Watches and wonders 2023: Angelus Chronodate. 3 new iterations.
amanico
The two Titanium come on a strap or a bracelet, while the rose gold comes on a strap only.
The Titanium black:
The Titanium Green with its strap or bracelet:
And the Rose gold:
I decided to focus on the most original, the Titanium Green, among these three.
First of all, what is a Chronodate? As you could easily guess, it is the contraction of a Chronograph and a Date. And it is not a modern concept, as Angelus made it in the very early 40's, named... Chronodato:
( Credit: Angelus )
The Chronodate is the modern name and version of the Chronodato. The concept is almost the same ( no day nor month, though ) but with a very modern design.
The case is a blend of titanium or rose gold for the middle case, crow and bezel, carbon for the pushers and the bezel ring, rubber for the crown ring and sapphire for the case back
The lugs are hollowed...
Blending angles and curves in an interesting way, a feeling enhanced by the chamfers on the lugs.
The size is generous ( 42, 5 mm ) and the announced 14, 25 mm height looks thinner, in reality.
The water resistance is 30 meters... They could have done better, in my opinion, as this chronograph looks sporty and " technical ".
As for the dial, the generous seconds and chronograph subdials, the circular date and the big applied luminous hour markers give modernity and a sperb balance. The green, even though a bit trendy, adds originality. Another good point is to have a minute chrono hand in red, to distinguish it from the time hands.
The movement comes from Lajoux Perret, made for Angelus. It is automatic, beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and offers a good power reserve of 60 hours. The rotor is made in Tungsten, with a segment in rose gold for the Rose Gold Chronodate version, with a big A shaped as a bell. A nice nod to the past.
I decided to opt for the rubber strap, as it was easier to take photos of this watch, but if I had the choice, I would go for the bracelet, for once. The rubber is not so good looking, a bit cheap, truth to be told, while the titanium bracelet is well made. The best would be to find a good looking calf strap for this one.
Here are my own photos:
As for my conclusion, I like the shape of the case, the bezel, the dial and the movement of the Chronodate a lot. And I appreciate that Angelus is not playing the tricky game of the limited edition with this watch. Now, as with many other watches of all brands included, I much less appreciate the retail price: 22, 900 CHF for the Titanium on strap, 24, 700 on bracelet, and... 42, 900 CHF for the rose gold version. That might well be the most important obstacle, here.
Looking forward to reading your comments and thoughts,
Best,
Nicolas
Comments:
patrick_y July 21st, 2023-16:27
This is a technically amazing watch that doesn't get the recognition it deserves. One of our former moderators introduced me to this brand years ago. At first I overlooked this brand probably because it isn't a famous brand that everyone has heard of (I guess I was a sheep instead of a shepherd at one point too). This is one amazing ch...
blau July 21st, 2023-16:39
I thought otherwise about the movement, but I'd be glad to be proven wrong I really like what Angelus has been doing but I thought this movement looked like a 7750 clone with column wheel worked in.
patrick_y July 21st, 2023-16:58
Hmm. Maybe you're right... Maybe that's why the architecture is so good. I haven't compared the two movements yet. And the one the former moderator showed me was a manual wind, so I am partially over-influenced by that piece rather than the piece before us, wh...
blau July 21st, 2023-16:38
I wanted to like this, but I didn't. The case shape is really cool, the dial works, and I like the idea of reviving what was, in the 1940s, a very forward-looking watch by making, in the 2020s, a very-forward-looking watch. Three complaints: 1. You referred to this: 30m water resistance. Tha...
patrick_y July 21st, 2023-17:00
Thank you for sharing your well considered thoughts! Yes. I definitely agree with you that water resistance is lacking. The AP Royal Oak also has terrible water resistance too - which is also unfortunate.
MTR July 22nd, 2023-11:58
That’s the reason why I haven’t bought an AP Royal Oak yet. If I want and buy a sports watch it has to be robust and not just looking / pretending to be robust. 😉 Same here for the Angelus. In addition to the poor price-performance ratio (as blau explained comprehensively: not a very impressive movement) the poor ...
amanico July 22nd, 2023-14:29
I do understand that very well, and there are several other Angelus which are highly desirable.
patrick_y July 22nd, 2023-18:16
That's very fair! Yes... The AP RO is not a very sporty watch in many senses. The Patek Philippe Nautilus is also not very water resistant. Some models only have 60 meters water resistance. I personally don't recommend swimming without at least 100m water resistance.
0-10-10
Load More Comments
Next Article
amanico
Jaeger Lecoultre Geophysic True Second and Universal Time: The review.
amanico
How to start? With the launch of the Tribute, Jaeger-Lecoultre had the secret idea to build a whole new family with the Geophysic. The Tribute was the first member, playing the card of the past, clearly, with one concession, the movement, which is not manual, like in the original, but automatic, with a fine setting of the balance wheel. The Tributes ( 2014 ) : In 2015, Jaeger-Lecoultre unveils two new Geophysics, the True Second, and the Universal Time, both sharing a new movement, the Cal 770, which offers ... .
© 2017 - WatchProZine