FeatureRise Of The Phoenix: Angelus Watches And Their Resounding Resurrection
With a rich legacy that goes back 125 years, Angelus Watches were dormant for almost four decades owing to the quartz crisis. However, the brand was relaunched in 2011 with a new identity—without straying from their original watchmaking values. They are now churning out complex chronographs replete with tourbillons displayed in open-worked structures. Here’s how they are navigating through the complexity of it all
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While the chronograph is one of the most popular complications that one can come across in watches today—we’d even go so far as to say that they’re the most ‘common’—back in 1942, it surely was a rage among watch enthusiasts. And add to that a complete calendar function—day, date and month—and you have a winner! We are referring to the Angelus Chronodato—the world’s first series chronograph with a calendar. More on the lines of a classic dress watch, this original model was crafted in stainless steel with a white dial featuring two sub-dials (minutes at three o’clock and running seconds at nine o’clock), and the day and month displayed in two separate windows, while the date chapter ring framed the round dial, indicated by a centrally-mounted hand. The icing on the cake? An ingenious and technically-supreme manufacture movement that soon made the Chronodato one of the bestselling lines at Angelus, and it reminded in production for almost a decade. This breakthrough established Angelus as a serious Swiss watch player, taking haute horlogerie to the next level by revolutionising the chronograph.
This achievement was followed by the Chrono-Datoluxe (1948), which featured the first big date in a chronograph wristwatch; also the first with a digital calendar—years before such a display was established as a standard in watchmaking. Then came the Datalarm in 1956—the first watch ever featuring both alarm and date functions, while the Tinkler—introduced two years later, was both the first automatic repeater wristwatch and also the first fully waterproof repeater timepiece. In 1960, they also introduced a chronograph especially designed for medical professionals, shortly before they became a casualty of the quartz crisis, which put them out of business for nearly four decades.
However, in 2011, the brand started its second innings when it was bought over by Swiss movement manufacturer, La Joux Perret—acquired by the Citizen Watch group, a year later. And in 2015, Angelus finally took flight during the relaunch under their new ownership, when the first timepiece after years of inactivity was revealed at Baselworld. This was marked by the launch of the U10 Tourbillon Lumière—a retro-futuristic timepiece in a distinct oval case, equipped with a dead-beat second mechanism, and an exceptional power reserve of 90 hours. This was launched as part of their Urban collection—which represents the brand’s foray into the 21st century without losing their avant-garde spirit while upholding their reputation for innovation. Of course, one sees a marked shift in terms of ditching the dress watch appeal of their chronographs from yesteryears, and embracing a more sporty design with a primary focus on skeletonisation and incorporating the tourbillon mechanism in all their watches. However, this is not bereft of a seamless melding of the historic design points, and modern watchmaking to produce exquisitely engineered timekeepers.
The Early Years
When it comes to chronographs, Angelus holds significance among Swiss manufacturers for their in-house developed movements and watches. And this was the case right from their genesis about 125 years ago, at a time when very few brands had the expertise to manufacture their own movements; generally they would use movements from other brands who had the resources. And Angelus was part of this extraordinary watchmakers’ club. Founded in 1891 by the brothers Albert and Gustav Stolz, who were also former students of noted watchmaker and entrepreneur, Henri Sandoz, the manufacture was nestled in Le Locle, which is the birthplace of Swiss watchmaking
It was here that they pioneered the development of in-house creations, which appealed to collectors all over the globe. And beyond pocketwatches and wristwatches, Angelus had also forged a reputation for creating exceptional chronographs and multi-complication wristwatches, multi-display travel clocks with a generous power reserve of at least eight days, as well as alarm wrist watches and table clocks. In 1930, Angelus developed the smallest eight-day movement in the world—at only 32mm by 21mm (10.5 lines)—with a precision of a little over or under one minute per week. Till date, it remains the smallest movement with an eight-day power reserve, in the world.
The high precision of Angelus timepieces was also evident when the brand achieved first-class results at observatory timing competitions, while the superb craftsmanship was recognised by awards from international exhibitions including Paris (1902), Milan (1906), Bern (1914) and Philadelphia (1926).
