Angelus presents Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon, a limited edition timepiece that fuses it technicality with precious materials and finishes.
Limited to 18 pieces, this sporty flying tourbillon watch features a 42.5 mm diameter case in carbon composite and red gold. The A-250 calibre gives it a three-dimensional skeletonised look with its array of bridges in relief.
For this model, Angelus has introduced a new case design with sleek and dynamic lines to harmonize with the extreme technicality of this supremely graphic timepiece.
The red gold crown with wide notches has a rubber insert for improved grip and is protected by an asymmetrical guard projecting from the lugs. The crenellated bezel presents Angelus’ signature slight angular grooves.
The A-250 skeletonised flying tourbillon calibre is surrounded by an ultra-rigid and ultralight carbon composite container. It is held within an open-worked 18K 5N red gold case middle.
The bridges of the Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon form its face. In the absence of a dial, these components play an expressive role in any skeleton movement. And since the main plate of the A-250 calibre is made from woven carbon composite, it is black, accentuating the contrasting 18K red gold bridges. Their volume is also emphasised by their placement above the carbon, arranged in pivotal positions on a higher level.
The bridges are hollowed out, as are the arms of the wheels. The aim of this skeletonisation is to reduce the physical weight of the piece and to lighten the aesthetic impression. After being pared down, these miniature sculptures are chamfered by hand along all their edges. Their flat surface, measuring less than half a millimetre across, then undergoes careful horizontal satin-brushing to give a matte finish. To put the final flourish on these bridges, Angelus has attached them to the main plate using Angelus screws with a proprietary head.
The flange, which marks the transition between bezel and watch interior, is finished with a matte black PVD treatment. It is then graduated with sets of five increments, separated by three-dimensional white gold hour-markers filled with a luminescent substance. Since this flange is placed level with the bezel, it creates a sunken effect that accentuates the feeling of depth in the A-250 calibre.
The tourbillon is situated at 6 o’clock, next to a bridge that does not hold it in place and instead supports the first wheel in the gear train. The tourbillon is only fixed in place from below, making it a flying tourbillon. It is attached directly to the carbon main plate, which is pierced in this spot to give a transparent effect, accentuating the sense of levitation and highlighting the tourbillon’s rotation.
Meanwhile, the balance oscillating within it also has a pared-down construction. Instead of being a ring like most balances, it is a cut, non-circular flywheel. Lighter and more efficient in terms of drag, it further enhances the innate timekeeping performance of an Angelus tourbillon.
The workings are housed within a vast sapphire crystal glass box. This transparent component is angled – almost vertically where it touches the bezel – to provide a large, flat surface for the Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon’s spectacular display.
The Angelus Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon watch comes with a black ballistic-style rubber strap, featuring an interchangeable system and a red gold and titanium folding clasp.
Movement
Calibre A-250, skeletonised, hand-wound mechanical, one-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 18
Diameter: 32.60 mm
Thickness: 5.78 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 3 Hz / 21,600 vph
Finishes
Main plate: carbon fibre
Bridges: 18K red gold (5N), satin-finished
Wheels: circular-grained
Screws: Angelus design
Tourbillon carriage: chamfered and hand-polished
Dial
Flange: Black PVD treatment
18K white gold hour-markers with Super-LumiNova
Hands rhodium-plated, with Super-LumiNova
Case
Material: 18K red gold (5N) and carbon composite
Diameter: 42.50 mm
Thickness: 11.70 mm
Crystal: Sapphire box, anti-reflective coating on both sides
Back: Sapphire, anti-reflecting coating
Water resistance: 30 metres/3 ATM
Strap
With interchangeable system
Material: black “ballistic” rubber
Buckle: Folding clasp, 18K red gold (5N) and titanium
Edition
Limited edition of 18 pieces
Retail price (in Switzerland)
CHF 68,900 tax included
Unveiled at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022 exhibition, the Angelus Chronodate collection pays tribute to its famous chronograph calibre presented 80 years ago, in 1942.
The Chronodate is available in three limited series of 25 pieces. These watches are inspired by the aesthetics of both historic Angelus references and the sleek, open-worked lines of its recent pieces.
With its modular 42.5 mm case, the Chronodate combines red gold, titanium and carbon. Its bicompax automatic chronograph movement is encircled by a peripheral date in reference to the original model.
The Chronodate collection presents a fusion of Angelus styles, with both the historical brand that is part of the Swiss watchmaking landscape and the technical brand with its ultra-dynamic designs of recent years. The choice of chronograph movement and peripheral date is reminiscent of the brand’s glory days and contrast with the multi-structure and multi-material exterior.
Chronodate is presented in a 42.5 mm case. The movement sits within a container made of carbon composite, chosen for its rigidity and lightness. The chronograph’s push-pieces and the ring inserted between the case middle and the bezel are also cut from this matt black material.
Around this container, Angelus has designed a complex case with six main components that brings the case middle and lugs into a single line and houses the bezel marked with twelve notches. The ensemble is available in red gold or titanium.
Angelus Chronodate Red Gold
This modular case opens up possibilities for playing with materials. The same is true for the large-diameter crown that extends beyond its casing and features a band of rubber in its centre for easier handling. The bevelled profile, alternating straight and curved lines, and the energy that it conveys contribute to the sporty credentials of the Chronodate.
Angelus Chronodate Titanium and Blue
Angelus was a pioneering manufacturer in the development of chronograph watches from the 1940s to 1960s. They had a small diameter but the counters on the dial stood out as they were especially large and legible. In the same spirit, the displays on today’s Chronodate dials are imposing, structured and three dimensional.
Angelus Chronodate Titanium and White
The counters and applied Arabic numerals are placed on matt dials, like frosted glass. This is a first in watchmaking, further accentuating the effect of depth and elegantly complementing the sporty case. The red gold Chronodate features a blue PVD dial while the titanium versions are available in opaline white or blue PVD.
Inside, Angelus has installed its latest Calibre A-500. The bicompax format displays the small seconds at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock. Encircling the dial, a hand sweeps over the peripheral date display.
The open-worked red arrowhead announces the colour theme of the secondary displays on the Chronodate: the markings on the chronograph push-pieces, the chronograph hand and its 30-minute counter hand are all finished with a touch of red lacquer.
The 4 Hz chronograph operates using a column wheel with horizontal coupling to avoid excess thickness. The automatic self-winding mechanism functions with an oscillating weight made to a historic design, reminiscent of Angelus’s earliest triumphs.
Functions
Hours, minutes, bicompax chronograph, peripheral date
Movement
Calibre A-500, automatic self-winding mechanism
Jewels: 26
Diameter: 30.00 mm
Thickness: 7.90 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Finishes
Mainplate: sandblasted and NAC treated
Bridges: microbeaded and NAC treatment, satin-finished edges
Wheels: circular and rhodium-plated
Oscillating weight: tungsten and 18-carat red gold (5N) decoration on gold model, or tungsten decoration on titanium models
Dials
Chronodate Red gold version: Blue PVD, frosted centre, gold-coloured applied details coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue glow, black minute track, gold-coloured applied logo
Chronodate Titanium & blue version: Blue PVD, frosted centre, rhodium-plated applied details coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue glow, black minute track, rhodium-plated applied logo
Chronodate Titanium & white version: Opaline white, frosted centre, black DLC applied details coated with white Super-LumiNova emitting a blue glow, black minute track, rhodium-plated applied logo
Case
Monobloc bezel, crown and case middle in 18-carat red gold (5N) or titanium, sub-case and push-pieces in carbon composite
Diameter: 42.50 mm
Thickness: 14.25 mm
Crystal: Box sapphire, anti-reflective treatment on both sides
Case back: Box sapphire, anti-reflective treatment
Water-resistance: 30 metres/3 ATM
Strap
Interchangeable strap
Red gold: blue rubber
Titanium & blue: blue rubber
Titanium & white: black rubber
Clasp
Folding clasp
Red gold: titanium plates and 18-carat red gold (5N) cover
Titanium: titanium plates and cover
Limited edition
25 pieces for each model
Swiss retail price
Red gold: CHF 42,900 incl. VAT (subject to change)
Titanium: CHF 22,900 incl. VAT (subject to change)
Incorporating the complex tourbillon mechanism and a hand-wound mechanical skeleton caliber, the Angelus U53 is a versatile, masculine, and ultra-modern timepiece.
This 25-piece limited series spotlights an asymmetrical design with khaki green theme. It also meets all the criteria for watches intended for underwater use.
The khaki shade is visible on the U53’s rotating flange, strap and hands – a bold statement for a sports watch which also works effortlessly in more formal settings, offering a casual, chic look.
Made of grade 5 titanium, the 46 mm diameter case is water-resistant to 300 metres. The 60 minute-graduated rotating flange only turns anticlockwise. Its hands and indices are luminescent. It is equipped with a helium valve, to allow saturation diving. The Angelus U53 is also resistant to magnetic fields and scratching. Grade 5 titanium is a light, comfortable metal which is very well tolerated by the skin even in high moisture conditions yet is hard enough to withstand most scratches.
At 9 o’clock, the watch incorporates the helium valve. The screw-down crown at 2 o’clock controls the rotating flange. A second screw-down crown located at 4 o’clock allows for winding and setting the time.
The outer bezel boasts a powerful design. Its deep indents, in a distinctive shark fin design, immediately draw the eye; the motif is repeated on the flange, also in green and graduated with Arabic numerals.
U53 showcases its movement in spectacular fashion. The Angelus A-300 is a hand-wound mechanical skeleton calibre characterised by its large bridges. The openwork in the centre specifically evokes the design of Angelus’ calibres.
The other signature feature is the modern and highly technical Tourbillon Volant Une Minute complication. The A-300 movement also stands out with slightly asymmetric placement of all its vital components: the barrel at 1 o’clock, winding at 4 o’clock, tourbillon at 6.30, small seconds at 9.30. These unusual locations are dictated by the design of the U53.
This diving watch is mounted on a rubber strap and complimentary hand-stitched.
Technical details
Model: Angelus U53
Reference 0.TDDT.G01A.T008G
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds, 60-minute unidirectional flange
Movement
Calibre A-300, mechanical, hand-wound, Tourbillon Volant Une Minute
Jewels 23
Diameter 32.80 mm
Thickness 4.30 mm
Power reserve 60 hours
Frequency 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Finishes plates and bridges: sandblasted wheels: circular-grained tourbillon cage: bevelled and polished
Dial
Rotating flange 60-minute graduation, lacquered, in green
Flange indices coated with Super-LumiNova
Hands coated with Super-LumiNova
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium
Diameter: 46.00 mm
Thickness: 12.47 mm
Bezel: Grade 5 titanium, microbead blasted
Crystal: Sapphire crystal box, anti-reflective coating on both sides
Back: Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating
Water resistance: 300 metres/30 ATM
Strap
Rubber, green (+ complimentary NATO strap in green, hand-stitched)
Buckle: Pin buckle, grade 5 titanium
Edition
Limited edition of 25 pieces
Global retail price
CHF 39,400 excl. tax (subject to change)
Independent Swiss luxury watch maker Angelus has released a Black Titanium version of its U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante watch.
