Limited to 100 pieces and sold exclusively through Lange boutiques, the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon 740.056FE pairs a White Gold case with a dial made of solid Rose Gold, a combination A. Lange & Söhne presented at SIHH 2019. Three major complications share its movement: a flyback chronograph with a jumping minute counter, a perpetual calendar with the manufacture's outsize date, and a one-minute tourbillon equipped with Lange's patented stop-seconds mechanism. The model first appeared in 2016 in Platinum with a black dial as the most complicated member of the Datograph family, and the 2019 edition gave it a strikingly different character. Its dial is neither painted nor lacquered but made of solid gold, left with a matte, finely grained surface in its natural warm tone, and it was the first time Lange had officially offered a watch with a dial of this salmon-like colour. The White Gold case, slightly warmer in tone than Platinum, was chosen to complement it. The result is a grand complication with an unusually soft, glowing presence, one that has become a favourite among collectors of the Datograph family.
At 41.5 by 14.6 mm, the White Gold case alternates mirror-polished and brushed surfaces, with the family's squared-off chronograph pushers flanking the crown. The solid Rose Gold dial is built on two levels, with recessed subdials that give it depth. Beneath 12 o'clock, the twin apertures of the outsize date sit in their frame. To the left, seconds, weekday and a small day-and-night display share one register; to the right, the jumping chronograph minutes share theirs with the month and the four-year leap cycle. At 6 o'clock, the moon phase shows a deep blue disc against the warm gold, and an arc-shaped indicator between 9 and 10 o'clock shows how much running time remains. The outer track carries a tachymeter scale, and applied markers and rhodium-plated gold hands give the dial clear, cool accents against its Rose Gold ground, while the chronograph and subsidiary hands are blued steel. The overall effect is rich but restrained, the pale metal of the case framing the gold dial like a setting. The watch is worn on a brown alligator strap with a White Gold deployant buckle, a pairing that continues the dial's warm, understated palette.
The hand-wound movement contains 729 parts and runs for 50 hours when fully wound. Its chronograph is controlled by a column wheel and offers the flyback function and jumping minute counter that have defined the Datograph since 1999. Unlike the Datograph Perpetual, whose calendar changes gradually around midnight, this model's perpetual calendar switches instantly: the outsize date, the day and the month all jump to their next positions at once, and in months with fewer than 31 days the date moves directly to the first of the following month. The calendar recognises every month length and the leap-year cycle automatically. The one-minute tourbillon is placed on the movement side, where it can be admired through the sapphire caseback, and its patented stop-seconds mechanism halts the cage when the crown is pulled, making it possible to set this highly complicated watch to the exact second, something most tourbillons cannot offer. The movement's German silver plates and bridges, Glashütte ribbing, hand-engraved cocks, screwed gold chatons and blued screws show the full range of Lange finishing, and each movement is assembled twice before it is cased.
The Datograph appeared in 1999 as the reborn A. Lange & Söhne's first chronograph and quickly became one of its most admired watches. In 2006, the Datograph Perpetual added a perpetual calendar, and in 2016 the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon brought in a tourbillon with stop-seconds, creating the most complicated model of the family. That first version, in Platinum with a black dial, established the model's technical credentials, and the 2019 White Gold edition with its solid Rose Gold dial gave it a second, more expressive identity. In 2024, for the Datograph's twenty-fifth anniversary, Lange added a Honeygold 'Lumen' edition with a semi-transparent dial. Within this lineage, the 740.056FE occupies a distinctive place as the version that introduced a warm gold dial to the family, and it shows how the manufacture can transform the character of a grand complication through material alone. Solid gold dials in warm tones have a long tradition in complicated watchmaking, and this edition connects the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon to that tradition while remaining unmistakably contemporary.
The 740.056FE appeals to collectors who want one of the most complicated watches in the Lange catalogue in its most distinctive dress. With 100 pieces made and distribution through Lange boutiques only, it is rare, and its solid Rose Gold dial gives it a presence unlike that of any other Datograph. Its three complications offer both genuine utility and deep mechanical interest, while its 41.5 mm case keeps it wearable despite everything it contains. It will interest collectors of grand complications, admirers of the Datograph family and those who appreciate warm gold dials, which remain rare in contemporary high watchmaking. On the wrist, the combination of White Gold, Rose Gold and brown alligator creates a harmonious, sophisticated look that suits formal occasions and quieter days alike. For a collection built around Lange's greatest achievements, it offers a centrepiece of rare warmth and technical depth.
