Round-UpDark Phoenix: Presenting The Most Exclusive Timepieces From Angelus
Angelus’s contemporary approach to traditional mechanical watchmaking comes from the rise, recess, and subsequent reprise of the brand. Melding technical Swiss watchmaking savoir faire with modern materials and colour is something the brand seem to be doing right. The evidence is in this list of their most exclusive watches
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Despite their contemporary appeal, Angelus were first founded in 1891 but had to take an almost four-decade hiatus because of the ‘quartz crisis’. Revived and relaunched in 2011, the first ‘modern’ Angelus timepieces were revealed in 2015. Since then, the brand have revived some of their pre-interval successes in limited editions, and renewed iconic lines such as the Chronodate, the first ever serially-produced chronograph wristwatch with a date complication. Today, the brand’s approach is mostly unchanged when it comes to technical watchmaking know-how, although their use of contemporary materials, colour and design elements is as fresh and forward-looking as newer, much younger brands.
To read more about the brand’s history, hiatus and revival, click here
Angelus U60 Chronodate Automatic Titanium
Fittingly called a ‘neo-retro’ chronograph, the limited 25-piece editions of the Chronodate were a modern revival of the brand’s chronograph wristwatch with a date function—a combination that may be commonplace today, but was markedly revolutionary in the 1940s. This year, Angelus released non-limited versions of the sporty Chronodate Automatic in 42.5mm titanium cases, with notched bezels and bracelets also made from titanium. The A-500 calibre is housed in a carbon composite chamber within the titanium case. Around the periphery of the ‘velvet black’ or ‘fern-green’ dials is a matching black or green date ring, which surrounds the minute track in black. On the green watch, this ring—along with two chronograph counters at three and nine—stand out in black. On the black dial, the syringe hands have a striking red-gold finish that matches other highlights on the watch. There’s a sense of harmony between the red arrow hand that points to the date and the red-tipped central chronograph hand. Overall, this sporty-looking timepiece finds the right balance between form and function, neo and retro.
Angelus U21 Gold Carbon Tourbillon
The 42mm case of the Angelus Gold Carbon Tourbillon, with 12 notches on the bezel and a grippy rubber ring on the crown, is based on that of the Chronodate’s. Only in the Gold Carbon Tourbillon, the case is made from 18-karat 5N red-gold, and the movement housed inside the carbon composite chamber is the A-250 calibre. What really stands out on this timepiece, though, is the open-worked dial displaying skeletonised red gold bridges that stand out against the black carbon fibre of the movement’s chamber and silver-grey of the gear train, wheels, screws and other components. A red gold half-bridge supports the first wheel of the gear train, and looks like the only support for the flying tourbillon at six o’clock. The Angelus Gold Carbon Tourbillon is a trendy and relevant display of mechanics.
Angelus U23 Ultra-Light Tourbillon
A series of eight unique pieces, the Ultra-Light Tourbillon collection features a 42mm titanium case, with a carbon thin-ply chamber for the A-250 calibre housed within. These two materials together make this robust-looking timepiece extremely lightweight and easy to wear. The carbon mainplate of this chamber forms the base for the dial. While the design of the watch is like the Gold Carbon Tourbillon, the impact is anything but. The sporty appeal of the Ultra-Light Tourbillon comes from the cool titanium and carbon case, and the colours on the open-worked bridges of the movement decorating the dial. Of the eight individual pieces, the most striking are the blue bridges of the ‘Ocean View’ timepiece and the orange ones on the ‘Negroni’ watch.
Angelus Medical Chronograph
A revival of the 1960s classic, the Angelus Chronographe Medical X Massena LAB is a limited 99-piece tribute to medical professionals. Made from 316L steel—also used to make surgical instruments—the 39mm case houses the A-5000 calibre with timekeeping and a one-minute chronograph functions. The single pusher at two o’clock activates the 60-second chronograph, which can be used to check the pulse of a patient—marked around the periphery in green, black and red—or the breathing rate, which is nestled within the minute track in red. Both scales are clearly marked and easily legible. Neat Arabic hour markers and rhodium-finished dauphine hands are treated with Super-LumiNova.
With a legacy of watchmaking to fall back on, Angelus have embraced the new with aplomb. Their timepieces, both limited editions and mainstream collections, have much to offer as they combine the past and the present to present a timeless tale of time-telling.
