Introducing: The Angelus Instrument De Vitesse Monopusher Chronograph
It was one of my first Baselworlds, perhaps in 2016 when I heard the news that Angelus was getting resurrected. The brand was going to present something mind-blowing that year. The anticipation was almost unbearable as, at that point, (vintage) Angelus had started to become one of my favorite brands. But while the U10 was a design marvel, it was far from the vintage Angelus DNA. Many new, forward-looking Angelus models have hit the market since, but then came the Instrument De Vitesse, a vintage-like watch inspired by an Angelus model that never existed.
The La Fabrique collection in the brand’s lineup focuses on watches with a heavier vintage vibe than the other models. While this watch is not the first in this collection, it is an exceptional piece. It’s not a blatant copy of a vintage model but a “what if” timepiece. Angelus, that brand that created so many fantastic watches back in the day, including the Chronodato and the Dato12 (not to mention the iconic L.E.), never made such a monopusher chronograph. That’s why having the Instrument De Vitesse (Speed Instrument) in the collection makes perfect sense.
A year of anticipation
Flashback time: it is August 2023. It’s one of the last days of Geneva Watch Days, and my first meeting is with Angelus. We are sitting on the terrace overlooking the lake, and although the air is still cold, we can already feel it will be a hot day, just like the previous ones. As always, after going through the Arnold & Son novelties, the Angelus tray appears, saving the best for last. The lovely people at Angelus know my passion for the brand, so they treat me to a sneak peek at what’s to come next year. While the watches are prototypes and the movements are non-functional, the rest is there. The size is excellent, the layout is vintage, and the dial colors are perfect.
Instrument De Vitesse
Inspired by vintage GT cars, the Angelus Instrument De Vitesse is a monopusher chronograph with a single chronograph hand. Similarly to the Omega Chronostop, among other models, this watch has one button to start, stop, and reset the hand-wound in-house movement. The simplicity of the single pusher, the dial layout, and the three hands make it easy to operate the watch and read the elapsed time. Thanks to its 39mm steel case, it feels like a watch Angelus could’ve made seven decades ago. It measures less than 10mm thick, making the Instrument De Vitesse extremely easily wearable. My favorite feature is the “base 1000” tachymeter scale, which you’d find on Angelus chronographs from the 1950s. However, those, unlike this one, were not limited editions. Only 25 pieces of the Angelus Instrument De Vitesse will be available in each color.
Black or white?
Most of my Angelus watches have black dials, so I was instantly drawn to the black model during that August morning meeting in Geneva. However, if you fancy something brighter, Angelus offers the watch with an ivory-white dial. Aside from the color, the dial layout is virtually the same. This goes for the movement as well. Inside the Instrument De Vitesse beats the brand’s in-house A5000 movement. We are talking about a manual-winding mechanical caliber with 23 jewels and 42 hours of power reserve. As it should be, the column-wheel movement is beautifully decorated with Côtes de Genève, golden wheels, polished screws, and palladium-finished bridges.
If you’d like to own the Angelus Instrument De Vitesse, the price is CHF 17,000 (including VAT). You can visit the brand’s website to find the Angelus dealer nearest to you.
