Angelus

The luxury watch brand Angelus can look back on over a century of tradition and rich history. The company was founded in 1891 in the Swiss town of Le Locle. Angelus began producing high-quality timepieces early on, and received awards for its fine watchmaking skills in the first years of the 20th century. In 1925, the company presented its first chronograph, a monopusher with an in-house caliber. Angelus played an important role in the history of pilot's watches as well, particularly during the Second World War, producing models like the Chronodate for the Hungarian Air Force from 1942 onwards.

In the mid-1950s, the manufacturer developed the caliber SF240, which Panerai used for a number of its watches. Up until the end of the 1970s, Angelus introduced numerous other innovative and functional watches before the quartz crisis eventually drove the company into insolvency.

It wasn't until 2011 that the brand returned to the international watch industry with a new team. Since then, Angelus has been developing a series of complex luxury watches of the highest order. Probably the best-known and most extensive collection in the brand's catalog is the Chronodate, home to numerous wristwatches with a chronograph function and pointer date. For fans of tourbillon watches, Angelus offers especially luxurious timepieces in its Flying Tourbillon line. Other interesting watches can be found in the La Fabrique and Unique Timepieces collections.

Angelus only uses calibers developed in-house, making Angelus a watchmaker in the truest sense of the word. Thanks to the brand's long watchmaking tradition, collectors of vintage watches also get their money's worth. Overall, the range is quite limited, which also gives the brand a certain exclusivity.

You can purchase an Angelus watch for as little as 430 USD. This level of investment will get you a well-maintained vintage model with three hands from the 1940s to the 1970s. Chronographs are more popular and therefore more expensive. Expect starting prices of just over 1,600 USD here. Depending on the condition and design, prices can climb to around 10,800 USD for a pilot's watch powered by the caliber 215, for example. Angelus produced this model for the Hungarian Air Force.

Prices for modern Angelus watches start at just under 22,000 USD. That amount will get you a titanium version of the Chronodate, for example. Rose gold Chronodate models change hands for roughly 49,000 USD. If you'd prefer an Angelus with a tourbillon, expect to spend about 27,000 USD. One of the top models in the Angelus catalog is the Chronodate Gold (Ref. 0CDZE.U02A.K009H), which is limited to just 25 pieces and costs approximately 54,000 USD on the open market.

Especially between the 1940s and 1970s, Angelus produced many innovative wristwatches that are now available as vintage models. However, the selection on Chrono24 is limited, which also gives Angelus a certain level of exclusivity when it comes to vintage timepieces.

One example is the 30-mm stainless steel Doctors Medical Military Officer with three hands. The watch is powered by the hand-wound caliber AS 1167 from the Swiss manufacturer Adolph Schild. This watch will set you backa bout 430 USD. Depending on the age, condition, and case material (Angelus also used 18-karat gold), the price for a three-hand watch can climb to 1,620 USD.

Some vintage chronographs have chrome-plated brass cases and therefore often show signs of wear and tear. Specimens from the 1950s are normally equipped with the Angelus caliber 215. The movement offers a chronograph function and bicompax dial design with subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock. Variants from this period are fitted with a plexiglas crystal and have a pressed back. Prices start at around 1,730 USD. Particularly well-maintained watches and models with a stainless steel case can cost over 3,250 USD.

Early Variants of the Angelus Chronodate

Early Chronodate models from the 1940s onwards were fitted with the Angelus caliber 217. Chronodate watches display the date with an additional hand on the outer edge of the dial and offer a chronograph function. Some variants also supply a day and month display (triple date). While the day display is located above the 6 o'clock position, the month sits just below 12. Along with stainless steel watches, gold-plated and solid gold versions are also available. The case size of these chronographs is ranges between around 35 and 39 mm

Depending on the model and condition, set aside between 2,900 and 7,600 USD for an Angelus Chronodate.

The current Angelus collection includes several reinterpretations of the legendary Chronodate chronograph with pointer date. All variants share a 42.5 mm case, which is made of titanium or rose gold, depending on the reference. Another common feature is the in-house Angelus caliber A-500. The balance of this automatic movement ticks at a frequency of 28,800 vph and offers a power reserve of 60 hours. Visible components are sandblasted and blackened. The black winding rotor is adorned with a large "Angelus A" and the Angelus star. You can view the elaborately decorated movement through a sapphire crystal case back.

Like the Chronodate caliber 217, the A-500 offers a chronograph function with subdials at 3 and 9 and a date hand with a date scale at the outer edge of the dial. The dial features applied Arabic numerals that are filled with white Super-LumiNova regardless of the dial color. Depending on the case material, you can choose between dials in blue, white, black, or green. The watches are operated with large black rectangular pushers on the right side of the case. The red lettering on the pushers is an interesting gimmick: while the upper button reads "Start," the lower one reads "Reset." This means that you can hardly make a mistake when timing. According to the manufacturer, the Angelus Chronodate is water-resistant to 30 m (3 bar, 98 ft).

The Angelus Chronodate ref. 0CDYF.W01A.K009B, for example, is made of titanium and has a white dial and contrasting black rubber strap. Like some other models in the Chronodate collection, this version is limited to 25 pieces and will set you back about 21,100 USD.

If you'd prefer a blue dial and blue rubber strap, take a look at ref. 0CDZF.U01A.K009H. This model is also limited to 25 pieces and demands an investment of just over 29,000 USD.

The unlimited Chronodate ref. 0CDZE.B01A.K009B is made of 18-karat rose gold and has a price tag of around 49,000 USD. The blue rose gold version (ref. 0CDZE.U02A.K009H) costs another 6,500 USD more and is limited to 25 pieces, changing hands for roughly 55,200 USD.

Angelus U41 Blue Tourbillon

Angelus tourbillon watches are extremely rare on Chrono24. The Angelus U41 Blue Tourbillon ref. 0.TSBT.U01A, for example, occasionally becomes available on the marketplace. This timepiece has a 42-mm titanium case and is powered by the hand-wound caliber A-300 with flying tourbillon.

The caliber A-300 is a fully skeletonized movement that displays the hours and minutes. The balance of this caliber oscillates at 28,800 vph and boasts a power reserve of 60 hours. The time is read via blue hour indices located on the outer edge of the case. The tip of the hour hand is a matching blue, while the railroad minute track and the tip of the minute hand are yellow. The watch is limited to 25 pieces and worn on a blue rubber strap. As of January 2024, you'll need to set aside around 27,000 USD for a U41 Blue Tourbillon.