Ultra-light and ultra-sporty, the Angelus U30 watch unites a variety of prestigious complications: a tourbillon, flyback and split-second chronograph. The 47mm black DLC titanium case with open-worked edges houses one of the most complex automatic skeletonized movements in the world.
This skeletonised, automatic watch with tourbillon, flyback and split-second chronograph with power reserve indicator is quite simply unique. The case, 47mm in diameter and 15mm thick, is made of black DLC titanium.
The lugs and case middle are marked in the centre with a recess that extends the skeletonising of the movement. The open-worked movement has 350 components in total, is treated with black DLC and accentuated in grey.
The split-second function allows the central chronograph second hand to be split in two, allowing two events starting together to be timed. At any moment, the same pusher can bring the two hands back together to the same point. A flyback also allows you to reset and restart timing with a single press, without having to stop and reset the hands.
This exceptional feature does not compromise the lines of the U30: the split-second pusher is integrated into the crown at three o’clock, barely protruding from the case. Similarly, the chronograph’s start and reset pushers are very discreet, integrated into the overall line of the U30’s black titanium case middle. The pushers have a short trajectory, requiring up-front design work and adjustment to a degree rarely achieved in watchmaking.
It is hard to imagine a complication as sophisticated as the split-second function. The movements capable of achieving this complication can be counted on the fingers of two hands–and for the skeletonised version, far fewer.
Angelus has built its modern identity on open-worked pieces integrated into spacious structures that bring the surface area down to the absolute minimum. Here, the A-150 calibre has depth. The hand fitting, bridges, cog and column wheels, patina and rotor create a rich texture of levels for the eye to get lost in.
Chronograph calibres are rarely integrated. They are often made up of a basic calibre and an additional functional module. But Angelus does not subscribe to this approach, instead developing its calibres as a unified system.
Split-second chronographs are often manual. The U30 prefers a sportier, active, technical approach for this extremely rare complication, opting instead for self-winding by a large rotor. Split-second chronographs are hardly ever matched with a flyback. Such a combination is so complex that the watchmaking community is often unaware that it is even possible. The A-150 calibre is capable of such a feat.
Few chronographs also have a power reserve indicator. The traditional display layout leaves little room for an additional gauge. Angelus has placed the indicator at half past seven on the dial, using a subtle asymmetric layout. Tourbillon chronographs are anomalies, and tourbillon rattrapantes are even more unique.
But for Angelus, integrating a rotary regulating organ into the dense and intense A-150 calibre has posed no problem. In fact, combining chronometer and chronograph, measuring precision times and short times is a logical choice for the U30.
When it comes to the U30’s design, structure, decoration, functionality and complications, all of these choices are based on an almost unparalleled level of expertise and independence. The A-150 calibre has been entirely developed, machined, decorated, assembled, adjusted and fitted on the Angelus manufacturing site in La Chaux-de-Fonds. This exclusive movement has been designed with exceptional mechanical and graphic detail in mind.
Technical details
Model: U30 Black Titanium
Reference: 0CRBT.B01A.K003N
Functions
Hours and minutes, tourbillon, 30-minute flyback and split-second chronograph, power reserve indicator
Finishing
Platinum: NAC anthracite coated
Bridges: black ADLC-coated, polished and chamfered
Column wheels: black ADLC-coated and mirror polished
Tourbillon cage: polished and hand-chamfered
Rotor: 22-carat white gold segment, black ADLC coated sections
Case
Material: Grade 5 black DLC coated titanium
Diameter: 47.00 mm
Thickness: 15.00 mm
Crown: 2 positions, integrated split-second pusher
Crystal: box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on inside surface
Back: sapphire crystal
Water resistant: 30 metres/3 ATM/100 ft
Strap
Black rubber strap with grade 5 titanium deployant buckle
Edition
Limited edition of 5 pieces
Worldwide retail price
CHF 66,700 before tax (subject to change)
Thibault Magnin, the talented young Spanish-Swiss skier on the world freestyle scene specialising in the big air and slope style disciplines, becomes an Angelus ambassador, choosing a U41 tourbillon to accompany him in his exploits.
Whether skiing for medals or tracing curves in the powder snow, Thibault Magnin wears an Angelus U41 tourbillon. The fine watchmaking brand is teaming up with this young prodigy, whose talents match their own spirit of lightness, sophistication and energy combined with criteria of robustness, efficiency and durability.
Angelus Watches Portrait de Thibault Magnin (Ski freestyle) Sass-Fee, le 13 10 2020 Photo: David Marchon
Born in Switzerland, Thibault Magnin grew up at the foot of the Fribourg Prealps, where he learnt to ski at a very young age. A Swiss and Spanish dual national, he currently lives in the Principality of Andorra, another mountainous country.
Skiing has always been his passion. Not content with spending the winter on the slopes, for the summer he heads to the Dominican Republic, where some of his family lives. Here, he broadens his training with high-level surfing and kite-surfing on the Caribbean Sea.
With his open-minded and multi-disciplinary approach, Thibault quickly joined the ranks of the FIS Top 20 in his two preferred disciplines. Combining a quest for style with unrivalled technical skill, Thibault Magnin’s approach is similar to that taken by Angelus. In freestyle skiing, everyone must master the mandatory figures to be able to invent others. In the world of Angelus, free and dynamic design relies on micron-level precision in execution.
The sportsman is currently preparing for this season’s FIS world championships and has his eye on the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Like Angelus in their watchmaking creations, Thibault is dreaming up innumerable new figures that are both innovative and ultra-technical.
Angelus has created a special edition watch in partnership with Luis Campos – the distinguished and renowned football scout and one of the best technical directors in world football. Based on the U-50 model from Angelus presents, this new limited-series watch is available in just 25 copies.
Luis Campos was born in a small harbour town in the north of Portugal. Today, he is sporting advisor to Gérard Lopez, owner and president of LOSC football club in Lille, France. He has worked in football for over 30 years, managing several Portuguese clubs before proving himself as an excellent professional scout.
Assisting a number of major European title-winning clubs, with many success stories at Real Madrid in particular, Luis Campos has established a system for spotting young talents thanks to his constant pitch-side presence, his vision and his experience.
From 2013 to 2017, he shone as technical director of AS Monaco, where he received accolades for his daring and lucrative transfer strategy and for discovering now-famous players including Anthony Martial, Bernardo Silva, Bakayoko, Fabinho and Mendy, as well as for his part in a certain Kylian Mbappé’s professional début at a time when only Campos believed in him. At Lille, the anti-conformist mastermind continues to work closely with players such as Osimhen, Pépé, Gabriel, Ikoné and others.
Angelus developed this limited-edition U52 in close collaboration with Luis Campos, who chose the blues that adorn the watch and its strap, and selected the football motif for the small seconds. He also determined the technical specifications for the piece, which is directly descended from the U50 diving watch and its A-300 flying tourbillon skeleton calibre.
The U52 is capable reach depths of 300 metres unscathed and features a 60-minute timing system. Instead of occupying the bezel, the system is situated inside the case on the flange divided into five-minute intervals. This unidirectional rotating ring is operated using the crown at 2 o’clock. One of the U52’s specific features is that the markings from zero (the Angelus logo) to 45 are in a different shade of blue.
Their distinct colour means they can be used to time each half of a football match. Another characteristic that makes this edition so special is the small seconds which, instead of being indicated by a hand, is mounted on a disc painted with a Super-LumiNova football.
Lastly, Luis Campos chose to adorn the tips of the hands, the small-seconds pointer, and the sculpted rubber strap in the same shade of turquoise as the flange.
The 45 mm-diameter grade-5 titanium case houses the Angelus calibre A-300, a skeleton movement with a one-minute flying tourbillon. Paradoxically, its ultralight, graphic structure helps to shield it against vibrations and impacts.
The calibre is held in place by bridges reduced to their bare minimum and lightened further by an open-worked centre. This supportive network adds visual lightness to the U52. But by reducing the suspended masses and therefore the inertia, it also helps to reduce the calibre’s exposure to impacts. Last but not least, the 45 mm-diameter case is designed to withstand high pressure, as demonstrated by its two screw-down crowns.
Technical sophistication can even be seen in the triangular blue markings on the bezel, which are not simply engraved and lacquered. The blue is created by a laser system designed for use in nanometric engraving. Angelus alters the atomic structure of the surface of the titanium so that it only reflects blue light. By using this selective laser interference treatment tailored to the shade chosen by Luis Campos, Angelus creates a specific and very precise photonic vibration that is naturally permanent.
Technical details
Model: U52 Luis Campos Edition
Reference: 0TDDT.F01A
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock
Movement
Calibre A-300, one-minute flying tourbillon, skeleton hand-wound mechanical
Jewels: 23
Diameter: 32.80 mm
Thickness: 4.30 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Finishes: Sandblasted plates and bridges, wheels with Angelus six-spoke design, polished and chamfered tourbillon carriage
Dial
Flange: unidirectional rotating, in titanium with 45-minute marking
Hands: blue and white, with Super-LumiNova
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium
Diameter: 45.00 mm
Thickness: 12.47 mm
Crystal: Sapphire box with an anti-reflective coating on the inner surface
Case back: Sapphire crystal
Bezel: Grade 5 titanium with blue selective laser interference treatment
Water-resistance: 300 metres / 30 ATM
Strap
Material: Blue rubber with motif and Angelus logo in relief
Buckle pin buckle, grade 5 titanium
Edition
Limited edition of 25 timepieces
Global retail price
CHF 39,400 excl. tax (may be subject to modifications)
Swiss luxury watch brand Angelus has appointed Minnesota Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson as the new Friend of the Brand. The brand has also created a new customized Angelus U40 timepiece for him.
Minnesota Vikings rookie Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson has captured the interest of NFL and sports lovers worldwide. From all accounts, the LSU alumnus and first-round draft pick has the potential to become one of the leading NFL players of the next generation. This up-and-comer has a reputation for precision, performance, and agility, traits shared by Swiss watchmaker Angelus.
Jefferson, a dedicated watch enthusiast, was drawn to the watchmaker’s sporty, skeletonized luxury timepieces, leading his team to approach Angelus to create a custom timepiece. The agile luxury watchmaker rose to the challenge, and Justin Jefferson now proudly sports a new Angelus U40 tourbillon timepiece custom-crafted in purple and yellow colors and inscribed with his name.
Like Jefferson, Angelus demonstrates the house’s manufacturing adaptability and expertise with hands-on customizations, a service that the brand is proud to offer through authorized Angelus retailers.
Collectors can work with the manufacturer to customize a U40 or other Angelus watch model to their taste with simple aesthetic changes, such as to a strap or case, or more involved customizations like case engravings, custom painted hands and indexes, or even personalization of the movement.
