A. Lange & Söhne - Odysseus Datomatic

Lange Odysseus. Lange Odysseus Datomatic. Lange & Söhne is unveiling today the ODYSSEUS, a completely new timepiece that lays the foundation for the sixth family of the Saxon watchmaker. A welcome addition to the A. Lange & Söhne collection, the Odysseus Ref. 363.179 has a price of Euro 28,700. The Odysseus is the first regularly produced timepiece in stainless steel of the the Saxon watchmakers in the sport luxury segment.

Twenty five years since the presentation to the world of the Lange 1 and three other timepieces (the rectangular Arkade, the Saxonia and the Tourbillon “Pour le Mérite”), A. Lange & Söhne is unveiling today a completely new timepiece that lays the foundation for the sixth family of the Saxon watchmaker.

Until today, A. Lange & Söhne had five watch families: the initial Lange 1, Saxonia and 1815 launched in 1994, the sophisticated Richard Lange introduced in 2006 and the groundbreaking Zeitwerk (2009).

With the new Odysseus, the first regularly produced timepiece in stainless steel, the Lange watchmakers developed a sporty-elegant watch equipped with a new self-winding movement with a large day-of-week and date display as well as with an integrated steel bracelet.

The Odysseus is also the first Lange watch with a a screw-down crown and a water-resistant case (up to 12 bar corresponding to approximately 120 metres / 400 feet).

When you first look at the dark-blue dial, the attention is immediately drawn to the day-of-week and date display.

The classic double-digit outsize date at 3 o'clock is visually balanced by an equally large day-of-week display at 9 o'clock, both using the typical Lange fonts. A beautiful detail that enhances the overall harmony, the outer verticals of the frames follow the curvature of the bezel.

Made of brass, the dial is developed on various levels with different surface treatments. The grained inner surfaces of the main and subsidiary dials create a nice contrast with the two outer rings, characterized by concentric lines (this technique is called azurage). A bevelled, argenté-coloured flange ring with a printed minute scale frames the dial. The number 60 at 12 o'clock is printed in red to add a proper touch of colour.

The lancet-shaped hands for hours and minutes are more prominent than in other watches of the manufactory and, just like the inner surfaces of the white-gold baton appliques, are treated with luminescent material.

The stainless-steel case, with a diameter of 40.5 mm and a height of 11.1 mm, maintains the typical A. Lange & Söhne traits while introducing some new elements, like the the sealed, tapered buttons for correcting the date and the day of week arranged at 2 and 4 o’clock or the integrated stainless-steel bracelet.

Line and volumes are highlighted by the combination of polished and satin-brushed finishes with perfectly executed chamfered edges.

The stainless-steel bracelet is very comfortable on the wrist (no arm hair pinched during our hands-on experience). Its length can be adjusted in small steps up to 7 mm thanks to its safety deployant buckle. By just pressing the pusher embossed with the Lange logo, the bracelet can be pulled or pushed to adjust the desired length without having to open the buckle.

When A. Lange & Söhne launches a new family, it always develops tailor-made movements and this is also the case of the Odysseus.

Visible through the sapphire-crystal caseback, the new L155.1 DATOMATIC manufacture calibre completely fills the case (diameter is 32.9 mm). The Datomatic name remarks the fact that the movement combines a date mechanism with automatic winding.

Highly efficient thanks to a centrifugal mass in platinum, the unidirectionally winding central rotor is sketelenised making it possible to appreciate more details of the beautiful finishes of the German silver-made movement.

Differently from most A. Lange & Söhne movement, the new calibre operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz). When fully wound, the mainspring barrel delivers a maximum power reserve of 50 hours.

The newly designed balance is regulated with four countersunk poising screws that are flush with the outside of the balance-wheel rim. This design reduces turbulence despite the higher frequency. Together with the freely oscillating balance spring made in-house, the minimised air resistance has a positive impact on the movement’s rate accuracy and energy efficiency.

The oscillation system of the Odysseus is firmly held by a manually engraved balance wheel bridge secured at two points instead of the usual balance cock.

Consisting of 99 individual parts, the date-and-day mechanism of the Calibre L155.1 DATOMATIC is powered by the hour wheel that rotates once every 12 hours. It transfers its motion to the 24-hour wheel that requires exactly one day to perform a full revolution. The day-of-week display is switched directly by the 24-hour wheel. At the same time, a program wheel controls the correct switching action of the units ring and the tens disc.

A welcome addition to the A. Lange & Söhne collection, the Odysseus Ref. 363.179 has a price of Euro 28,700. alange-soehne.com