Pictures by Jake Witkin
In 2023, Angelus launched the La Fabrique assortment as a platform for revival watches and vintage-inspired items. The gathering debuted with the Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB physician’s watch and in 2024, it shifted focus from measuring a pulse to timing pace with the introduction of the Angelus Instrument De Vitesse Monopusher Chronograph watch, which we spent a while with for a hands-on evaluation.
Classic styling is the promise of the La Fabrique assortment and the Instrument De Vitesse (French for “Pace Instrument”) definitely delivers on that entrance. The chrome steel case measures an easy-to-wear 39mm in diameter and 9.27mm thick. A sub-10mm-thick chronograph is a gem to search out and is splendidly comfy on the wrist. That is very true since, because the watch’s identify suggests, it has only one pusher embedded into the crown to function the chronograph fairly than your typical three-pronged protrusions. The chronograph pusher on this watch feels somewhat totally different from what you is perhaps used to. The actuation requires only a mild press to begin, cease, or reset the chronograph. Whereas it’s clean and exact, it does come throughout as a bit delicate — maybe higher fitted to thought-about use fairly than tough dealing with.
The brushed sides of the case distinction properly with the polished bezel, lugs, and crown whereas the domed sapphire crystal advantages from AR coating. Water resistance clocks in at a skimpy 30 meters, however we don’t sometimes count on rather more than that from an old-school-looking chronograph.
The throwback vibes are significantly robust throughout the ebony-black and ivory-white dials, each domed and punctuated with utilized and lumed Arabic numerals and a Base 1000 tachymeter scale encircling the periphery. Given the shortage of two pushers flanking the crown and subdials on the dials, you wouldn’t be faulted for mistaking this at first look as an ordinary time-only, three-hander watch fairly than a chronograph. But that Base 1000 scale is the giveaway; the Instrument De Vitesse is constructed to time a most of 1 minute by way of its central seconds hand. Helpful for day-to-day? No, not significantly. Fairly? Sure, most undoubtedly.
Of the 2, the ebony choice is extra dramatic, combining a darkish black background with white hour markers and touches of purple. This model is paired with a caramel calfskin strap. The ivory dial presents a softer aesthetic, that includes black-outlined Arabic numerals, together with orange and light-weight blue accents; this colorway is fitted with a midnight-blue nubuck strap. The latter could be my private decide as I discover it has extra retro attraction, however the former is undeniably good-looking too.
The caseback can also be furnished with sapphire crystal for a window into the motion — the manual-winding Angelus Caliber A5000. By way of mechanics, the A5000 beats at 3 Hz, has a conventional column wheel and horizontal clutch structure and provides 42 hours of energy reserve. Nonetheless, extra attention-grabbing is the motion’s backstory. The La Joux-Perret motion that powers the Instrument de Vitesse is an evolution of the THA 045MC motion designed by François-Paul Journe, Denis Flageollet, and Vianney Halter for the Assortment Privée Cartier Paris Tortue Monopoussoir within the Nineteen Nineties. By means of convoluted acquisitions, mergers, and rights possession, Citizen Group-owned La Joux-Perret now has the rights to fabricate this motion, and since LJP owns Angelus, that’s how we discover this caliber contained in the Instrument De Vitesse monopusher chronograph.
A sublime selection throughout the vintage-inspired chronograph house, the Angelus Instrument de Vitesse delivers hanging appears, considerate proportions, and a motion with some critical pedigree. The one-minute monopusher chronograph might have some limitations when it comes to real-world practicality, however let’s be sincere — how typically are we beginning, stopping, and resetting our chronographs for sensible functions, anyway? I’d fortunately commerce the added performance of longer elapsed time counters (and extra strong water resistance) for the streamlined fashion provided right here. The Angelus Instrument de Vitesse monopusher chronograph watch is priced at CHF 17,100 (incl. VAT) and restricted to 25 items in every colorway. For extra info, please go to the Angelus web site.