It is no wonder that Justin Jefferson gravitated to the U40 model, which has proven to be one of the brand’s most popular models. The limited-edition U40 collection houses an A-300 mechanical hand-wound movement within a 42 mm titanium case, and offers a 60-hour power reserve.
The skeletonized caliber reveals the one-minute flying tourbillon with perfect clarity at 6 o’clock, orbiting at breath-taking speed, surrounded by black ADLC coated bridges. A rubber strap contributes to its athletic appeal.
Angelus U41 is a light weight, yet sturdy mechanical watch that highlights the stylistic graphic structure of its stunning skeleton movement along with a captivating flying tourbillon complication.
Enclosed in a 42 mm titanium case, the U41 showcases its own architecture. Unfolding in a series of black and transparent sections, this frame is both minimalist and graphic. Technical aspects merge with the aesthetic signature in an optimal combination of stability, design and ergonomics. The network of open-worked plates and bridges thus forms and defines the very identity of the U41.
This new model reflects Angelus’ in-depth knowledge in designing and developing complication and skeleton calibres. The watch also offers a comfortable and proportionate wearing experience on the wrist. The U41 is a sporty watch, as exemplified by its sculpted rubber strap, notched bezel, titanium case and movement designed in a metallic ‘mesh’ format.
The movement architecture is capable of withstanding impacts and cushioning shocks without breaking or being deformed. By enclosing all the main elements, including the wheels and the barrel, between two plates, the movement delivers maximum stability.
The A-300 calibre is a skeleton design and was developed as such. In order to strike the perfect balance between structural solidity and openwork detailing, Angelus opted for a ‘dual-beamed’ plates and bridges design. The void that separates the two arms from these supporting elements is studded with jewels that accommodate the wheel axes. All of these components are treated with black ADLC to add contrast and texture.
Angelus movements frequently exhibit 90-hour autonomy, enabled by a balance oscillation speed of 3 Hz. For the A-300 calibre, the frequency has been set at 4 Hz for 60 hours of power reserve. This higher frequency safeguards the accuracy of the movement during impacts, and thus reduces its power reserve.
The U41 comes in two versions: one dressed in orange hues, and another in a range of blues illuminated by flashes of yellow on the minutes hand and minute circle. White Super-LumiNova coats the hours and minutes hands. The rubber straps work beautifully with the dominant colours.
Despite its technical intensity and sporty feel, the U41 remains reasonably sized: a 42 mm diameter case with a thickness of 10 mm.
Technical specifications
Functions
Hours and minutes
Movement
Calibre A-300, hand-wound mechanical, one-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 23
Diameter: 32.80 mm
Thickness: 4.30 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Finishes
Main plate: Chamfered, polished and treated with black ADLC
Bridges: Chamfered, polished and treated with black ADLC
Wheels: Chamfered and polished
Tourbillon carriage: Chamfered and mirror-polished
Dial
Flanges
– Lower: Anthracite with orange or yellow minute circle
– Upper: Orange or blue, with hour indicator treated with Super-LumiNova
Hands: Orange or blue/yellow, treated with white Super-LumiNova
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Thickness: 10.00 mm
Crystal: Box sapphire, with an anti-reflective treatment on the inner surface
Case back: Sapphire crystal
Water-resistance: 30 metres/3 ATM
Strap
Orange, blue or black rubber with Angelus logo in relief
Buckle: Pin buckle, grade 5 titanium
Limited edition
25 timepieces in each colour
References
Orange U41: 0TSBT.O01A
Blue U41: 0TSBT.U01A
Global retail price
CHF 31,700 excl. tax (may be subject to modifications)
Following on from its U21 and U22 models, Angelus is presenting another variation based on its skeletonised flying tourbillon movement. The Angelus A-250 calibre has once again been suspended within a case made from titanium and CTP (Carbon Thin Ply): a hard and lightweight carbon composite.
The Angelus U23 comes in a series of eight unique pieces featuring skeletonised PVD-treated titanium bridges, with each model showcasing a different colour.
Angelus U23 Aviation
Materials, shapes and structures are arranged to create a sporty, technical and finely honed timepiece. Measuring 42 mm in diameter and 10.3 mm thick, the case mixes titanium lugs with a CTP case back and middle.
Angelus U23 Cosmopolitan
Maximum lightness and rigidity, with ultra scratch-resistant titanium, provides physical protection for the most exposed areas. The solid, conventional-looking metal and the technical appearance of the carbon fibre inject the U23 with visual energy. Meanwhile coloured bridges, hovering above the CTP main plate, put these pieces in a class of their own.
Angelus U23 Manhattan
Geometric, open-worked and crafted from titanium, these graphically designed bridges are coloured using the PVD technique in one of eight shades that also grace the minute circle.
Each shade identifies a unique piece named after a cocktail: U23 Negroni is orange, like the blend of Gin and Vermouth. U23 Cosmopolitan adopts the shade of blueberry Vodka. U23 Ocean View startles in Curaçao blue and U23 Tequila Sunrise recreates the orange, pink and blue layers formed by citrus fruit juice and grenadine with the idyllic sea in the background.
Angelus U23 Negroni
The coloured bridges are screwed into the main plate, which is also made from CTP. Carbon Thin Ply draws on the ultralight and ultra-rigid properties of carbon fibre. Sheets of carbon are piled into several hundreds of successive layers per block of material. Each layer is orientated differently to create a multi-hatched network that is particularly solid given the density of the layers.
Angelus U23 Ocean View
Angelus has chosen to use the highest quality of this material: 150 g/m² CTP. In addition, the CTP is solidified using a technical resin fired at a high temperature and high pressure. In this way, its extreme hardness adds to the fibre’s structural properties.
Angelus U23 Sidecar
CTP is made into blocks and cut from a solid piece using numerical control machines, just like a metal. Its nature, presentation and machining process ensure optimal structural integrity and unique qualities that enhance the watch mechanism and wearing comfort. This is because CTP is lightweight, comfortable, soft to the touch, anti-allergenic, fully dermo-compatible, and non-magnetic.
Angelus U23 Tequila Sunrise
The Angelus A-250 calibre plays an essential aesthetic role with its very simple, legible, and vertical structure. An open-worked barrel at 12 o’clock with a 90-hour power reserve; a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock for enhanced timekeeping; a gear train between the two to ensure transmission – these functional organs are anchored to three titanium bridges, giving the U23 its unique personality. Thanks to these bridges, the movement floats above the CTP main plate, as if suspended on stilts.
Angelus U23 Vodka Stinger
The fact that the main plate is crafted from carbon is a technical feat in its own right. The rigidity of the material makes this possible; conversely, this same resistance makes it difficult to pierce. All the holes made in the high-tech bodywork are therefore set with solid-gold chatons that hold the jewels. This is a classic technique that has been adapted to a different context and to an extreme level of technical performance to protect the CTP main plate.
The tourbillon of the Angelus A-250 calibre is a flying version with no upper bridge. It appears to float freely, with a large window cut away from the main plate in the background. This allows light to enter and to illuminate the rotating regulating organ. In this rigorously adjusted movement, the arms of the tourbillon carriage mirror the bridges and all the wheels of the movement. All of these components are open-worked lengthways, which means they look lighter, as well as weighing less.
Technical details
Functions
Hours and minutes
Movement
Calibre A-250, hand-wound mechanical, one-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 18, set in gold chatons
Diameter: 32.60 mm
Thickness: 5.78 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 3 Hz / 21,600 vph
Finishes: steel components chamfered and polished by hand. Bridges in chamfered and sandblasted grade 5 titanium, with coloured PVD treatments
Dial
Main plate acting as a dial in CTP (Carbon Thin Ply) carbon fibres, hands and hour-markers with Super-LumiNova®
Case
Material: CTP carbon and titanium
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Thickness: 10.30 mm
Crystal: box sapphire, with anti-reflective treatment on inner surface
Case back: sapphire
Water resistance: 30 metres/3 ATM
Founded in 1891, legendary Swiss watch manufacture Angelus has long been known as one of the 20th century’s most influential watchmakers, and collectors still prize vintage Angelus chronographs made from the 30s to the 60s. The brand went dormant after the 1960s, but the Angelus name has reemerged in the 21st century.
The revitalized watchmaker has embraced the best of the brand’s early legacy, from the 30s era logo to the innovation and manufacturing excellence long linked to the Angelus name, while setting a new course as a modern, vertically integrated watch manufacture.
The modern Angelus brand unites athletic aesthetics and high-performance advanced engineering to create its all-tourbillon watch collections, which are now designed and produced entirely in-house. New President and industry veteran Bertrand Savary hopes to leverage the brand’s strengths and unique value proposition to usher in a new golden age of Angelus timepieces.
Angelus U51 Diver Tourbillon
The Angelus product catalog currently includes five distinctive all-tourbillon timepiece collections which range in price from $35,000 to $100,000. Industry insiders will understand the significance of this feat, as the tourbillon remains one of the key horological complications watchmakers seek to master and produce at scale.
Angelus timepieces are fully skeletonized, but their openwork tourbillon movements are by no mean delicate. From their beam-shaped bridges to their interchangeable lugs and straps, Angelus movements are built like athletes: lean, efficient, powerful, and adaptable.
Alternative materials like sapphire, titanium, ceramic, and carbon fiber are regularly incorporated for aesthetic effect or for their unique properties of lightness and strength, to improve long term wear and performance.
Visually, Angelus designs are dynamic yet cohesive, underlining the brand’s new athletic associations with bold forms, technological materials, and a strategic use of color. Iconoclastic designs, superior Swiss engineering, and an incredible value proposition have positioned Angelus as a brand to watch, poised for robust expansion.
Angelus stretches the limit of its famous diving tourbillon movement, adding a 5-day power reserve to its list of features.
While meeting the required diver’s watch criteria, the U51 Diver Tourbillon comes with high technical features. In fact, the A-310 calibre is dedicated to efficiency, with a silicon lever escapement and with all bridges as plates made of titanium.
Furthermore, Angelus’ engineers and watchmakers pushed the boundaries with a remarkable 5-day power reserve while keeping the 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hz) frequency, ensuring a high precision. Finally, the tourbillon cage is set on a ball bearing instead of pivots to gain in stability.
Even though the U51 Diver Tourbillon is intended as a high-performance sporty timepiece, the skeletonised movement has been carefully decorated with sandblasted finishing, enhancing the natural colour variations of the titanium.
The 45 mm titanium case features two large screw-down crowns. The two-position crown at 4 o’clock is used for winding and setting the time, while the crown at 2o’clock is used to rotate the unidirectional 60-minute rotating bezel. Opposite, at the 9 o’clock position, a helium escape valve is placed to ensure the watch’s water resistance of 300 meters (1,000 feet).
Careful attention has been given to the aesthetic of the U51 Diver Tourbillon. The 45mm case is masterfully manufactured with a subtle interplay between sandblasted, brushed and polished surfaces, which takes full advantage of the titanium’s unique colours properties.
