time a series of events, such as the laps a single person makes on a track. One of the hands, the so-called “rattrapante” hand, sits either directly on top of or underneath the main chronograph hand. The rattrapante hand is started and returns to zero simultaneously with the main chronograph hand. A special push-piece and an additional mechanism make it possible for the rattrapante hand to be repeatedly stopped (so that split times can be read) and then instantly brought in to renewed synchrony with the main chronograph hand by flying back to catch up with it. (“Rattrapanter” is French for “to catch again” or “to take again.”) All this occurs without affecting the motion of the main chronograph hand. Over the past few years, we’ve seen the split-second chronograph trending upward as more and more brands of all sizes add the complication to their arsenal. Here’s a selection of some noteworthy rattrapante chronographs on the market today.

F.P. Journe Chronograph Monopoussoir Rattrapante

F.P. Journe Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante

At SIHH 2018, F.P. Journe debuted the Chronograph Monopoussoir Rattrapante. You may remember F.P. Journe’s contribution to the Only Watch auction back in November 2017, which was constructed from titanium and sold for CHF 1.15 million (an auction record for an F.P. Journe timepiece). That was the inspiration for this release, with the biggest difference coming from the addition of a big date complication. The watch introduced manual-winding Caliber 1518, a monopusher split-second chronograph movement with a hearty 80-hour power reserve and direct gearing with a rocking pinion to avoid the jumping of the hand when starting the chronograph function. The watches differ from each other thanks to their colorful dials and case materials. Price: CHF 58,000 in titanium; CHF 78,000 in platinum.

IWC Portugieser Rattrapante Chronograph

IWC Portugieser Rattrapante Chronograph “Boutique Geneva”

In 2017, IWC released a series of limited-edition Portugieser Rattrapante Chronographs to be sold exclusively at a selection of its boutique locations around the world. These locations included Geneva, Munich, Paris, Milan and Toronto/Vancouver, with each watch featuring a specific aesthetic to appeal to its targeted audience. Our favorite of these models during their initial release was the “Boutique Genève” edition (Ref. IW371221) that was limited to 50 total pieces and included an engraving of the title of Geneva’s 1602 anthem, Cé qu’è lainô, on its caseback. IWC introduced its first rattrapante chronograph to the Portugieser collection in 1995 when Richard Habring developed a split-seconds module for the iconic Valjoux 7750 movement. It uses a push-button at 10 o’clock to control the movement of the upper hand, while the lower hand is managed by the pusher at 2 o’clock. More recently, IWC released the Pilot’s Watch Double Chronograph Ceratanium in the lead-up to SIHH 2019.

Breitling Navitimer B03 Rattrapante Chronograph

Breitling Navitimer 1 B03 Rattrapante-45 Boutique Edition

Breitling introduced its Navitimer 1 B03 Rattrapante 45, outfitted with the brand’s first in-house split-seconds chronograph movement, in 2017. At 2018’s Breitling Summit in London, the brand unveiled a new limited version with a “Stratos Gray” dial, available for sale exclusively at the brand’s 70 boutiques worldwide. The timepiece’s boldly proportioned, 45-mm case is made of stainless steel and is outfitted with a convex, double-nonreflective-coated sapphire crystal over the dial. The three dark gray-toned subdials (30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, 12-hour chronograph counter at 6 o’clock, and small seconds at 9 o’clock) pop against the sleek background of the main dial. The split-seconds pusher is embedded in the 3 o’clock crown. Caliber B03’s modular architecture is built upon the base Caliber B01, Breitling’s first manufacture movement, which is equipped with automatic winding, date indication, an integrated 1/4- second chronograph function, and a 70-hour power reserve. The split-seconds module added to this high-performance horological engine is comprised of only 28 parts, and is fitted between the mainplate and calendar mechanism. Limited to just 250 pieces, the Navitimer 1 B03 Rattrapante 45 Boutique Edition in Stratos Gray is priced at $12,000.

Patek Philippe Ref. 5372P Grand Complication

Patek Philippe Ref. 5372P Grand Complication

The Patek Philippe Ref. 5372P Grand Complication in platinum was an evolutive release for the legendary independent watchmaking firm when it was announced in 2017. It represented the next phase of the brand’s iconic range of split-seconds chronographs, last updated in 2012 with the contemporary classic Ref. 5204. The 5372P maintains the complementary perpetual calendar functionality, while heightening the complexity of the rattrapante mechanism by making it into a monopusher. The layout of the dial is transformed as well with the chronograph counters at 3 and 9 o’clock flanked by apertures showing the month and day of week, respectively. The date wheel is placed in a subdial at 6 o’clock while the moon-phase has been relocated to 12 o’clock. Small windows on both sides of the date wheel indicate leap year and day/night. The diameter shrinks slightly as well, now coming in at 38.2 mm compared to 40.2 mm for the Ref. 5204. The dial comes in either blue sunburst with gold applied numerals or in vertically satin-finished rose gold. Price upon request.

