The World’s Greatest Digital Watch Just Got a Classy Update

Sometimes a material change is all that’s needed to transform a watch.

a closeup of an a lange and sohne digital watch

Published 13 hours ago

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When most people think of digital watches, their minds turn to cheap Casios and their LCD screens. But digital watches don’t have to feature electronic displays, nor do they need to be quartz-powered.

By definition, a digital watch is simply a watch that displays its time using numerical digits rather than a handset. And the King of Digital Watches, at least in my opinion, has to be the Zeitwerk from A. Lange & Söhne.

Available in time-only, date and chiming formats, the Zeitwerk family of watches are renowned for their innovative display that uses a series of discs to show the hours and minutes in digital format on either side of the dial; hours on the left, minutes on the right. It’s both distinctive and highly legible, and the mechanics involved to make it work are seriously impressive.

an a lange and sohne watch on a mans wrist — Debuting in 2019, the Zeitwerk Date has until now only been available in this white gold/gray dial configuration.

Today, Lange has added a new model to the line with the Zeitwerk Date Pink Gold. And although the only thing new about the watch is its case material, it’s still such an impressive timepiece that it’s worth discussing — especially since it looks better than ever.

Pink Söhne Club

an a lange and sohne watch — The Zeitwerk Date, now in pink gold.

The Zeitwerk Date was introduced in 2019, a decade after the original Zeitwerk. It debuted a thinner, more advanced movement that also added a date complication to the model.

Previously, the Zeitwerk Date was only available in white gold with a gray dial. The new version keeps the gray dial but swaps out the case for pink gold, while matching the dial’s hands to the case. While the original Zeitwerk Date was monochromatic, the new pink gold version offers more contrast and — for me, at least — more visual interest.

Everything else on the watch remains the same as before, and it remains as cool as ever.

The watch’s date is displayed on a stationary printed glass ring around the dial that’s labeled 1—31. Underneath the ring is a separate rotating ring with a small section in red that’s just large enough to fill in a single date. Each night, at exactly midnight, the ring advances one step, highlighting the new date in red.

The satisfying instant jumping action of the date is matched by the discs that display the hours and minutes, which also change instantaneously at the top of each hour and minute, to the tune of 1,440 times throughout the day. At midnight, each day, the hours, minutes and date all change over at the exact same time in an impressive show of mechanical ingenuity. Pushers at 8:00 and 4:00 can also be used to quickly advance the date and hour, respectively.

Connecting the two halves of the watch’s digital clockface is the “time bridge,” which exposes part of the movement in German silver and frames a small-seconds display at 6:00. At 12:00 on the dial, the symmetry is further enhanced via a power reserve indicator underneath the brand’s wordmark.

The manual-wind movement inside is powered by two mainsprings, which not only provide 72 hours of timekeeping but also the necessary power to drive all the frequently rotating discs. This power is delivered via a patented constant-force escapement that controls the jumping impulse of the discs. The movement contains a whopping 516 parts and is heavily hand-decorated, all of which is visible through a sapphire caseback.

the mechanical movement of an a lange and sohne watch seen through its caseback — As is typical with Lange’s, the best view is from behind.

Pricing and Availability

Like every watch made by Germany’s most prestigious watchmaker, the A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date is both exclusive and expensive.

Although not a limited edition, Lange’s production numbers are quite small — the brand makes only around 5,000 watches per year, total. Add in the fact that this watch retails for $132,000, and it seems unlikely that you’ll see a ton of Zeitwerk Date Pink Golds on people’s wrists at your next local RedBar meetup.

A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date Pink Gold

Specs

Case Size	44.2mm
Movement	A. Lange & Söhne Cal. L043.8 manual-wind digital date
Water Resistance	30m

$132,000 at A. Lange & Söhne

About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.