The bezel of the case and the chapter ring are carved, recalling waves. The open display appeals with a contrasting chapter ring of stormy blue and striking orange colours. The hands, indexes and Arabic numerals are all filled with Super-Luminova for optimal readability.
The U51 Diver Tourbillon comes on a matching blue rubber strap embossed with an Angelus logo and a titanium folding buckle.
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds, unidirectional rotatable 60-minute indicator
Movement
Calibre A-310, mechanical hand-wound, one-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels 23
Diameter 32.80 mm
Height 4.30 mm
Power reserve 120 hours (5 days)
Frequency 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Lever escapement Silicon
Decoration Sandblasted plates and bridges, wheels with Angelus six-spoke design,tourbillon cage with chamfered and polished edges
Dial
Openwork with blue and orange chapter ring. Hours’ indexes, chapter ring’s
Arabic numbers and hands filled with Super-Luminova
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium. Sandblasted, brushed or polished finishing
Diameter: 45.00 mm
Thickness: 12.47 mm
Crowns: Screwed and engraved with Angelus logo
Crystal: Box shaped sapphire with anti-reflection coating both sides
Back: Sapphire
Water resistance: 300 m / 1,000 ft
Strap
Material: Blue rubber embossed with Angelus logo
Buckle: Folding, grade 5 titanium
Limited edition
25 pieces
World retail price
CHF 32’800 without taxes (prices can be subject to change)
After entering the scene as a diver’s watch like no other, the Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon returns in a bold black limited edition.
The U50 Diver Tourbillon Black Edition stands out with its uniquely structured manufacture skeleton movement and dark tones. While conceived with all the properties sought in a diver’s watch, the U50 Diver Tourbillon is high-performance timepiece.
Crafted in a 46mm-wide lightweight yet robust titanium case with a black DLC treatment all over, the U50 Diver Tourbillon features two large screw-down crowns. The two-position crown at 4 o’clock is used for winding and setting the time, while the crown at 2 o’clock is used to rotate the unidirectional 60-minute rotating bezel. Opposite, at the 9 o’clock position, a helium escape valve is placed to ensure the watch’s water resistance of 300 meters/1,000 feet.
Instead of a solid dial, the U50 Diver Tourbillon features an open face with a dark but legible hours’ ring in grey, as well as white Super-Luminova on the indexes. Matching the dial, the hours, minutes and seconds’ hands are black plated and filled with Super-Luminova. Both face and caseback crystals are made of antireflective sapphire.
The result of years of intensive R&D by Angelus’ engineers and watchmakers, the U50 Diver Tourbillon’s A-300 mechanical hand-wound caliber is designed as a skeleton from the ground up rather than simply being a cut-out version of an existing movement.
Much reduced in weight, it has maximum rigidity from its beam-type bridges and the fact that all the movement’s main elements, such as the wheels and barrel, are firmly secured between two plates. This design replaces the conventional main plate and bridges construction and massively increases the mechanical resistance of the movement. The watch’s rigidity is further enhanced by the Angelus in-house six-spoke design, which reinforces the wheel train and protects the skeletonized ratchet and barrel. Finally, the movement is entirely manufactured in-house.
With its core functions – hours, minutes, small seconds– the A-300 caliber has a 55-hour power reserve. The 4 Hz / 28,800 vph frequency is a guarantee for precision. Even though the caliber is intended as a high-performance, it has painstakingly executed with snailed black DLC coating and chamfered edges, matching the blacked-out allure of the U50 Diver Tourbillon Black Edition.
The U50 Diver Tourbillon Black Edition comes on a black rubber strap bearing the Angelus logo, with a black DLC titanium pin buckle, completing the look of this 25-piece limited edition diver’s watch.
Technical details
Model: U50 Diver Tourbillon Black Edition
Reference number: 0TDNT.D01A.K008T
Functions
Hours, minutes, small seconds and unidirectional rotatable 60-minute indicator
Movement
Calibre A-300, mechanical hand-wound, one-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 23
Diameter: 32.80 mm
Height: 4.30 mm
Power reserve: 55 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Decoration: Black DLC coated, snailed and chamfered plates and bridges, wheels with Angelus six-spoke design, mirror-polished tourbillon cage with chamfered and polished edges, balance wheel black treated
Dial
Openwork with grey chapter ring
Indexes, Arabic numbers and hands filled with Super-Luminova
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium, black DLC coated
Diameter: 46.00 mm
Thickness: 12.47 mm
Crowns: Screwed and engraved with Angelus logo
Crystal: Box shaped sapphire with anti-reflection coating both sides
Back: Sapphire
Water resistance: 300 m / 1,000 ft
Strap
Material: Black rubber embossed with Angelus logo
Buckle: Pin, grade 5 titanium, black DLC coated
Limited edition
25 pieces
World retail price
CHF 30’750 without taxes (prices can be subject to change)
Angelus, the premium Swiss manufacture specialized in the manufacturing of high-performance haute horlogerie movements and wristwatches, presents its first diver’s watch, the U50 Diver Tourbillon.
Dressed in a 45mm-wide lightweight yet robust Titanium case, the U50 Diver Tourbillon features two large screw-down crowns. The two-position crown at 4 o’clock is used for winding and setting the time, while the crown at 2 o’clock is used to rotate the uni-directional 60-minute flange ring, in lieu of the more common exterior rotating 60-minute bezel found in diver’s watches.
Opposite the crowns on the left side of the case at the 9 o’clock position, a helium escape valve is placed to ensure the watch’s water-resistance of 300 meters (1’000 feet). Instead of a solid dial, the U50 Diver Tourbillon features an open display with a highly contrasting flange ring in blue and yellow lacquer, featuring white Superluminova on the indexes. Matching the legible flange ring, the hands are rhodium plated with blue and yellow lacquer, with Superluminova applied in the middle of the hands.
The result of no less than four years of intensive R&D, the U50 Diver Tourbillon’s A-300 caliber was designed as a skeleton from the ground up rather than simply being a cut-out version of an existing movement.
Much reduced in weight, it has maximum rigidity from its beam- type bridges and the fact that all the movement’s main elements, such as the wheels and barrel, are firmly secured between two plates.
This design replaces the conventional main plate and bridges construction and massively increases the mechanical resistance of the movement. The watch’s rigidity is further enhanced by the Angelus in-house six-spoke design, which reinforces the wheel train and protects the skeletonized ratchet and barrel.
With its core functions – hours, minutes, small seconds and one-minute flying tourbillon – the A300 caliber has 23 jewels, a Swiss lever escapement and measures just 4.3 millimetres in thickness and 32.8 millimetres in diameter.
Even though the A-300 caliber in the U50 Diver Tourbillon is intended as a high-performance movement ready to take on more extreme situations, the ultra-slim movement has painstakingly executed contemporary haute horlogerie finishing with snailed black ADLC coating and chamfered edges. The design is enhanced by a skeletonized ratchet and barrel in the exclusive Angelus six-spoke design.
The U50 Diver Tourbillon comes on a black rubber strap bearing the Angelus “A” logo, with a Titanium pin-buckle.
Indications
Central hours, minutes and small seconds, one-minute flying tourbillon
Movement and Finishing
Caliber: A-300, mechanical hand-winding tourbillon movement
Complications: One-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 23
Diameter: 32.80 mm
Height: 4.30 mm
Power reserve: around 55 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Balance wheel: Black gold-treated
Escapement: Swiss lever
Regulated: Set to 5 positions
Gear train: Wheels with exclusive Angelus six-spoke design to maximize rigidity
Main plate: Snailed with chamfered edges, black ADLC coated
Upper bridges: Snailed with chamfered edges, black ADLC coated
Tourbillon cage: Mirror-polished with chamfered and polished edges
Dial
Chapter ring: Dial with seconds counter, flange with index and minutery
Blue and yellow with white Superluminova
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium
Diameter: 45 mm
Thickness: 12.47 mm
Crown: 2x screwed Engraved with ANGELUS logo,
2 positions: 1 for movement, 1 for flange
Back: Sapphire
Distance between lugs: 21 mm
Water resistance: 300 m / 1000 ft
Crystal: Box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Strap and buckle
Material: Black rubber, with 3D motif, Angelus logo and titanium pin buckle
Length range: 120/75 mm
Width: 21/18 mm
Buckle: Titanium pin-buckle
Angelus introduces two new versions of its Skeleton Tourbillon movement: the U21 and U22, both feature streamlined designs focused on structural optimization. These new iterations showcase the splendor of the movement’s architecture and tourbillon while reducing as much weight as possible. For this purpose, the U21 and U22 Tourbillon feature a carbon fiber main plate, giving the impression of being a part of the case.
The U21 Tourbillon has a bezel-less carbon fiber central case element with polished and satin-brushed 18-karat red gold lugs, enhancing its visual appeal. The skeletonized bridges are solid 18-karat red gold for additional harmony between the case and movement. To further enhance legibility, the hands are filled with white SuperLumiNova.
The U22 Tourbillon on the other hand features a carbon fiber and titanium case. Thanks to its carbon fiber main plate, the U22 Tourbillon weighs a mere 54 grams in total. The flange ring is set with satin-finished applied indexes for the hour markers. The central hands are filled with red SuperLumiNova.
Both U21 and U22 Tourbillon watches showcase the essence of the movement by removing any superfluous material. These mechanical marvels do not boast an ordinary movement that has been skeletonized afterwards, but a flying tourbillon movement that has been created from scratch to be as open, three-dimensional and resplendent as possible. The components have been hand-chamfered, hand-polished and hand satin-finished to ensure that they look as good as they are filigree.
And to further increase visibility into the top of the three-dimensional movement, both models feature a unique design element. The case is fashioned without a bezel and instead uses a sapphire crystal dome, which also allows a sideways view onto the movement.
The variable inertia balance wheel of the tourbillon is especially designed and crafted to minimize air friction; the patterned carbon fiber used in the main plate is offers maximum rigidity; ruby bearings are set into solid gold chatons. The ultra-light case, entirely made of carbon fiber, red gold or titanium and sapphire, has been designed to echo the three dimensional aspect and the technical feel of the timepiece.
The U21 Tourbillon is available in a limited edition of 18 pieces in NPT carbon-fiber/red gold case. The U22 Tourbillon is available in a limited edition of 18 pieces in NPT carbon-fiber/titanium case.
