A. Lange & Söhne

The Datograph was in 1999, five years after the rebirth of A. Lange & Söhne. The Datograph earned its name as an amalgamation of the words "date" and "chronograph", as it married the brands signature grand date window with flyback chronograph. Lange is perhaps best known for its high degree of movement complexity and finishing – and in this regard the Datograph was certainly a flag barer for the venerable German firm. Its caliber L951 is highly three dimensional, almost featuring towering city-like bridges, and was designed to be as beautiful and aesthetically pleasing as it is satisfying to use. The flyback chronograph features a jumping minute counter with running subsidiary seconds, and a perfectly balanced dial. The dial featured a mix of applied baton indices, and roman numerals which work incredibly well together – married with an outer tachymeter scale.

In no time at all, the first generation Datograph found no shortage of fans. In fact, master watchmaker Philippe Dufour owns the pink gold version of the Datograph and describes it as the best chronograph movement ever made. Basketball player Michael Jordan also wears the first-generation platinum Datograph with a matching bracelet. From the horology world to celebrities, the Datograph is widely enjoyed by different collectors and showcases the splendid capabilities of German watchmaking.