Our first live auction of the fall 2023 season, the PHILLIPS Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII, takes place on November 3 and 4, at La Réserve Genève. The auction includes more than 180 of the world's finest watches – and though we are loath to boast, we truly think it's one of the best catalogs we've ever put together. We'll be highlighting a number of the most interesting lots and stories featured in the sale over the next month, including the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph "Pisa" edition featured below.
– By Logan Baker
Germany’s premier watchmaker, A. Lange & Söhne, was reborn in the early 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Industry executive Gunter Blümlein partnered with descendant Walter Lange and the German watchmaking historian Reinhard Meis to bring the company back to life.
Although those three individuals are of tremendous importance in understanding the modern A. Lange & Söhne identity, there were others outside that helped develop the brand in its early years. One authorized retailer that played a significant role in establishing A. Lange & Söhne outside its home country was the legendary Milanese boutique, Pisa Orologeria.
Founded in 1940, Pisa Orologeria was one of the most trusted and well-known retailers in the Italian market throughout the entire late 20th century until today. The business is now in its fourth generation of family leadership, but in the 1990s, it was run by Fabio Bertini, the nephew of the original founder. Bertini had a strong professional relationship with Blümlein, which began around the latter’s leadership of IWC Schaffhausen and Jaeger-LeCoultre. In fact, Bertini was the man that eventually convinced Blümlein to create the first A. Lange & Söhne watches in stainless steel, a series of 20-plus Lange 1 examples (with either silver or black dials) produced under the ref. 101.026, starting in 1998.
Pisa has maintained a close relationship with A. Lange & Söhne ever since, and still today, despite the German watchmaker’s focus on building its own brand boutique network, you can still walk into Pisa Orologeria and look at (or buy) an A. Lange & Söhne if you happen to find yourself in Milan.
The A. Lange & Söhne and Pisa Orologeria partnership resulted in more than just the stainless steel Lange 1 series. Exactly 10 years after the German company presented its first new watches of the modern era, in 2004, Lange agreed to produce a small series of 10 Datograph examples exclusively for Pisa’s clients.
The so-called Datograph "Pisa" ref. 403.025X – also known as the “Albino” Datograph – had a platinum case with a rhodium-plated silver dial with matching sub-dials. It’s the only Datographs executed in a tone-on-tone dial and case combination, compared to the standard series offered in either a platinum case with a black dial or an 18k pink gold case with a black or silver dial.
Although it wasn’t uncommon for A. Lange & Söhne to produce unique configurations for its various retailers at the time, the Datograph "Pisa" still stands out the Datograph has ever been produced in a limited-edition series in its history. The caseback of the Pisa edition models are even engraved with their specific number (X/10).
The Datograph was officially launched five years before the introduction of the Pisa edition, in 1999, and it famously helped kickstart an industry-wide emphasis on the production of in-house chronograph movements. The first generation of the Datograph ran until 2012, when it was replaced by the Datograph Up/Down, and production can be split between dials with tachymeter scales using either the singular or plural form of meters.
Datograph examples produced between 1999 and approximately 2005/06 used the singular form “BASE 1000 METER,” while those produced after used the plural, “BASE 1000 METERS.” As the Datograph Pisa series was entirely produced in 2004, every example should use the singular form on the tachymeter scale. It’s understood that the case numbers for the Pisa series should run between 148'201 and 148'210.
Although the Datograph Pisa models have been well-known and discussed publicly for years, none of the 10 examples have appeared at auction until earlier this year. Number four in the series (148'204) sold during the Geneva Watch Auction: XVII, in May 2023, for CHF 228,600. And now, Phillips has the pleasure of offering number three in the series (148'203) during the Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII, in November 2023, where it carries an estimate of CHF 100,000 to 200,000.
It also has a single unique identifying feature that the remaining nine Pisa Datographs do not have, a matching rhodium-plated central chronograph seconds hand that increases the watch’s monochromatic nature, compared to the heat-blued seconds hand found on the rest of the series. The watch comes with its full set of original accessories, including an additional solid caseback.
You can learn more about and register to bid on the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph "Pisa" edition by visiting the online catalog for PHILLIPS Geneva Watch Auction: XVII.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
About Logan Baker
Logan has spent the past decade working in watch-focused media, reporting on every aspect of the industry. He joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo at the start of 2023 as the department's Senior Editorial Manager. He splits his time between New York and Geneva.
Recommended Reading
The Stainless Steel Lange 1: Not For Sale, Until Now
Why Every Collector Needs An A. Lange & Söhne
Early ‘MIG’ Dials And The Original A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1