This Lange 403.031 affectionately called the Duforgraph is an extremely rare and historically important model. The current example is in mint condition with box and a certificate of authenticity from A. Lange & Söhne.
In 1999, A. Lange & Söhne introduced the Datograph, powered by the caliber L951.1. The movement challenged the status quo that had been in place for decades, where high-end manufactures such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet used movements provided by external suppliers. The newly developed caliber combined impressive mechanics with a remarkable aesthetic construction.
The Datograph name is an amalgamation of the words Date and Chronograph, indicating the two key complications of the model. The ref. 403.031 only represents about 10% of all first series Datograph production.
First released in 2003, this rose-gold Ref. 403.031 is also nicknamed the “Dufourgraph”, was produced in extremely small numbers over a few years. The name is a playful salute to the watchmaker who wears it. Dufour first saw the piece at the Basel Fair, where he was so impressed by the Datograph that it became the first ever new watch that Dufour bought himself. Commenting on the quality of the movement, he said,
“Take ten movements out of the current range of any contemporary brand, put them next to a Lange movement, and comment honestly on what you see. That is the best way to judge — by examining the truth.”
The movement finishing on this watch, which involves heavily traditional techniques, has also received high praise from Dufour, who is widely considered to be one of the best finishers in the industry.
This watch was serviced by Lange in 2019. It comes with box, certificate of authenticity from A. Lange & Söhne, and service papers.
