Angelus Puts Three Classic Chronograph Scales on One Elegant Dial

Angelus has a taste for old-school chronograph architecture, and the Instrument de Mesures leans into that instinct with unusual focus.

Rather than building another sport chronograph around subdials and elapsed-minute counters, the watch puts three traditional timing scales at the centre of the experience.

The result is a compact steel monopusher that feels more like a precision instrument than a nostalgic styling exercise.

At a glance

Three scales, one timing concept

The Instrument de Mesures is built around the kind of chronograph scales that once made mechanical watches genuinely practical tools.

At the centre of the dial sits a spiral tachymeter, graduated for 1 kilometre, allowing the wearer to calculate speed across a known distance.

On the inclined middle section of the dial, Angelus places a pulsometer calibrated for 15 heartbeats, the traditional medical scale used to estimate pulse rate quickly.

At the outer edge is a telemeter, used to measure distance from an event that can be both seen and heard, such as the gap between a lightning flash and thunder.

Many chronographs choose one of these scales and give it decorative prominence, but Angelus has made the combination the whole point of the watch.

A cleaner dial than the concept suggests

A triple-scale chronograph can easily become a crowded design exercise, especially when subdials are added to the mix.

Angelus avoids that problem by leaving out chronograph minute and hour counters, as well as a running seconds display.

That decision gives the dial more air and lets the scales remain readable, even though there’s a great deal of printed information present.

The ebony-black version uses blue, orange and cream for its scales, while the ivory-white model uses blue, red and green.

It’s a functional choice as much as an aesthetic one, because each scale can be read without having to mentally separate overlapping markings in the same colour.

A monopusher case with traditional mechanics

The case measures 39mm in diameter and 9.25mm thick, which gives the Instrument de Mesures a restrained footprint for a mechanical chronograph.

Its stainless steel case has a round profile with brushed lugs, and the monopusher is integrated into the crown.

That single pusher controls start, stop and reset in sequence, a layout that suits the watch’s vintage-minded personality.

Inside is the Angelus calibre A5000, a manually wound movement with a column wheel and horizontal clutch.

It runs at 21,600 vibrations per hour, or 3 Hz, and offers a 42-hour power reserve.

The exhibition caseback shows off a movement finished with steel and gold bridges and Côtes de Genève, giving the watch a level of theatre that suits its limited-production positioning.

Limited production and collector positioning

Angelus is producing 25 pieces in each dial colour, making this a sharply limited release rather than a broad catalogue chronograph.

At CHF 18,400 including VAT, it sits in serious collector territory, particularly given its specialised display and lack of conventional chronograph counters.

That won’t make it the default choice for someone looking for an everyday sports chronograph.

It’s better understood as a compact mechanical instrument for buyers drawn to historic timing functions, manual-wind chronographs and dials with a clear intellectual hook.

Details & Specifications

The Instrument de Mesures asks for a buyer who values purposefully restrained design over feature-counting, and that’s where its charm lies.

It’s not trying to be the most versatile chronograph in the watch box, but as a beautifully resolved study in three classic scales, it has a distinctive voice.