The Angelus Chronographe Télémètre, The Brand’s Latest and Stunning Monopusher
The compact and retro monopusher teaches us that the values of precision, proportion, and craftsmanship transcend time.

For a retro-styled chronograph, the beauty lies in mechanical and historical details. With the new Chronographe Télémètre, Angelus again reaches into its storied archives to recreate the past and distil its essence into a remarkably fresh and undeniably refined timepiece. The latest addition to the La Fabrique collection, the Chronographe Télémètre debuts in three variations: two in stainless steel with either a warm rose-bronze or cool titanium-grey dial and a more exclusive edition in 18k yellow gold featuring a bright white, enamel-inspired dial. All three are produced in minimal numbers, 25 pieces for each steel model and 15 for the gold, though it’s not rarity alone that defines this watch, but rather its harmony of design, heritage, and hand-wound movement.
The Chronographe Télémètre is the latest creation to fit into the La Fabrique collection, which already includes the Instrument de Vitesse (in different colours) and the Chronographe Médical made with Massena LAB. Contrary to most watches made by Angelus, such as the modern Chronodate, the watches from this collection are all about reviving the brand’s vast archives, an era when Angelus was known as one of the masters of the chronograph. With the Chronographe Télémètre, Angelus takes inspiration from the 1940s and 1950s, and specifically chronographs produced for pilots.
At 37mm in diameter, the Chronographe Télémètre occupies a sweet, seldom-seen middle ground in contemporary watchmaking. It is also the smallest case in Angelus’ current lineup, a deliberate echo of mid-century chronographs. Measuring only 9.25mm thick (a rarity in modern chronograph production), the case is slim and elegant, with sharply faceted lugs that twist and plunge dynamically, giving the watch an air of subtle refinement. A box-shaped sapphire crystal adds vintage charm, while anti-reflective coatings on both sides ensure legibility. Water resistance is 30m, but jumping in a pool certainly isn’t the main objective of these watches…
A single pusher integrated into the fluted crown at 3 o’clock replaces the classic two-pusher layout of most modern chronographs, and is built in the same way as the Instrument de Vitesse. It governs all three chronograph functions (start-stop-reset), offering a cleaner aesthetic and a tactile throwback to the tool watches of yesterday, while the transparent caseback anchors the watch in the present, with a view of the handsome, traditional-looking movement inside.
Each of the three dials found on the Angelus Chronographe Télémètre is a masterclass in texture and balance. The central area is finely grained, framed by a satin-brushed flange that houses a telemeter scale. The telemeter scale, graduated in kilometres, is used to calculate distances based on the speed of sound: start the chronograph when you see an event (lightning or explosion) and stop it when you hear or feel it (thunder or shock wave). Though rarely used today, it remains a fascinating and poetic reminder of the chronograph’s origins as a tool of measurement and survival rather than a sporty accessory.
Encircling the applied hour markers, a crisp minutes/seconds track is separated by a polished, concave ring. Snailed subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock provide symmetry without visual overload, serving as the 30-minute totaliser and running seconds, respectively.
The titanium-grey dial exudes modern minimalism, while the rose-bronze version leans into nostalgic warmth. With its white-nickel dial, the gold-cased model glows with an elegance reminiscent of old enamel. In every case, applied Arabic numerals and baton hour markers, either in black rhodium or 3N gold, offer clarity and definition, and the leaf-shaped hands complete the vintage-modern aesthetic. And while these watches still suffer from the issue of centrally-positioned sub-dials (inherent to the movement), Angelus has here done a great job of making the dials balanced and well animated.
The Chronographe Télémètre is powered by the hand-wound calibre A5000, which we explained in our in-depth review of the Angelus Instrument de Vitesse. Designed and manufactured in-house by La Joux-Perret, a sister company of Angelus, this calibre brings us back to the late 1980s with a company named THA or Techniques Horlogères Appliquées (owned by Journe, Flageollet and Halter). The original movement is mostly known as the calibre 045MC by Cartier, which used to power the 1999 Cartier Tortue Monopoussoir. The rights to produce this movement were then sold to Jaquet S.A., which changed owner and became La Joux-Perret, and this is how this movement, conceived almost three decades ago, found its way into the case of a modern Angelus watch.
This mono-pusher chronograph movement is as elegant in execution as it is in function, and it fits the 37 mm case perfectly, physically and philosophically. The movement features a column wheel and an oscillating pinion, a solution invented and patented by Edouard Heuer in 1887. This system is technically fairly simple, effective and doesn’t consume much space, making the whole movement only 4.20mm in thickness. It beats at 21,600 vibrations/hour and delivers a 42-hour power reserve. The finishing is nothing short of artisanal: bridges and mainplate are adorned with a rich 3N gold finish, with Geneva stripes and circular graining. The chronograph components, plated in palladium, stand out in contrast. Chamfered edges, polished screws, and exposed wheels round out a movement that reveals its mechanical poetry.
Each version comes fitted with a colour-matched calfskin strap, steel blue for the grey dial, sage green for the rose, and anthracite grey for the gold edition, closed by a pin buckle in matching metal, engraved with the Angelus logo. The Angelus Chronographe Télémètre is priced at CHF 32,300 (incl. VAT) for the yellow gold version (15 pieces) and CHF 17,900 (incl. VAT) for either steel edition (each 25 pieces).
More information at angelus-watches.com.
6 responses
Angelus (the real one) used to be a cheapish brand. Now, they have been resurrected by Citizen and they think they are posh. It’s a shame because they are very pretty, but there is one zero too many.
Lovely looking watch with a fine movement. If this was a Patek, it would cost five times more! It is a great value watch if potential buyers can overlook the Angelus name. The diameter and height are unheard of for a monopusher chronograph which is a great plus!
The applied markers make the seconds track look polygonal.
It is a funny effect.
To Greg – Angelus was never a “cheapish” brand. In fact they were one of the very few brands who manufactured their own chronographs, similar to Longines and Minerva. They were never a true luxury brand, but they were an honest true integrated manufacturer. Not sure that qualifies as “cheapish”.
It’s too bad La Joux-Perret can’t get their hands on the IP and tooling for a movement like the Valjoux 23. At 29.5 mm in diameter, it’s perfect for watches this size, whereas the A5000 is restricting designs at 24 mm diameter.
The designers at Angelus got it right here, using a double scale to shrink down the dial diameter. Best use of the A5000 movement so far. This is a solid cult watch a la Patek 5070, a design that works even though it shouldn’t. The movement lacks skilled hand finishing, hence why it’s priced at less than half of the Vacheron Cornes de Vache. It’s still nicely decorated, a pretty movement to complete a compelling package.
@cluedog12 Having a hands-on experience appreciating these Chronographe Télémètre watches last month, I would say the decorations on the Calibre A5000 La Joux-Perret are the main attraction for me here. For example, the chamferings are rounded rather than flat, most likely be resulted from delicate hand work rather than machining.
@Greg If one understands what THA means and knows the legendary Calibre A5000’s original creators (Denis did mention them in this article), it’d be no more argument whether Angelus’ Chronographe Télémètre could be classified as “posh.”
@Denis Peshkov As for “the leaf-shaped hands complete the vintage-modern aesthetic,” I believe the proper term should be Syringe hands.