U21 Tourbillon
Features and Indications
Central hours and minutes, one-minute flying tourbillon, haute horlogerie manufacture movement with
NPT carbon-fiber main plate and gold bridges
Movement and Finishing
Calibre: Angelus A-250, manual-winding with flying tourbillon, NPT carbon-fiber main
plate and solid 18-karat red gold bridges
Jewels: 18, set in solid gold chatons
Diameter: 32.60 mm
Height: 5.78 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph / 3 Hz
Balance: Variable inertia regulated by four gold weights, minimal air-resistant design
Escapement: Swiss lever
Gear train: Exclusive Angelus 6-spoke design to maximize rigidity
Complications: One-minute flying tourbillon
Tourbillon cage: Steel, hand-chamfered and hand-polished
Movement finishing: Haute horlogerie, all steel components have hand-chamfered and hand polished edges, flat surfaces are mirror-polished or satin-finished. Satin finished with chamfered and polished edges solid 18-karat red gold bridges
Dial
Material: NPT carbon-fiber dial is actually the movement’s main plate
Hour and minute markings: Printed spokes on outer chapter ring
Hour and minute hands: Rhodium-treated with white SuperLumiNova blue emission
Case
Material: NPT carbon-fiber and 18-karat red gold.
Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 10.30 mm including sapphire crystals
Crown: Engraved with ANGELUS logo; 2 positions: 1. winding, 2. time-setting
Back: Sapphire display back
Distance between lugs: 21 mm
Water resistance: 30 m / 100’/ 3 atm
Crystals: Sapphire crystal dome with anti-reflective coating on inside surface
Strap and buckle
Material: Stealth black alligator leather with titanium insert
Length range: 75 – 115 mm
Width: 21 – 18 mm
Buckle: 18-karat red gold pin buckle engraved with Angelus logo
Limitation and reference
Limited Edition: 18 pieces
Reference: 0TCAD.B01A.C004R
U22 Tourbillon
Features and Indications
Central hours and minutes, one-minute flying tourbillon, haute horlogerie manufacture movement with
NPT carbon-fiber main plate and titanium bridges
Movement and Finishing
Calibre: Angelus A-250, manual-winding with flying tourbillon, NPT carbon-fiber main
plate and titanium bridges
Jewels: 18, set in solid gold chatons
Diameter: 32.60 mm
Height: 5.78 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph / 3 Hz
Balance: Variable inertia regulated by four gold weights, minimal air-resistant design
Escapement: Swiss lever
Gear train: Exclusive Angelus 6-spoke design to maximize rigidity
Complications: One-minute flying tourbillon
Tourbillon cage: Steel, hand-chamfered and hand-polished
Movement finishing: Haute horlogerie, all steel component have hand-chamfered and hand polished edges, flat surfaces are mirror-polished or satin-finished. Chamfered and sand blasted titanium bridges.
Dial
Material: NPT carbon-fiber dial is actually the movement main plate
Hour and minute markings: Printed spokes on outer chapter ring and satin finished indexes
Hour and minute hands: Rhodium-treated with red SuperLumiNova blue emission
Case
Material: NPT carbon-fiber and titanium
Diameter: 42 mm
Height: 10.30 mm including sapphire crystals
Crown: Engraved with ANGELUS logo; 2 positions: 1. winding, 2. time-setting
Back: Sapphire display back
Distance between lugs: 21 mm
Water resistance: 30 m / 100’/ 3 atm
Crystals: Sapphire crystal dome with anti-reflective coating on inside surface
Strap and buckle
Material: Stealth black alligator leather with titanium insert
Length range: 75 – 115 mm
Width: 21 – 18 mm
Buckle: Titanium, pin buckle engraved with Angelus logo
Limitation and reference
Limited Edition: 18 pieces
Reference: 0TCBB.B01A.C004T
Legendary Swiss watch brand Angelus made a comeback in 2015 by unveiling U10 Tourbillon Lumière. This mechanical marvel pays tribute to to some of the most influential and forward-thinking designers from the 60s and 70s, such as Dieter Rams and Achille Castiglioni.
With its unique design and especially its vitrine-type construction, the U10 offers an extraordinary platform to showcase not only its oversized tourbillon, but also miniature works of wearable art. Angelus now presents an artistic line based on the U10 platform.
The first unique piece from this Angelus U10 art collection pays tribute to the old tradition of Mexican Calaveras. These are part of a very ancient tradition of memento mori.
The Calaveras are mainly used in the Mexican celebration of the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), where people remember and honor those who have passed on with calaveras, poems and other forms of symbolism. The U10 Tourbillon Calavera is a unique piece in stainless steel, which launches the Angelus U10 art collection.
Four years in the making, the U10 Tourbillon Calavera not only upholds the Angelus tradition of creating extremely inventive timepieces boasting finely-finished, in-house movements with long power reserves, it is also a timepiece of glorious contrasts.
On one hand the U10 Tourbillon Calavera is classic haute horlogerie. Its dead beat seconds complication – where the second hand advances in full steps of one second – derives from 18th-century pocket watches; the movement bridges and plates are in traditional nickel-silver that is bevelled and polished; and the traditional 2.5Hz / 18,000 vph of the screwed balance with Breguet-overcoil is a throwback to some of Angelus’ early pocket watches.
And yet, the modernist display, innovative engineering and state-of-the-art materials and finishing ensure that the U10 Tourbillon Calavera can equally be viewed as a paragon of cutting-edge, contemporary watchmaking.
Flying tourbillon on full show thanks to deconstructed movement and duplex case. The configuration of the manual-winding calibre is decidedly avant-garde, with the tourbillon positioned far outside of the movement, displayed alone as a dazzling mechanical sculpture in its own sapphire crystal vitrine.
The generously-proportioned – 62.75 mm x 38 mm x 15 mm – case, which took over two years to develop, features no fewer than seven sapphire crystals. All the crystals are bevelled, polished and subtly protrude from the case, creating expressive three-dimensionality.
Four of these crystals – including one wrapping 90° over the end of the case – surround the tourbillon, allowing unfettered views to the beating heart of the timepiece. The large windows also let light flood in and shine a spotlight on this mechanical centrepiece. The vitrine aspect of the tourbillon space is cleverly enhanced by light-absorbing, matte black PVD finish on the interior walls encasing the tourbillon.
The stainless steel used to make the case is BO-988 specific steel. This annealed steel is of a higher quality than the usual 316L steel found in timepiece cases because it contains fewer impurities, is less liable to corrode and is more biocompatible. Its finer grain size allows for a better standard of polishing and higher level of finish.
With its generous 16.25 mm diameter, the hand-polished tourbillon cage is crafted from weight-saving stainless steel, while titanium has been chosen for the tourbillon bridge due to its strength and shock-absorbing qualities. The flying tourbillon configuration does not need an upper supporting bridge and offers unimpeded views to the top of the regulator. The combination of nickel-silver, titanium and stainless steel in a watch movement is unique and especially the magenta lacquer for the bridge of the tourbillon cage.
Supporting the two mainspring barrels (which are in series for better timekeeping precision) is a bridge featuring a high-tech laser-engraved, satin-finished, criss-cross pattern. The two ratchets are also laser-engraved and enamelled.
A large diameter one-minute tourbillon requires significant energy, which is amply supplied by the dual main spring barrels. When fully wound, the Angelus A100 calibre provides 90 hours of optimal power. The two mainspring barrels are optimally sized in a special ratio for a flatter torque curve, which maximizes accuracy throughout for the full 90 hours.
The hour and minute hands – brushed finished, rhodium-treated and filled with blue lacquer – are actually set into the concave dial made of grey-tinted sapphire. Like the interior of the tourbillon vitrine, the walls of the dial recess have also been bead-blasted to a matte finish and then black treated. Tiny holes drilled into the dial at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and filled with Super-LumiNova create bright white markers.
In a neat touch highlighting the meticulous thought that has gone into every aspect of the U10 Tourbillon Calavera, the dead beat seconds hand rotating flush with the top of the dial features a counter weight on its short end. Each passing second marked by the hand aligns perfectly with the radial white and yellow lines printed onto the dial.
While the dead beat seconds hand’s step-by-step motion is the result of a traditional horological complication, the stepped seconds is also reminiscent of quartz watches. Completing the indications on the side of the case is the intuitive linear power reserve featuring a rhodium-treated hand filled with blue lacquer.
Indications
Hours, minutes, central dead beat seconds, one-minute flying tourbillon, linear power reserve indication
Movement
Calibre: A-100, mechanical hand-winding tourbillon movement
Complications: One-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 38
Dimensions: 52.10 mm x 30.40 mm
Thickness: 7.50 mm
Power reserve: 90 h, double barrel
Frequency: 2.5Hz / 18,000 vph
Tourbillon: 16.25 mm cage diameter, Swiss lever escapement, screwed balance and hairspring with Breguet overcoil
Movement decoration: Nickel-silver movement, rhodium treated with haute horlogerie finishing: satin-finished main plate with laser engraved pattern, satin-finished bridges with chamfered and polished edges, plate dial side with sunray satin-finish, circular satin-finished wheels, screws with bevelled and mirror-polished heads, two laser-engraved and enamelled ratchets
Tourbillon finishing: bead-blasted and satin-finished titanium tourbillon bridge, entire tourbillon cage with hand-chamfered and polished edges and either satin-finished or mirror-polished surfaces
Dial
Colour: Translucent-grey coated concave sapphire and black outer ring
Double white (C1) Super-LumiNova dots at 12 o’clock
Single white (C1) Super-LumiNova dots at 3, 6 & 9 o’clock
Hour, minute & power reserve hands: Brushed-finished, rhodium-treated, with blue lacquer
Dead beat seconds hand: Magenta lacquered
Case
Material: BO-988 specific annealed stainless steel, bead-blasted and treated with black PVD on the inside
Dimensions: 62.75 mm x 38 mm
Thickness: 15 mm including sapphire crystals
Sapphire crystals: 7 in total, treated with anti-reflective coating
Back: See-though sapphire crystal
Water-resistant: 30 m
Strap
Hand-stitched black alligator leather
Buckle: Stainless steel folding buckle
When the Angelus engineers set out to develop, design and manufacture the U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton, they went way beyond the confines of traditional watchmaking and took their cue from cutting-edge architecture and high-performance structural engineering, some of the world’s greatest supercars and aerospace-inspired technology. The result of their labours, which involved four years of intensive R&D, is the Angelus Tourbillon Skeleton A-300 calibre.
Unlike most conventional skeletonized watches, which tend to be cut-out versions of existing models, the U40 was designed to be a skeleton from the start and is based on structural optimization.
The U40’s simplicity and elegance are set off to maximum advantage by a movement that has the appeal of a three-dimensional sculpture and is a celebration of consummate mechanical achievement. Much reduced in weight, it has maximum rigidity from its beam type bridges and the fact that all the movement’s main elements, such as the wheels and barrel, are firmly secured between two plates.
This design replaces the conventional main plate and bridges construction and massively increases the mechanical resistance of the movement. The watch’s rigidity is further enhanced by the Angelus in-house six-spoke design, which reinforces the wheel train and protects the skeletonized ratchet and barrel.
With its core functions – hours, minutes and one-minute flying tourbillon – the A-300 calibre has 23 jewels, a Swiss lever escapement and measures just 4.3 millimetres in thickness and 32.8 millimetres in diameter. The 4 Hz / 28,800 vph frequency is a guarantee for high performance and precision.
