Angelus Chronodate Watches & Wonders 2023 — WatchProSite Forum Digest

amanico · 2023-07-21T15:30:17Z

Explore the Angelus Chronodate's 2023 iterations, including Titanium Green and Rose Gold models. Discover collector debates on water resistance, movement value, and design choices in this WatchProSite review.

amanico

WPS member · Independents forum

36 replies9902 views4 photos

Amanico's insightful review of the Angelus Chronodate's 2023 iterations, particularly the Titanium Green model, offers a deep dive into its design and technical specifications. This article explores why the Chronodate, a modern reinterpretation of a 1940s classic, continues to spark debate among collectors regarding its value proposition and practical features. Amanico's initial impressions set the stage for a broader community discussion on what constitutes a truly 'sporty' watch in today's luxury market.

36 collectors discussing this on the WatchProSite forumJoin the Conversation →

After having unveiled the Chronodate last year, Angelus comes back to this chronograph with three new versions. 2 Titanium with a black or a green dial, and a Rose Gold.

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

Key Points from the Discussion

The Chronodate's case shape and dial design are commendable, successfully reviving a forward-looking 1940s concept for the modern era.
A 30m water resistance is insufficient for a watch with such a sporty concept, especially when compared to industry standards for robust timepieces.
For its price point, the movement in the Chronodate is considered too pedestrian, resembling a Valjoux 7750 clone despite the inclusion of a column wheel.
The 'Start,' 'Stop,' and 'Reset' engravings on the pushers are an unnecessary design element that detracts from the overall aesthetic.
Every serious premium sports watch should feature a minimum of 100m water resistance as a standard, and manufacturers should invest more in case development to achieve this.
The Luminor Due series from Panerai, with its mere 30m water resistance, is cited as a negative example of a brand deviating from its robust DNA.
The architecture and setup of Angelus's chronograph movements, particularly manual-wind versions, are highly regarded by collectors.

The Discussion

patrick_y

Jul 21, 2023

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 chronograph movement. The architecture and set up of this movement is quite excellent. Definitely a watch worth admiring.

blau

Jul 21, 2023

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

Jul 21, 2023

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, which is admittedly an entirely different piece.

blau

Jul 21, 2023

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. That's not a problem in general that's a problem for THIS watch. This is wayyyyy too sporty a concept not to have more serious water resistance. 2. At this price and for this maker, the movement is way too pedestrian. Remember that Angelus sells a

patrick_y

Jul 21, 2023

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

Jul 22, 2023

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 WR of 30m is the second showstopper for me.

Continue the conversation

This thread is active on the Independents forum with 36 replies. Share your knowledge with fellow collectors.

Join the Discussion →