A. Lange & Söhne Triple Split

A. Lange & Sohne Triple Split

As it often does, A. Lange & Söhne delivered one of SIHH 2018’s most-discussed novelties with the release of the Triple Split, the world’s first mechanical split-seconds chronograph that can perform multi-hour comparative time measurements. The watch’s ability to measure both additive and comparative times up to an astounding 12 hours is achieved by additional rattrapante hands on both the minutes and hours-totalizing subdials. In its switched-off mode, the chronograph’s hand pairs – sweep seconds, minute- and hour-counter hands – are superposed. When the chronograph is activated via its pusher, all these hands start running simultaneously until the rattrapante pusher (on the opposite side of the case) is pressed to freeze intermediate time measurements. Limited to 100 pieces and housed in an 18k white-gold case, the Triple Split is also equipped with a flyback function, one that uses all three hand pairs. Price: approximately $147,000.

Watches have become noticeably more colorful during the past decade. As recently as 2010, luxury watches were still mainly an achromatic affair — with white or black dials and silvery steel cases, at most there was a singular red hand. But this situation soon changed. Colorful dials and bracelets became more frequent, and materials like rubber invited designers to play with color. In the second half of the decade, watches at first became blue, and later, more and more models appeared in green. Both trends continue to this day. But in 2021, a completely different hue moved into the limelight: gray.

The surprising thing is that none of these gray watches looks gray — at least, not in the sense that people often associate with gray — drab, boring or inconspicuous. These watches are different. They stride onto a watch stage that is much more colorful and diverse than ever before. Today, any color is conceivable, even for a luxury watch, both in terms of technical feasibility and public acceptance. A watch that’s gray could just as easily be green, blue or red. Against this background, the conscious decision in favor of gray becomes a statement, and the effect is totally different than it would have been in 2010.

At the same time, gray is the antithesis to the world of colorful diversity. It invites its viewer to rest, pause and take a breather. Gray has another fascinating quality: it’s not one-dimensional because not all grays are the same. On the one hand, this is due to the proportions of white and black, which make the gray look darker or lighter. On the other hand, some gray tones look almost colorful because they change to green, blue or brown, depending on the lighting.

A version of this article appears in the WatchTime Special Design Issue 2022, on sale now.

Lime Gold (Montblanc)
Montblanc relies on its own gold color, which has a green shimmer and is therefore named “Lime Gold.” It debuted this year in the 1858 Split Second Chronograph, which comes with green numerals and hands and a green nubuck alligator leather strap to match the case. The color combination goes well with the retro look of this 44-mm split-seconds chronograph. 44 mm, Caliber MB M 16.31, manual winding, limited to 18 pieces, $50,000.

Sedna Gold (Blancpain)
Described as an extra-durable alloy of gold, copper, and palladium (rather than silver), Sedna gold is proprietary to the Swatch Group, Blancpain’s parent company, and familiar to fans of another brand within the group, Omega, which has been using it on several models, including the Seamaster Diver 300M, since 2013. In 2020, Blancpain combined the patented material for the 43-mm case and bezel of the Bathyscaphe, adding a deep blue dial. 43 mm, Caliber 1315, automatic winding, $25,200.

Honeygold (A. Lange & Söhne)
A. Lange & Söhne has released limited edition models in “Honeygold” at varied intervals since 2010. Lange registered this official name as a trademark. Lange’s most recent model in Honeygold is the 1815 Thin Honeygold “Homage to F. A. Lange,” which was introduced with its two-part white enamel dial in 2020. According to Lange, the association with honey came from the warm luster of the alloy, which is also harder than conventional gold alloys. The material derives its properties from a special heat treatment as well as from the alloy’s components, about which the brand provides no information. 38 mm, Caliber L093.1, manual winding, limited to 175 pieces, $34,400.

Eon Gold (Roger Dubuis)
Roger Dubuis developed its own alloy for its movements in rose gold to provide them with resistance against tarnishing. Called “Eon Gold,” the blend also withstands saltwater. It will be used by the Geneva-based manufacture for all its new watches with rose-gold cases beginning in 2021. The new double tourbillon even features a case and bezel made of Eon Gold, which is 45 percent harder than conventional rose gold and therefore more resistant to wear and scratches. 45 mm, water resistant to 100 meters, hallmark of Geneva, limited to 8 pieces, $287,500.

Everose Gold (Rolex)
Rolex is different in many ways. One of them is that the brand gives many of its technologies their own name, thereby making them a brand as well. This also applies to the rose-gold alloy called “Everose,” which Rolex developed itself and produces in its own gold foundry. As the “Ever” implies, Everose Gold retains its color unchanged for a particularly long time. With the new Datejust 36, stainless-steel Oystersteel and Everose gold are combined to create a handsome bicolor design, which has its own name at Rolex: Rolesor. 36 mm, Caliber 3235, automatic, $11,250.

Magic Gold (Hublot)
Even if some gold alloys are harder than others, gold is inherently soft and can never be really scratch resistant — unless the alloy consists of 25 percent ceramic. Hublot has patented this combination, which requires a unique manufacturing method, as “Magic Gold.” This gives a nearly invulnerable surface to watches like the Big Bang MP-11 Magic Gold. Although the surface is polished, the material has a matte, high-tech look that differs noticeably from the appearance of purely metal-based gold alloys. 45 mm, Caliber HUB9011, manual winding, limited to 50 pieces, $89,500.

This article originally appeared in the WatchTime Special Design Issue 2022, on sale now.