In fact, it’s interesting to note that in 1939, Angelus’ eight-day calibre SF240 was selected by Panerai to equip the watches that it was producing for the Italian navy, and in 1943, the Florentine watchmaker used the Angelus calibre SF215 for its legendary dive timer, the Radiomir Mare Nostrum chronograph with Angelus’ calibre SF215, however, the watch remained in the prototype stage. In fact some of the Panerai watches fitted with Angelus movements have also fared really well at auctions as they have always been highly sought-after by collectors. The ‘Luminor 1950 8 Days’ Angelus Fiddy was one of the most notable ones that was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong edition of Important Watches, in 2008, for a sum of HKD 847,500 (a whopping amount close to INR 80 lakh today.)
The Present: The Angelus Manufacture At A Glance
Angelus’ headquarters are presently in La Choux-de-Fonds with a dedicated team that uses the brand’s rich history as a guiding principle and source of inspiration for the brand’s fresh take on haute horlogerie that pushes the envelope. This incorporates the use of ultra-modern materials and cutting-edge techniques to craft highly visible movements with contemporary design cues, without entirely deviating from the traditions of fine watchmaking. The manufacture is fully equipped and self-reliant, and as a result they are able to design, produce, finish, assemble, regulate and test all their movements and timepieces in-house. For non-movement components such as cases, dials and hands, Angelus partners with some of the best suppliers in the industry.
While the manufacture employs a number of skilled artisans who use time-honoured 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 centring tools, as well as the advanced CNC machines.
Once the idea of a new movement is decided upon, the designers work on the latest Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) programs to conceptualise them. The manufacture also works with classic materials such as steel and brass and are often faced with challenges of merging them with modern materials such as copper alloys, aluminium, titanium, and carbon fibre.
The role of the skilled craftsmen from the decoration department is also extremely important to provide a distinct design to all their watches. They use traditional finishes including Côtes de Genève, circular graining, snailing and sunray guilloche—executed to perfection by hand. Certain processes are also carried out by laser engraving machines; however, bevelling and polishing of the pieces is always done by hand. And once the components are ready, the watchmakers painstakingly assemble the final timepieces at the facility. Once this is done, meticulous quality control checks are performed during each process, between operations and, of course, once the watches have been assembled. Some of the tests conducted at the facility check for precision, torque, strength and water resistance.
It is here that the brand churns out their unique chrono-tourbillon timepieces that are priced approximately between $30,000 and $75,000. While the movements are entirely skeletonised, the tourbillons are also extremely tough. Some of their notable timepieces include: the U20 Ultra Skeleton Tourbillon, the U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton, and their latest launch, the U50 Diver Tourbillon—the brand’s first dive watch. Traditionally diving watches have plain dials usually with bright inserts to provide optimum legibility underwater or even solid casebacks to ensure waterproofness. Angelus have retained the skeleton structure with hands in bright yellow and blue, without compromising on the legibility or the functions of this watch.
A New Era For Complications
In 2019, Angelus launched the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante—the brand’s first chronograph of this century. Ultralight and ultra-sporty, the design unites advanced complications: a tourbillon, as well as a flyback function and a split-second chronograph. The 47mm black DLC titanium case with open-worked edges houses one of the most complex automatic skeletonised movements in the world—the A-150 composed of 350 components. The brand have built their modern identity on open-worked pieces integrated into spacious structures that bring the surface area down to the absolute minimum, hence imparting a sense of depth. The bridges, cog and column wheels, the black and grey treatment and the rotor contribute to the richness of this movement.
Another aspect is that chronograph calibres are rarely integrated. They are often built upon a basic calibre with additional modules. But Angelus believes in creating movements as unified mechanisms. This makes for better efficiency, as a mechanism built specifically for a purpose. This all-black watch is available in a limited-edition of five pieces only.
Last year, Angelus introduced the U41 Vibrant Structure Tourbillon Skeleton in grade-5 titanium—available in either an orange or a blue colour scheme, limited to 25 pieces for each. This flying tourbillon watch is powered by the in-house, manual-winding calibre A-300, which beats at a frequency of 28,800vph and supplies a power reserve of 60 hours. The skeleton design and structure boasts a perfect balance between structural solidity and open-work detailing, thanks to the design of the ‘dual-beamed’ plates and bridges. Here, the gap 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. And despite the out-and-out sporty look, the timepiece doesn’t feel heavy on the wrist and is extremely comfortable, while giving a clear view of the inner workings.
With their unique and avant-garde watches that are futuristic yet seek inspiration from a bygone era, Swiss watchmaker Angelus are truly a rare gem in the haute horlogerie business, constantly innovating to blend the very best of classic watchmaking with ultra-modern technology. And, we can’t wait to see what’s next!
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