Short Answer
A replica Datograph Up/Down is a copy of the A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Up/Down, a 41 mm hand-wound flyback chronograph with an outsize date and an AUF/AB power reserve display. Copies range from crude quartz lookalikes to hand-wound pieces with decorated movements. The ones worth your money match the original on case diameter, date typography, subdial spacing, and movement type. Everything else is a generic chronograph wearing a Lange-style dial.
What the Original Does
Set a concrete benchmark before you shop. The genuine watch is a 41 mm platinum case about 13 mm thick, driven by the L951.6 hand-wound movement with a column wheel, flyback function, and roughly 60 hours of power reserve. The dial carries an outsize date at 12, a running seconds subdial, a minute counter subdial, and the Auf/Ab power reserve indicator that gave the model its name. The caseback is sapphire, so the movement is visible from behind.
Before You Order
- Settle on one reference so you compare against a single set of specs.
- Get the return window and refund terms in writing.
- Pick a movement tier, since that decision drives most of the price.
- Review your country's import rules on counterfeit goods, because customs can seize a shipment.
How to Inspect a Replica Datograph Up/Down
- Ask the seller for dated photos of the actual piece, not stock images of the genuine watch.
- Measure the case width and thickness with calipers if you have access, and compare to 41 mm and about 13 mm.
- Study the outsize date window. Check the font weight, the gap between the two discs, and whether the digits sit centered in the frame.
- Compare subdial positions and sizes to the original, then check that the hands reach the printed tracks.
- Start the chronograph, stop it, and reset it several times. The minute counter should advance in clean one-minute jumps, not drift.
- Test the flyback if the seller claims it. Pressing reset while the chronograph runs should snap the hands to zero and restart in one motion.
- Wind the watch fully and watch the power reserve indicator travel. A painted-on needle that never moves is a decoration, not a function.
- Look through the sapphire caseback. A hand-wound movement with no rotor is correct. An automatic rotor in a Datograph copy is a clear mismatch.
- Weigh the watch in your hand. Platinum is dense, so a light case usually means steel with a coating.
Movement Tiers
Three tiers show up in the replica market. Entry copies use quartz or basic automatic movements with no functional power reserve. Mid-tier copies use a hand-wound movement with a working reserve display, though the finish is shallow. Top-tier copies use a hand-wound chronograph with a column wheel, a flyback mechanism, and hand-applied decoration on the bridges. Only the top tier comes close to the winding feel and pusher action of the original, and the price reflects that.
Common Flaws to Reject
Walk away from any piece with a date window that sits too high or too low, printed text with uneven spacing, a seconds hand that stutters, or a chronograph that resets past zero. Case polishing is another tell: sharp lug edges and flat, lifeless bevels on a watch that should show crisp hand-finishing. If the seller will not send a short video of the chronograph running, treat that as a no.
Ownership Notes
A replica has no collector value and cannot be serviced by the original maker. Plan for a local watchmaker who works on Asian movements, and expect the reserve display and chronograph to need attention first. Keep the piece dry, wind it at the same time each day, and store it away from magnets. Treat it as a look-alike you enjoy wearing, not as an investment.