The ultra-slim movement has painstakingly executed contemporary haute horlogerie finishing with snailed black ADLC coating and chamfered edges. The design is enhanced by a skeletonized ratchet and barrel in the exclusive Angelus six-spoke design.
The U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton is housed in a fabulous grade 5 titanium case that measures 42 millimetres in diameter and is only 10 millimetres thick. The design is highly complex and features a variety of curves and lines combined with alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces and a see-through back.
Viewed from the side, the housing is stepped and tapers from top to bottom, the widest section accommodating the extra-large glass with the lower part narrowing to fit snugly on the wrist. The lugs are hollowed out to further increase lightness.
Encompassing the dial is a multi-step bezel in black, dark grey and light grey with red imprints and a flange with an index and chapter rings. The hour and minute hands have red or white tips.
This impressive timepiece is secured to the wearer’s wrist by a black rubber strap bearing a three-dimensional motif and Angelus logo and fastened by a titanium pin buckle.
Technical details
Model: U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton
Reference numbers
0TSAT.B01A.K007T red hands
0TSAT.B01B.K007T white hands
Features and Indications
Central hours and minutes, one-minute flying tourbillon
Movement and Finishing
Calibre: A-300, mechanical hand-winding tourbillon movement
Complications: One-minute flying tourbillon
Jewels: 23
Diameter: 32.8 mm
Height: 4.30 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Balance wheel: Black, gold-treated
Escapement: Swiss lever
Regulated: Set to 5 positions
Gear train: Wheels with exclusive Angelus six-spoke design to maximize rigidity
Main plate: Snailed with chamfered edges, black ADLC coated
Upper bridges: Snailed with chamfered edges, black ADLC coated
Tourbillon cage: Mirror-polished with chamfered and polished edges
Dial
Chapter ring: Multi-step with indexes treated in black and dark grey with white and red prints
Hands: Skeletonized, polished facet and sandblasted with coloured tip central hour and minute hands
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium with black coating on the case band
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 10 mm
Crown: Engraved with ANGELUS logo, 2 positions: 1 winding, 2 time setting
Back: Sapphire
Distance between lugs: 21 mm
Water resistance: 30 m / 100 ft / 3 atm
Crystal: Box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
Strap and buckle
Material: Black rubber, with 3D motif, Angelus logo and titanium pin buckle
Length range: 120/75 mm
Width: 21/18 mm
Buckle: Titanium pin-buckle
The Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante is a three dimensional and modern mechanical wrist watch that unites three coveted “haute horlogerie” complications: the tourbillon, fly-back double column wheel chronograph and split-seconds (rattrapante), while also boasting automatic winding with a power reserve display.
Angelus brand proudly carries a long tradition in innovative chronograph wristwatches: this history of manufacture chronographs for the wrist began in 1925 with a monopusher. The company’s first highlight was the 1942 launch of the Chronodato, the world’s first serially manufactured chronograph with calendar. Throughout subsequent decades, Angelus released ever more groundbreaking chronographs, many of them including world-first complications.
It took almost five years of intensive research and development secured by several patents to create the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante. It features a one-minute tourbillon, a fly-back double column wheel chronograph, a split-seconds (rattrapante), a self-winding mechanism and a power reserve indicator. However technically complicated that combination is, it is the movement’s contemporary architecture and three-dimensional design that make the Angelus Tourbillon Rattrapante truly unique.
All of these complications have been reengineered based on structural optimization and skeletonized to reveal as much of the movement as possible on the dial side, all while ensuring maximum legibility of the time and chronograph functions. The skeleton bridges alone allow the display of no fewer than 15 different wheels dial side.
The movement hosts a number of complications – all fully integrated rather than modular add-ons – that are built on several layers, all visible thanks to the skeletonized bridges that create a form evoking the “A” of Angelus. To further increase the impression of depth, the movement is fully transparent around the tourbillon and treated in various shades of black and grey.
A tour of the open dial begins with skeletonized central hour and minute hands. High legibility is ensured by high-contrast black movement bridges underneath light-colored hour and minute hands, as well as the fact that the latter have slightly curved profiles to catch the light from any angle.
The one-minute tourbillon occupies a quarter of the dial space and can be appreciated through the skeletonized movement plate and bridges at 10 o’clock. The tourbillon is high beat with 4 Hz / 28,800 vph, a perfect fit for the watch’s character.
The tourbillon cage is entirely made of non-magnetic material and reduced to the maximum to further minimize mass and optimize performance. Not only can the tourbillon itself be fully admired dial side, but also all its gearing, creating an intriguing micro-mechanical display.
The power reserve indicator, with visible gears and wheels, is positioned at 8 o’clock directly integrated onto the skeletonized bridge: a green sector indicates ideal torque while red highlights that it’s time to wind the watch.
The chronograph function of the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante is among the most refined and complicated in existence: the split-seconds or “double” chronograph. This type of chronograph is highly complex to achieve, especially when combined with a tourbillon, as the energy consumption of a rattrapante mechanism is very high.
The rattrapante (or split-seconds) function allows the timing of different events that begin but do not end together, for example the times of two runners. Two separate chronograph second hands are set one over the other; the one underneath is the split-seconds hand.
When the chronograph is started, both hands start moving in lockstep together, until a press of the pusher in the crown “splits” them, with the top hand continuing and the bottom split seconds hand stopping to allow an intermediate time to be noted. By again pressing the pusher, the split-seconds hand will instantly catch up to the main chronograph hand, ready again to record a new intermediate time. Integrated onto the bridge at 3 o’clock, a 30-minute counter completes the chronograph functions.
The visible column wheel for the split-seconds function is beautifully placed at 4 o’clock, positioned just below the 30-minute counter. The observer can even watch it in operation when the split-seconds function is activated. A second column wheel on the back of the movement controls the chronograph.
Whereas the majority of chronographs operate in the sequence push-to-start, push-to-stop, and push-to-reset, Angelus’ U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante is first of all a “fly-back” chronograph, which means that the timing operation can be directly reset and restart without having to be stopped first. The fly-back function is very useful as it allows instant restarting of the chronograph with one push of the button instead of the three pushes necessary for standard chronographs.
The fly-back function is especially complicated to achieve when combined with the split seconds complication as the fly-back mechanism has not only one, but two, central chronograph hands to reset and restart. In addition, the forces generated on the split seconds mechanism during the instantaneous reset and restart are significant. Therefore, all of the different chronograph functions have to be painstakingly set and optimized by the master watchmaker during assembly in order to guarantee smooth operation of all functions.
Technical details
Model: U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante
Features and Indications
Central hours and minutes, tourbillon, fly-back double column wheel chronograph, split-seconds (rattrapante), power reserve indicator
Movement and Finishing
Calibre: A-150, mechanical self-winding tourbillon split-seconds chronograph
Complications: One-minute tourbillon, fly-back chronograph, split-seconds, power reserve indicator
Jewels: 38
Diameter: 37.60 mm
Height: 9.35 mm
Power reserve: 45 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz / 28,800 vph
Balance wheel: Black gold-treated copper-beryllium
Escapement: Swiss lever
Regulated: Set to 5 positions
Gear train: Wheels with exclusive Angelus six-spoke design to maximize rigidity
Screws: Angelus three-point design torque-optimizing heads
Main plate and automatic bridge: Grey NAC-treated to maximize contrast and depth
Upper bridges: Black ADLC-treated
Column wheels: Black ADLC-treated and mirror-polished. Both the split-seconds’ column wheel on the dial side and chronograph column wheel on the back are visible
Tourbillon cage: Hand-chamfered and hand-polished. Black ADLC-treated second pointer
Movement finishing: Chamfered and polished edges, flat surfaces either satin-finished or sandblasted
Rotor: Black ADLC-treated with solid 22-karat white gold segment
Dial
Chapter ring: Hours, minutes and chronograph seconds markers
Counters: 30-minute counter laser engraved onto the upper chronograph bridge and rhodium treated. Power reserve indicator laser engraved onto the power reserve bridge, rhodium treated and filled with green and red lacquer
Hands: Skeletonized, sand-blasted with polished top hour and minute hands, sandblasted chronograph second hand with red tip, satin-finished split-seconds hand, sand-blasted with polished top power reserve hand, polished 30-minute counter hand with red line
Case
Material: Grade 5 titanium with black coating on the case band
Diameter: 47 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Crown: Engraved with ANGELUS logo; 2 positions: 1. winding, 2. time-setting, split-seconds pusher integrated in the crown
Back: Transparent
Distance between lugs: 22 mm
Water resistance: 30 m / 100 ft / 3 atm
Crystals: Box sapphire crystal (front and back) with anti-reflective coating on the inside
Strap and buckle
Material: Black stealth alligator with titanium insert or rubber
Length range: 70 mm to 125 mm
Width: 22 / 20 mm
Buckle: Titanium, folding buckle engraved with Angelus logo
Limitation and reference number
Limited edition: 25 pieces
Reference number: 0CRAC.B01A.C003U
Angelus, one of the most iconic brand names in the history of centuries old Swiss watch industry, made a comeback in 2015 with an outstanding tourbillon collection. Now the brand introduces its latest horology masterpiece, the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon
Made of sapphire, carbon and titanium and incorporating cutting edge watchmaking technology, the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon watch is a beautiful mechanical haute horlogerie sculpture that stands tall among contemporary luxury watch creations.
From the movement to the case design, every aspect of the U20 has been conceptualized to allow light to enter the watch and reveal the splendor of the movement’s architecture and tourbillon. The first elements one sees are the raised dome sapphire crystal of the carbon case and the mirror-polished beveled edge of the monobloc titanium lugs, all reflecting the light.
A deeper look reveals the virtually transparent movement floating in the case and allowing an unobstructed view through the watch. The quest for transparency and three dimensionality is essential in the world of ultimate high-end watchmaking. The goal is to present the essence of the movement by removing any superfluous material. What seems to look deceptively simple to achieve requires great artistic vision and engineering prowess. The more material that is removed, the more the structure of the movement has to be carefully calculated to ensure rigidity and sturdiness.
The U20 Ultra-Skeleton does not boast an ordinary movement that has been skeletonized afterwards, but a tourbillon movement that has been created from scratch to be symmetrical, transparent and resplendent.
To further enhance transparency, the U20 features a sapphire main plate. The bridges have been made of blued titanium and have been skeletonized to increase transparency even further. The bridges’ beam shape also maximizes rigidity – the latter being essential for chronometric precision.
The discerning eye will be pleased to discover that haute horlogerie has not been sacrificed on the altar of transparency: components in the Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon have been hand-chamfered, hand-polished and hand satin-finished to ensure that they look as good as they are filigree.
And to further increase visibility into the top of the three-dimensional movement, the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon features a unique design element. The case dispenses with a bezel and instead uses a sapphire crystal dome, which also allows a sideways view onto the movement.
