ANGELUS Chronodate Moka and Its Elegance

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The Angelus Chronodate Moka, in both red gold and titanium, is one of those rare chronographs that feels properly resolved as an object: coherent in design, technically satisfying and with a flavour that lingers on the wrist long after the first encounter. It is also, quite simply, one of this year’s watches that left the strongest impression, to the point of becoming a personal favourite in the neo‑retro chronograph arena.

Angelus has used the Chronodate line as a bridge between its historic identity as a 1930s chronograph specialist and its current, contemporary, technical persona, and the Moka editions crystallise that intent with unusual clarity. Limited to five pieces in red gold and twenty‑five in titanium, the duo mixes a deeply warm mocha‑toned dial with a multi‑material, architectural case and an in‑house automatic chronograph calibre, the A‑500. The result is a watch that feels rooted in Angelus’ past through the peripheral pointer date and strong bi‑compax layout, yet absolutely current in volume, textures and movement construction.

ANGELUS Chronodate Gold & Chronodate Titanium Moka Editions

Modern With Hints Of The Past

The dial is where the Moka editions announce their personality first, with a sunray‑brushed mocha‑brown surface treated by PVD, catching light in fine radial streaks that pull the eye from the centre out towards the peripheral date scale. This brown has an amber shimmer that plays beautifully against the metallic black, snailed sub‑dials for the 30‑minute chronograph totaliser at three o’clock and the small seconds at nine, which sit in gentle relief and add depth and modernity to what is essentially a classical bi‑compax configuration.

Around the outer edge runs the historic Chronodate signature: a peripheral date display indicated by a red, open‑worked arrow hand, a direct nod to the original 1942 Chronodate that used the same architecture. Applied Arabic numerals and hour markers, finished in a warm golden tone, are paired with matching hands filled with Super‑LumiNova, providing both night‑time legibility and a pleasing contrast against the darker background, while small but deliberate touches of red lacquer on the chronograph central seconds, the 30‑minute register hand and the markings on the pushers tie the functional elements together visually.

Angelus calibre A‑500

Inside beats the Angelus calibre A‑500, a self‑winding mechanical chronograph movement developed as a manufacture engine, with small seconds at nine, 30‑minute counter at three, central chronograph seconds and that distinctive peripheral pointer date. The calibre measures 30 mm in diameter and 7.90 mm in thickness, runs at 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour) and offers a generous 60‑hour power reserve, driven by a column wheel and horizontal clutch that help keep height in check and preserve a traditional lateral‑clutch chronograph feel.

Decoration is handled in a distinctly contemporary key. The main plate is sandblasted and treated with NAC for a dark anthracite hue, while the bridges are bead‑blasted and given the same NAC treatment, their matte texture playing against polished and satin‑finished bevels that catch the light in motion. The wheels are circular‑grained and rhodium‑plated, and the rotor carries either an 18‑carat red gold 5N segment (for the gold version) or a tungsten segment (for the titanium model), its design lifted from Angelus archives with a stylised capital A over a star, softly evoking an early Angelus bell emblem without feeling nostalgic for its own sake.

A particularly enjoyable touch is the use of signature three‑bladed propeller‑shaped screws, which serve both as functional retaining elements and as a design code for the brand’s current aesthetic direction. Seen through the box sapphire case back, the movement presents a strong technical character, but with finishing that goes far beyond the utilitarian, and that duality suits the Chronodate concept very well.

Modern, Sporty

The case of the Chronodate Moka is a complex, modular construction measuring 42.5 mm in diameter and 14.25 mm in thickness, using a combination of a carbon‑composite central container and an openworked external cradle that integrates the case middle and lugs into a single dynamic line. In both Moka editions, the chronograph pushers are crafted in carbon composite and mounted directly to the container, while the surrounding cradle and fixed twelve‑notch bezel, as well as the crown and monobloc case middle, are in either 18‑carat red gold 5N or grade 5 titanium depending on the version.

Surfaces are predominantly satin‑finished with polished chamfers outlining edges and transitions, which reinforces the sculpted profile and gives the watch an engaging play of light without sliding into ostentation. A box‑shaped sapphire crystal with double‑sided anti‑reflective coating covers the dial, echoing vintage chronograph energy while keeping optical distortion controlled, and a sapphire case back with anti‑reflective coating frames the A‑500 in clear view; water resistance is rated to 3 bar, or 30 metres, coherent with a refined chronograph meant for daily urban wear rather than aquatic pursuits.

Angelus offers the Moka on a titanium bracelet (for the titanium version) as well as on a Moka‑brown large‑scale alligator leather strap or a black rubber strap, all fitted with a folding clasp whose top side matches the case material. The small production run of five pieces in red gold (reference 0CDZE.C01A.C1282B) and twenty‑five in titanium (reference 0CDZF.C01A.C1282E) underlines the niche, connoisseur focus of the model, while pricing is positioned at CHF 43,100 in red gold with alligator and rubber straps, and CHF 25,100 for the titanium set including bracelet, alligator and rubber, with the expected caveat that prices may evolve.

A Great Sports Watch

What makes the Chronodate Moka stand out is not a single, loud element, but the consistency with which Angelus has woven together its archival Chronodate codes, a modern technical case architecture and a genuinely distinctive dial colour story. The mocha theme, extended from the dial to the strap and contrasted with the structural carbon and metal work, gives the watch a strong identity without sacrificing legibility or daily usability, and that balance is harder to find than it might appear on paper.

Over time on the wrist, the Moka editions proved to be among this year’s most enjoyable chronographs, the sort of pieces that invite repeated glances and reward them with fresh details, whether in the date pointer gliding around the periphery, the way the sub‑dials catch sidelight, or the industrial chic of the A‑500 under magnification. In a crowded landscape of retro‑styled chronographs and aggressively technical sports pieces, this Angelus manages to occupy a space of its own, and that is precisely why it stayed in mind as a highlight of the year’s releases.

Angelus Chronodate Gold & Chronodate Titanium, Moka Editions Technical specifications

Reference

red gold: 0CDZE.C01A.C1282B, 5 timepieces – red gold, alligator and rubber straps: CHF 43,100 incl. VAT
titanium: 0CDZF.C01A.C1282E, 25 timepieces – titanium, titanium bracelet, alligator and rubber straps: CHF 25,100 incl. VAT

Functions

hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph and peripheral date

Movement

Calibre A-500, self-winding mechanical
Jewels: 26
Diameter: 30.00 mm
Thickness: 7.90 mm
Power reserve: 60 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz/28,800 vph
Finishes:
- main plate: sandblasted and NAC-treated
- bridges: bead-blasted and NAC-treated
- wheels: circular-grained and rhodium-plated
- oscillating weight: segment in 18-carat red gold (5N) or tungsten