BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
The revived Angelus is an unusual brand. Like a few watchmakers who brought historical names back from the dead, the current company seems to have little to do with what it was before. Angelus made high-quality, award-winning watches from 1891 to 1978, at which point it disappeared, another victim of the quartz crisis. In 2015 it returned after the name was purchased four years earlier. We covered the first watch after their return, the U10 Tourbillon Lumière, back in 2015 and have been fans of the company ever since. We like the watches they produce now, which are seriously high-end timepieces with futuristic designs and construction all wrapped up in history, a far cry from the basic movements they used to sell to Panerai and Rolex.
For 2022, Angelus is debuting the Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon. An exciting blend of materials provides the basis for the technical design of the watch to build upon. A case made of 18k red gold and measuring 42.5mm x 11.7mm provides shelter for the movement but is also a work of art in its own right. There are a lot of details on the case, such as the notched bezel and how about those black and gold sides? They look like they were inspired by the alloy wheels of a Lamborghini.
The dial is easy to read, although I suspect even easier in person. Most of the crucial parts of the movement are visible here, such as the flying tourbillon. The bridges of the calibre 250 are gold to match the case, and there’s an impressive level of detail all-round. The movement (with lumed hands) is sat above a black dial made from a woven carbon composite, providing texture and blackness. The movement’s balance wheel is similar to that of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s GeoPhysic True Second in that it’s not one whole wheel but is cut into two pieces at the rim. This makes it both lighter and more aerodynamic, increasing the accuracy of the balance (by how much we don’t know). The power reserve is a beefy 90-hours.
There’s not much to see on the back of the watch except more of that carbon weave. You can see the back of the crown mechanism, which allows the crown to adjust the time or wind the watch, the arms look chunky but suited to the piece.
Despite the highly sporty looks, it’s clear this is a “take it off when you want to do real sports” watch as the case is water-resistant to 30m only for some reason. Of course, you wouldn’t look at the delicate flying tourbillon and think it could take the same beating as a Submariner, but even so. The watch comes on a “ballistic” rubber strap. We couldn’t work out whether it was meant to resist gunfire or was just angry at something.
Limited to 18 examples, this watch costs CHF68,900 including tax, which is reasonable indeed for a gold flying tourbillon from a lesser-known watchmaker.
Visit Angelus here.
