410.038, Datograph Perpetual, White Gold

At debut in 2015, this ref. 410.038 was a historic-leaning pinnacle of the Datograph collection. When A. Lange & Söhne unveiled the first Datograph Perpetual (ref. 410.025) at SIHH 2006, the intent was plain: to answer, in Saxon motif, the perpetual calendar chronograph Patek Philippe had owned since the ref. 1518. Rather than borrow Geneva's blueprint, Lange grafted a perpetual calendar onto its 1999 Datograph—the flyback chronograph Philippe Dufour famously called the finest in production. The platinum original ran from 2006 to 2011 alongside a short-lived white gold, grey-dial sibling ref. 410.030 from 2009–2011. This second generation references the rarer sibling, while meaningfully updating the model. 

The second generation arrived under Schmid: pink gold ref. 410.032 in 2010, then this ref. 410.038 at SIHH 2015—reviving the white gold and grey dial pairing that has since become a Lange signature. The updated was subtle but decisive—applied baton indices replaced the Roman numerals, the five-minute track vanished, typography slimmed considerably, the bezel gained a softer dome, and "Glashütte I/SA" now sits beneath the moonphase. The 41 mm case and 13.5 mm height carried over unchanged.

The solid silver dial is a study in compression: argenté subdials and a deep-blue moon disc (accurate to 122.6 years) float on matte grey. The left register stacks running seconds, day, and day/night indication; the right holds the jumping chronograph minutes, month, and leap year, with Lange's outsize date above. A single corrector at 10 o'clock advances every calendar display at once—disabled overnight to protect the mechanism. Behind the sapphire, the hand-wound calibre L952.1 comprises 556 parts, 233 of them in a perpetual module just 1.9 mm tall, built on Jens Schneider's single-pawl patent. German silver bridges, a hand-engraved balance cock, gold chatons, and black-polished levers frame a movement beating at 18,000 vph with 36 hours of reserve.

Lange never discloses production, but with total annual output around 5,000 watches across all references, collectors peg the 410.038 in the low hundreds — among the rarest Datograph Perpetuals. At €119,000 at launch, it remains the thinking collector's grand complication.

The Datograph Perpetual answered Switzerland’s signature complication with a Germanic confidence, unflinching in design. Its novel calendar design meant the traditional layout of Datograph was preserved, including its caseback experience. In the words of Schmid at SIHH 2015 debut, ‘There's a big misconception about being traditional. Traditional doesn't mean repeating what you did in the past. Traditional means that you have a set of values that you carry with you, while you may change your approach—and that's what we do.’

This 410.038 presents in effectively perfect overall condition. The first time it was worn was for the photography in this listing, Hairspring was responsible for removing the factory case stickers. It is running perfectly on our timing equipment, and this example comes with its full set on the original alligator strap.

This example is modelled on an average-sized 7-inch wrist.