Every watch lover has their grails. It could be a Patek Philippe, a Rolex, an Audemars Piguet, or perhaps even a Casio. Winding back the clock about 10 years when I first got myself into this hobby, my grail was a Rolex Submariner, which is a quite common choice and from a mainstream brand which produced many highly collectable and beautiful timepieces. I had no idea what A.Lange & Sohne meant and would not have imagined lusting after one.



3 years ago, the word “Lange” came up during a casual afternoon conversation with a friend telling me how this watch from A.Lange & Sohne called Datograph was his end game watch. He said it was the ultimate piece he would need for his watch hunting journey. I had no idea what he was talking about but I thought I'd visit a local boutique to check out its watches.

I was presented with a Grand Lange 1 Moon Phase at first and I was impressed by the quality of the timepiece. It had an attractive design and the craftsmanship was impeccable. At that moment, I was already thoroughly impressed by the brand. As I was looking around the store, something else caught my attention - an extremely shiny watch with a beautiful black dial that a staff member was taking out from a shipping package ready to be picked up by a customer.



The staff was kind enough to show me the watch and explained to me that it was the Datograph and what about it made it so special. It was love at first sight and I couldn't help but research the watch for countless hours that night. I must have seen every photo or video available on the internet of the Datograph. My obsession with the watch didn't stop and luckily I was presented with the opportunity to purchase one very soon afterwards.

Whenever I pick it up now, just like the first time that I did, I can “feel” what perfection means - everything from the dial and case design to the hand finishing of the finest detail on the movement. I completely understand the statement that my friend made about this being an end game watch.



Is this my end game watch as well? Well, the heart always wants the next thing so maybe, maybe not? One thing I know for sure is that it redefined what a grail meant to me and shaped what I look for in a watch to add to my collection. I can say with pleasure that this piece will stay with me for the rest of my watch collecting journey.