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Jan 10, 2024

A. Lange & Söhne Unveils Odysseus Chronograph at Watches and Wonders

With the Odysseus Chronograph introduced at this year’s Watches and Wonders,

With the Odysseus Chronograph introduced at this year's Watches and Wonders, A. Lange & Söhne opens a new chapter in the history of its youngest watch family that premiered in 2019. Combining sporty elegance with sophisticated haute-horlogerie elements, it was the first of the Glashütte-based manufactory's regularly produced stainless steel watches. It offers water resistance to a test pressure of 12 bar and features a large day-of-the week display that complements the signature big date, a hallmark of contemporary A. Lange & Söhne design.

The Odysseus Chronograph is the 5th member of the product family. As to be expected from this tradition brand which is famous for its top-notch chronograph watches, it comes with a newly developed and bespoke movement that offers an innovative approach to precise measurement. Presented in stainless steel, it is powered by the caliber L156.1 DATOMATIC, which is the 71th genuine movement from A. Lange & Söhne and its first self-winding chronograph movement. With a central pair of chronograph hands and an extended measuring range of 60 minutes, it beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 hertz) and offers a power reserve of 50 hours when fully wound.

The most surprising feature is its new mechanism for setting the chronograph hands to zero: while the minute chronograph hand jumps back to its starting position in the conventional way, the red chronograph seconds hand covers the entire distance travelled beforehand within a fraction of a second ‒ one full revolution for each measured minute. If the minute counter has not reached the 30-minute mark yet, the two hands move anti-clockwise. If the minute counter has passed the 30-minute mark, both hands will advance to zero clockwise. At high speed, the chrono seconds hand performs a full revolution for every minute required to reach the full hour.

The two wedge-shaped pushers on the flange of the 42.5mm steel case are also equipped with a new type of dual function – in the screwed crown's normal position, both pushers at 2 and 4 o’clock are used to control the chronograph functions: start, stop and zero-reset. With the crown pulled out to the first position, the date and day of the week can be corrected using a newly-developed mechanism.

It goes without saying that the sapphire case back reveals a magnificent, mostly hand-finished, movement and an unobstructed display of refined Lange decorations. A skeletonized and partially black rhodium-plated central rotor with a 950 platinum oscillating weight ensures effective winding performance of the double-assembled movement. The bridges and plates are made of natural German silver, and the hand-engraved balance bridge is adorned with a wavy pattern as a nod to the water resistance.

Pricing for the A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus Chronograph, which is limited to 100 pieces due to its technical complexity, was not yet specified at the time of publication.

To learn more, visit A. Lange & Söhne, here.

Tags: A. Lange & Söhne, A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus, Chronographs, Limited Edition Watches, luxury sports watch, manufacture caliber, Stainless steel watches, Watches and Wonders 2023, Watches from Germany, Watches from Glashütte