The U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon deserves closer inspection, which reveals many of the well thought-out details that go into transforming a skeleton watch into an ultra-skeleton haute horlogerie watch: the variable inertia balance wheel of the tourbillon is especially designed and crafted to minimize air friction; the sapphire main plate is polished to the highest optical grade; ruby bearings are set into solid gold chatons.
The ultra-light case, entirely made of carbon-fiber, titanium and sapphire, has been designed to echo the visual lightness and the technical feel of the timepiece.
The U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon is available in a limited edition of 18 pieces in carbon fiber/titanium case.
Technical details
Model: U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon
Features and Indications
Central hours and minutes, one-minute flying tourbillon, haute horlogerie manufacture movement with sapphire main plate and blue skeletonized satin-finished titanium bridges
Movement and Finishing
Calibre: Angelus A-250, manual-winding with flying tourbillon, sapphire main plate and blue titanium bridges
Jewels: 18, set in solid gold chatons
Diameter: 32.60 mm
Height: 5.78 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours
Frequency: 21,600 vph / 3 Hz
Balance: Variable inertia regulated by four gold weights, minimal air-resistant design
Escapement: Swiss lever
Gear train: Exclusive Angelus 6-spoke design to maximize rigidity
Complications: One-minute flying tourbillon, ultra-light form
Tourbillon cage: Steel, hand-chamfered and hand-polished
Movement finishing: Haute horlogerie, all steel components with hand-chamfered and hand-polished edges, flat surfaces mirror-polished or satin-finished
Dial
Material: sapphire dial is actually the movement main plate
Hour and minute markings: printed spokes on outer chapter ring
Hour and minute hands: rhodium-treated and skeletonised
Case
Material: NPT carbon-fibre and titanium
Diameter: 42.00 mm
Height: 10.30 mm including sapphire crystals
Crown: engraved with ANGELUS logo; 2 positions: 1. winding, 2. time-setting
Back: sapphire display back
Distance between lugs: 21.00 mm
Water resistance: 30 m / 100’/ 3 atm
Crystals: Sapphire crystal dome with anti-reflective coating on inside surface
Strap and buckle
Material: stealth black alligator leather with titanium insert
Length range: 75 mm to 115 mm
Width: 21 mm
Buckle: titanium, pin buckle engraved with Angelus logo
Limitation and reference
Limited Edition: 18 pieces
Reference: 0TCAB.U01A.C004T
Established in 1891 by the brothers Albert and Gustav Stolz in Le Locle, Switzerland, Angelus has been one of the most influential horological manufactures of the last century. Connoisseurs of high-end watchmaking have universally hailed Angelus’ pioneering, in-house developed movements and timepieces, which continue to be coveted by collectors all over the world.
After lying dormant for more than 30 years, Angelus has now been revived by Manufacture La Joux Perret, which has spent four years developing the next generation of visionary timepieces. The Angelus’ manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds is just a stone’s throw from where the Stolz brothers established their original manufacture.
Over the past century, Angelus forged a fine reputation for creating exceptional chronograph and multi-complication wristwatches, multi-display travel clocks with long power reserves, and alarm watches. The brand marked several firsts along the way, including the Chronodato (1942), which was the first series wristwatch chronograph with calendar.
The Chrono-Datoluxe (1948) featured the very first big date in a chronograph wristwatch; it was also the first series chronograph wristwatch with a digital calendar – years before such a display became a standard in watchmaking.
The Datalarm (1956) was the first wristwatch ever featuring both alarm and date function, while the cult timepiece the Tinkler (1958) was both the first automatic repeater wristwatch and also the first fully waterproof repeater wristwatch.
The high precision of Angelus timepieces is evidenced by a series of first -class results at observatory timing competitions, while the superb craftsmanship of Angelus watches has been recognized by awards from international exhibitions including Paris (1902), Lille (1902), Liège (1905), Milan (1906), Bern (1914) and Philadelphia (1926).
Like many other prestigious Swiss watch brands, Angelus became the victim to the quartz crisis in the 1970s and production halted. However, in 2011 Angelus was revived by the well -known and highly innovative mechanical movement specialist Manufacture La Joux-Perret SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds and its CEO Frédéric Wenger and Head of Innovation Dr Sébastien Chaulmontet. Angelus now has at its disposal a skilled and enthusiastic team committed to putting Angelus back on the pedestal of high-end watchmaking.
Still enjoying the creative freedom afforded by having its own manufacture and using the brand’s rich history as a guiding principle and source of inspiration, Angelus has spent over four years developing the next generation of Angelus timepieces, which uphold the brand’s reputation for horological ingenuity.
Featuring complications from classic watchmaking, ultramodern materials crafted using cutting-edge techniques, highly visible movements and contemporary design cues, these innovative timepieces push the boundaries of contemporary watchmaking, while remaining true to the haute horlogerie traditions of the brand.
The Angelus manufacture
Angelus is owned by Manufacture La Joux-Perret SA, which operates out of its own manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the heart of fine Swiss watchmaking. The new Angelus base is a stone’s throw from where the Stolz brothers set up their first watchmaking manufacture in 1891.
Today’s Angelus manufacture is fully equipped with a highly-skilled workforce allowing Angelus to design, produce, finish, assemble, regulate and test all of its movements and timepieces in-house. For non-movement components, e.g. cases, dials and hands, Angelus partners with the best suppliers in the Swiss luxury watch industry, many of which are close neighbours.
Like an Angelus timepiece, the Angelus manufacture blends the very best of classic haute horlogerie with ultra-modern watchmaking production methods. While the Angelus manufacture employs a number of skilled artisans who use time-honored techniques and tools to delicately craft and finish components using traditional methods, it also boasts a state-of-the-art production facility featuring semi-automatic machines – lathes, milling machines, drills, pointing and centering tools – and CNC machines programmed and operated by experienced technicians, engineers and watchmakers.
The seeds of a new Angelus movement and timepiece are typically sewn in the bureau technique, where the latest Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) programs are used by Angelus movement constructors to design and model the latest concepts and ideas.
The manufacture embraces horological tradition by working classic materials such as precious metals, steel and brass, as well as the challenges and possibilities presented by modern materials, e.g. maraging steel, copper alloys, aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber. Where necessary, components and materials undergo thermic treatments – tempering and annealing, for example – to make them more resistant.
The skilled craftsmen of the Angelus decoration department provide an inimitable, personal touch to Angelus creations by adorning plates and bridges with artful, traditional finishes including Côtes de Genève, circular graining, snailing and sunray guilloches using traditional watchmaking tools guided by experienced human hands. Spectacular modern finishes can also be achieved using the latest technology such as laser engraving.
Hours are dedicated to beveling and polishing pieces by hand. Such fine-finishing draws the very best qualities from the materials, with the resulting plays of light and glinting reflections highlighting their beauty. The steady and dexterous hands of the watchmakers then painstakingly assemble the final timepiece.
Meticulous quality control checks are performed during each process, between operations and, of course, on the completion of the finished timepiece, using a variety of measuring equipment – digital sensors, microscopes, binoculars, photo-cameras, gauges and projectors – to conduct a battery of checks including precision, torque, strength and water resistance tests. Throughout, the Angelus manufacture team strives to continually innovate and is always researching and investigating new techniques, as well as keeping abreast of developments in other fields of fine mechanics.
Angelus Chronology – Key Dates
1891: Brothers Albert and Gustav Stolz – distinguished watchmakers and former students of Henri Sandoz who was director of the Tavannes Watch Company – establish their Angelus watchmaking manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland, a city world renowned for high -end watchmaking. They began with just a room on the Rue du Marais, modest beginnings for what would become an important brand.
1914-1918: The First World War proves an obstacle to the development of Angelus, but does not prevent it from creating a repeater timepiece for blind people that is offered to returning soldiers who have suffered facial injuries. This gesture earns the Stolz brothers a letter of thanks from French army general Marshal Joffre.
1930: Angelus starts selling the smallest – only 32 mm x 21 mm (10.5 lines) – 8-day movement in the world with an excellent precision of +/- 1 minute per week. This movement actually has a potential power reserve of 10 days. It remains the smallest 8-day movement in the world to this day.
ANGELUS 8 Days Watch, Circa 1930
1935: Angelus begins making two-pusher chronographs based on 29.33 mm and 33.84 mm (13 and 15 lines) manufacture movements with 30- or 45-minute counters. The first two-pusher chronographs appeared in 1933 and were made by Breitling; however the complication only becomes widespread after 1935, with Angelus and Universal prominent exponents of this type of chronograph.
ANGELUS Two Pusher Chronograph, Circa 1935
1936: Angelus launches caliber SF240, the smallest 8-day alarm movement then available. This movement is also produced without alarm function.
1937: Angelus launches the Foursome compact table clock, featuring an 8-day power reserve, automatic calendar, barometer, and thermometer.
ANGELUS Foursome compact table clock, Circa 1937
1939: Angelus 8-day caliber SF240 is chosen by Panerai to equip watches for the Italian navy. Panerai watches equipped with the Angelus caliber SF240 can be recognized by the small seconds at 9 o’clock. This now iconic Panerai design element can be directly attributed to the Angelus caliber SF240.
Angelus Caliber SF240
1942: Angelus causes a sensation in the world of watchmaking by launching the world’s first series chronograph with calendar. Initially christened Chronodate, then Chronodato from 1943 onwards, this remarkable chronograph is equipped with the 32.8 mm (14 lines) calibre SF217, which was derived from the calibre SF215 launched earlier in the year – and features 17 or 19 jewels and a 45-minute counter.
Angelus Chronodato
Chronodato’s date is indicated by a central hand pointing to a chapter ring on the periphery of the dial; day and month are respectively displayed in windows at 6 and 12 o’clock. The Chronodato rapidly becomes Angelus’ top selling watch and goes on to become an icon of Swiss-made chronographs. With the exception of a few non-production models made by Patek Philippe featuring a calendar in 1937 and perpetual calendar in 1941, this was the first time that the date appeared on a production chronograph wristwatch.
1943: Panerai equips its legendary Radiomir Mare Nostrum chronograph with Angelus’ calibre SF215, however, the watch stays in the prototype stage.
Radiomir Mare Nostrum chronograph, Circa 1943
1945 : Angelus creates its most sophisticated travel instrument yet, the Sixome, featuring an 8-day power reserve, automatic calendar, barometer and thermometer – like the Foursome – in addition to a hygrometer and a compass.
Angelus Sixome
1948: Angelus launches a new chronograph movement, the 27 mm (12 lines) calibre SF250 with 30-minute counter. This development paves the way for the brand’s masterpiece, the ChronoDatoluxe. The Chrono-Datoluxe is the world’s first series chronograph featuring a digital date display. It was at the same time the first wristwatch chronograph with a big date – two Arabic numerals, each one on a discrete, coaxial disc, displayed in a window at 12 o’clock, with the day also displayed in a window next to the date.
Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe, Circa 1948
A moonphase at 6 o’clock completes the indications. Angelus also made non-chronograph calendar watches both with moonphase (the Datoluxe) and without (the Dato 12) derived from the Chrono-Datoluxe calendar complication.
1956: Angelus launches the Datalarm, the first wristwatch ever featuring both alarm and date function, the latter displayed in a window at 3 o’clock. The Datalarm comes in different versions, including a world-timer with 24-hour chapter ring on the bezel and, inside on the dial, the names of 24 cities, each representing a world time zone.
Angelus Datalarm, Circa 1956
1958: Angelus launches an extraordinary wristwatch, the Tinkler, which is both the first ever automatic repeater wristwatch as well as the first waterproof repeater wristwatch. The Tinkler’s repeater mechanism – activated by a ‘pump’ pusher similar to that used in Angelus’ waterproof chronographs – strikes on the hour and quarter hours.
Angelus Tinkler, Circa 1958
The Tinkler is so ahead of its time that only approximately 100 pieces were produced. This rarity means that the Tinkler becomes highly sought -after by watch collectors years later.
2015: Now owned by Manufacture La Joux-Perret SA, Angelus unveils its re-launch collection – the U10 Tourbillon Lumière – at Baselworld fair.
ANGELUS U10 Tourbillon Lumière
Contact details ANGELUS SA Boulevard des Eplatures 38 2304 La Chaux-de-Fonds Switzerland www.angelus-watches.com
The legendary Swiss watch and movement manufacture Angelus is now back in horology world with the launch of U10 Tourbillon Lumière at Baselworld 2015.
Boasting a radically deconstructed movement, the Tourbillon Lumière features hours, minutes and dead beat seconds on a concave, translucent-gray sapphire dial, plus a 90-hour linear power reserve indicator on the case band. The clean, modernist displays pay tribute to Angelus’ acclaimed travel clocks as well as taking cues from iconic industrial designs and designers of the 1960s and ‘70s.
Powering the Super-LumiNova-infused indications is an innovative, finely finished, in house caliber complete with oversized, 60-second flying tourbillon, which is offset from the movement. The assertive, sculpturally-shaped case – in special annealed steel – features seven sapphire crystals.
Visible from five sides in its own sapphire crystal showcase, the circular ballet of the tourbillon is on full display. The imaginatively engineered movement, visible also through the display back, pays homage to Angelus’ 19th-century origins as a premium movement maker.
The inspiration for the name Tourbillon Lumière derives from the light (lumière in French) streaming through the three-dimensional sapphire windows and illuminating the mesmerizing tourbillon. The U10 Tourbillon Lumière is available in a limited edition of 25 pieces in stainless steel, which launches the Angelus Urban collection.
Four years in the making, the U10 Tourbillon Lumière not only upholds the Angelus tradition of creating extremely inventive timepieces boasting finely-finished, in-house movements with long power reserves, it is also a timepiece of glorious contrasts.On one hand the Tourbillon Lumière is classic haute horlogerie.
Its dead beat seconds complication – where the second hand advances in full steps of one second – derives from 17th-century high-precision pendulum clocks; the movement bridges and plates are in traditional German silver that is beveled and polished; and the traditional 2.5Hz / 18,000vph oscillation of the screwed balance with Breguet overcoil is a throwback to some of Angelus’ early pocket watches.
And yet, the modernist display, innovative engineering and state-of-the-art materials and finishing ensure that the U10 Tourbillon Lumière can equally be viewed as a paragon of cutting-edge, contemporary watchmaking. Flying tourbillon on full show thanks to deconstructed movement and duplex caseThe configuration of the manual-winding caliber is decidedly avant-garde, with the tourbillon positioned far outside of the movement, displayed alone as a dazzling mechanical sculpture in its own sapphire crystal vitrine.
The generously-proportioned – 62.75 mm x 38 mm x 15 mm – case, which took over two years to develop, features no fewer than seven sapphire crystals. All the crystals are beveled, polished and subtly protrude from the case, creating expressive three dimensionality.
Four of these crystals – including one wrapping 90° over the end of the case –surround the tourbillon, allowing unfettered views to the beating heartbeat of the timepiece. The large windows also let light flood in and shine a spotlight on this mechanical center piece. The vitrine aspect of the tourbillon space is cleverly enhanced by light-absorbing, matte black PVD finish on the interior walls encasing the tourbillon.
The stainless steel used to make the case is BO-988 specific steel. This annealed steel is of a higher quality than the usual 316L steel found in timepiece cases because it contains fewer impurities, is less liable to corrode and is more biocompatible. Its finer grain size allows for a better standard of polishing and higher level of finish.
With its generous 16.25 mm diameter, the hand-polished tourbillon cage is crafted from weight-saving stainless steel, while titanium has been chosen for the tourbillon bridge due to its strength, low density and shock-absorbing qualities. The flying tourbillon configuration does not need an upper supporting bridge and offers unimpeded views to the top of the regulator. The combination of German silver, titanium and stainless steel in a series watch movement is unique.
Supporting the two mainspring barrels (which are in series for better timekeeping precision) is a bridge featuring a high-tech laser-engraved, satin-finished, criss-cross motif. The two ratchets are also laser-engraved and enameled. A large diameter 60-second tourbillon requires significant energy, which is amply supplied by the dual main spring barrels.
When fully wound, the Angelus 100 caliber provides a very healthy 90 hours of optimal power. The two mainspring barrels are optimally sized in a special ratio for a flatter torque curve, which maximizes accuracy throughout for the full 90 hours. The crown, purposefully oversized for ergonomic winding, is inset neatly into the case in harmony with the case’s contours.
The design of the U10 Tourbillon Lumière’s indications and case architecture are in part inspired by the multi-display travel clocks Angelus was renowned for between the 1930s to the ‘60s. Angelus pioneered the concept of displaying a range of information on different dials with dedicated windows for each indication.
There is also an evident tip of the hat towards the sculptural minimalism and clean, sober aesthetic propounded by German and Italian industrial design pioneers who rose to prominence in the 1960s and ‘70s.
Recognizable in the design of the hour-minutes-seconds display and tourbillon vitrine is the influence of the borderless convex screen of the Doney 14 transistor TV designed by Richard Sapper and Marco Zanuso for Brionvega. The perpendicular kink in the large wrap-over crystal of the tourbillon vitrine is also reminiscent of the shape of Sapper and Zanuso’s Algol television for the same company.
Without curved corners to soften its strong lines, the Tourbillon Lumière’s assertive case would effectively resemble a box – linear and blocky. However, the Angelus design team looked to the great Dieter Rams for inspiration when conceiving the case architecture and duly took rounded design cues from the likes of Rams’ SK55 and Pcs 45 record players and SK 2 radio for Braun. The influence of Rams’ clear zoning of functions is also evident in the way the U10’s indications are discretely set out.
Finally, the Tourbillon Lumière’s steel case spreads out generously either side of the black strap, almost dwarfing the alligator leather fixation. Its large, rounded silvery appearance is not dissimilar to the classic Arco lamp and Spirale ashtrays of Achille Castiglioni which resemble oversized, highly-polished globules.
The U10’s case captures this sense of sculptural curvaceousness found in Castiglioni’s designs. The U10’s discrete displays also evoke the modularity of the RR126 stereo system that Castiglioni designed with his brother Pier Giacomo.
The hour and minute hands – brushed finished, rhodium-treated and filled with black Super-LumiNova that glows blue in the dark – are actually set into the concave dial made of grey-tinted sapphire. Like the interior of the tourbillon vitrine, the walls of the dial recess have also been bead-blasted to a matte finish and then treated with black PVD. Tiny holes drilled into the dial at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock and filled with Super-LumiNova create bright white markers.
In a neat touch highlighting the meticulous thought that has gone into every aspect of the Tourbillon Lumière, the dead beat seconds hand rotating flush with the top of the dial features a counter weight on its short end that encircles the Angelus graphic logo when it passes 12 o’clock. Each passing second marked by the hand aligns perfectly with the radial white lines printed onto the dial.
While the dead beat seconds hand’s step-by-step motion is the result of a traditional horological complication, the stepped seconds is also reminiscent of quartz watches. Indeed, Angelus has deliberately sought to evoke the era of quartz watches, which also have stepped seconds.
Completing the indications on the side of the case is the intuitive linear power reserve featuring a rhodium-treated hand filled with black Super-LumiNova that glows blue in the dark.
Technical details
Model: U10 Tourbillon Lumière
Movement
Calibre: ANGELUS A100 manual-winding caliber with flying tourbillon
Functions: hours, minutes, 60-second flying tourbillon, central dead beat seconds, linear power reserve indication
Tourbillon: 16.25 mm cage diameter; Swiss lever escapement, screwed balance and hairspring with Breguet overcoil
Jewels: 38
Dimensions: 52.10 mm x 30.40 mm
Height: 7.50 mm
Power reserve: 90 hours of optimal power, double barrel
Frequency: 18,000 vph / 2.5Hz
Movement finishing: German silver, rhodium-treated contemporaneously finished in the tradition of Haute Horlogerie: satin-finished with laser engraved motif main plate, satin-finished bridges with polished bevels, plate dial side with sunray satin-finish, satin-finished gears, screws with beveled and mirror-polished heads, the two ratchets are laser-engraved and enameled.
Tourbillon finishing: sandblasted and satin-finished titanium tourbillon bridge , entire tourbillon cage with hand-chamfered and polished edges and either satin-finished or mirror-polished surfaces
Dial
Material: Translucent-grey coated concave sapphire and black outer ring
Hour markings: 12 white printed spokes radiating from center
Minute markings: 48 white printed spokes on outer chapter ring
Double white (C1) Super-LumiNova dots at 12 o’clock
Single white (C1) Super-LumiNova dots at 3, 6 & 9 o’clock
ANGELUS typographic logo at 12 o’clock
ANGELUS graphic logo at 6 o’clock
Hour, minute & power reserve hands: Brushed-finished, rhodium-treated, with black
Super-LumiNova that glows blue in the dark
Dead beat second hand: white lacquered
Case
Material: BO-988 specific annealed stainless steel; bead-blasted and treated with black PVD on the inside
Dimensions: 62.75 mm x 38 mm
Height: 15mm including sapphire crystals
Crown: engraved with ANGELUS logo; 2 positions: 1. winding, 2. time-setting
Back: See-though display back
Distance between lugs: central bind
Water resistance: 30 m / 100’/ 3atm
Crystals: 7 sapphire crystals beveled, polished and treated with anti-reflective coating
Strap and buckle
Material: Hand-stitched, cut and stained edge black alligator leather
Length range: 70 mm to 125 mm
Width: 24 to 20 mm
Buckle: Stainless steel pin folding buckle engraved with Angelus logo
Limitation and reference
Limited edition: 25 timepieces
Reference: 0LUAS.B01A.C001F
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