Replica Lange 405.031: the short answer
A replica of reference 405.031 can pass at arm's length. It will not survive a loupe, a timing machine, or a conversation with someone who knows the Datograph. The case and dial are the easy part. The L951.6 movement is not, and no copy has it. What you are buying is a convincing costume, not a chronograph with the same architecture.
What reference 405.031 is
There is no model called the Lange 2. Search traffic for that phrase lands on the second-generation Datograph, the Up/Down, and 405.031 is one of its references. The watch is 41 mm across, about 13 mm thick, and manually wound. The dial carries an outsize date at 12, a 30-minute counter, small seconds, and an Up/Down power-reserve display. Under the caseback sits the L951.6: column wheel, flyback, 60 hours of reserve, and finishing that takes weeks of hand work per watch.
Why this reference is hard to copy
Chronographs with column wheels and horizontal clutches cost real money to make. That is why so few brands build them. A replica factory has two realistic paths: modify an existing Asian chronograph movement, or decorate something cheaper and hope the caseback photo sells it. Most go with a Seagull ST19 derivative or a 7750 with a fake bridge plate. Both run. Neither feels like the original when you push the pushers.
Then there is the finishing. German silver plates, black-polished steel parts, blued screws, a hand-engraved balance cock. Copies stamp those details instead of finishing them, and the difference shows the moment light hits the movement at an angle.
What replicas get close on
- Overall silhouette and case proportions, at least from a few feet away
- Dial layout, applied markers, and the position of the big date
- Sapphire crystal with decent anti-reflective coating on the better tiers
- Strap hardware and deployant clasps, which are easy to copy well
Where they usually fail
- Date font and aperture. The two discs are often mismatched in weight, and the window is a hair too wide.
- Thickness. Many copies come in at 14 mm or more because the movement and date module stack up.
- Pusher feel. Crisp and light on the real thing, mushy or gritty on most copies.
- Power reserve. Expect 38 to 45 hours from a typical rep movement, not 60.
- Movement decoration. Stamped engraving, painted screws, no black polish.
What to check before paying
- Ask for case thickness measured with calipers in the photo. Anything past 14 mm is a pass.
- Get a straight-on dial shot and compare the date font to photos of the genuine.
- Ask whether the chronograph is flyback. On a real one, one push resets and restarts. On a copy, it almost never does.
- Wind it and listen. A smooth, quiet manual wind is a good sign. Grinding is not.
- Check subdial spacing. If the 30-minute counter sits too close to the date window, the dial was printed for a different movement.
- Confirm the lug width, and that the strap is real leather rather than bonded.
Price tiers
Under $150 gets you a quartz or a rough automatic with a printed dial. Around $250 to $500 buys the mid tier: a working ST19 chrono, sapphire, and a decent case. Above $600 you are in high-end rep territory with better brushing, a closer date font, and a movement decorated to look the part. None of these are investments. A used Seiko holds value better than any of them.
Straight talk and the legal side
In the US, trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 2320, and Customs can seize shipments. Owning one for yourself is a different matter than selling or importing in volume, but it is worth knowing where the line sits. Service is the other problem. No watchmaker will touch a rep movement with parts that do not exist in any catalog, and a replacement often costs less than a repair.
If you want the Datograph look on a real budget, a used German chronograph with a solid movement will treat you better over ten years. If you are buying the replica anyway, buy it knowing exactly what it is, and do not pay premium prices for a dial that a loupe undoes in five seconds.