Angelus is not a brand that courts casual attention. It builds instruments for people who understand that a complication earns its place on the dial only when it actually does something useful, something measurable, something real. Following the Chronographe Médical of 2023, the Instrument de Vitesse of 2024, and the GPHG Chronograph Prize-winning Chronographe Télémètre of 2025, the brand now delivers its most ambitious synthesis yet: a single wristwatch carrying a telemeter, a pulsometer, and a tachymeter simultaneously, united under a mono-pusher chronograph and controlled with the confident simplicity of a purpose-built tool. Limited to just 25 pieces per dial variant, the Instrument de Mesures is not trying to seduce you with flash. It is trying to work for you…
Architecture in Three Dimensions
Reading the dial of the Instrument de Mesures for the first time requires a moment of adjustment, because what you are looking at is not a flat surface. Angelus engineered a three-dimensional construction: a domed centre connected to a raised outer rim through a sloping intermediate zone, and each level carries its own dedicated scale. The telemetric scale occupies the highest peripheral level; the pulsometer runs across the angled intermediate section; the tachymeter, rendered as a spiral, sits closest to the hands at the centre. Rather than cramming three scales onto a single plane, the brand built vertical real estate into the dial itself.
To define each function clearly, Angelus assigned distinct colour codes: on the ebony-black version, the scales run in blue, orange, and cream; on the ivory-white version, blue, red, and green take over. The laser-cutting process used to incise the graduations directly into the dial material creates markings that appear to emerge from the surface without cluttering it, a manufacturing decision with genuine consequences for legibility at a glance. Syringe hands, drawn straight from 1960s Angelus chronograph heritage, complete the picture with period-correct precision.
Calibre A5000: Finishing With Purpose
Beneath the box-shaped sapphire crystal and through the sapphire case back, the A5000 manual-winding chronograph calibre presents itself as a 24 mm wide, 4.20 mm thick movement beating at 3 Hz (21,600 vph) with a 42-hour power reserve and 23 jewels. The architecture is classical in the best sense: a column wheel governs chronograph engagement, and a horizontal clutch ensures smooth, jolt-free start/stop operation, both choices that link directly to traditional chronograph construction and to the vintage spirit the entire watch projects.
The main plate and bridges carry a 3N gilded finish throughout, and the bridges additionally receive Côtes de Genève stripes alongside polished bevels, while the wheels display circular graining and the screws are individually polished. The real drama, however, comes from the palladium-treated chronograph components that contrast sharply against the gold-finished base, drawing the eye immediately to the very mechanism that makes all three measurement functions possible. The bevelling across the movement is abundant and consistent, the kind of hand-finishing that a 25-piece production run genuinely makes feasible, and the result is a calibre that rewards sustained inspection through the case back.
Steel, Restraint, and Proportion
At 39 mm in diameter and 9.25 mm thick, the stainless steel case keeps the Instrument de Mesures in wearable territory without apology. The twisted lugs flow organically from the case band, and the uncluttered bezel steps aside to give the dial its full authority. The mono-pusher sits integrated into the crown, reinforcing the clean silhouette and eliminating any visual noise on the case flanks.
A box-shaped sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both faces adds slight doming above the dial, consistent with the vintage references the watch draws from throughout. Water resistance reaches 3 bar, and the calf leather strap in black or tobacco closes with a stainless steel pin buckle.
Swiss retail price: CHF 18,400 incl. VAT
Conclusion
At CHF 18,400 (incl. VAT), the Instrument de Mesures arrives as a synthesis and a culmination. Angelus set out over three years to master three functional chronograph scales individually before combining them, and the result carries the conviction of that accumulated experience. With only 25 pieces in each variant, the choice between ebony black and ivory white is, frankly, the hardest decision this watch forces upon you. My favourite is the ebony black. Yours?
