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Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere Watch Review (2015)

Angus Davies reviews the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere, a watch which garners the sun’s rays via seven sapphire crystals, bathing the internal components with an abundance of light.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

Predicting the future

I always find it interesting looking back to the 1970s and critiquing the futuristic renderings sketched at the time. The imagined cars, clothes, gadgets and homes of my youth, conceived for the next millennium, embraced the notions of modernity and optimism in equal measure.

Sometimes the childhood drawings of my school friends, created with standard issue HB pencils clasped in their sweaty hands, predicted the future with surprising accuracy, whilst at other times, looking back, the outlook recorded to paper proved surprisingly at odds with the path technology would eventually take.

Arguably, the futuristic forms which evoked the greatest imaginative ideas, of both adults and children alike, were spacecraft. Indeed, that first step by Neil Armstrong in 1969 seemed to fuel the creativity of mankind and suddenly anything was possible.

Recently, I wore an Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere and I was reminded of the 1970s and my schoolboy drawings which portrayed a future life beyond the year 2000. This contemporary Swiss watch, revealed earlier this year at Baselworld 2015, reminded me of a wrist-worn gadget that I once thought every time traveller would wear. The striking aesthetics of the U10 Tourbillon Lumière could even be said to resemble a fictional means of intergalactic transportation, worthy of technicolour portrayal on the silver screen.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

However, despite its unworldly design, the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere is a reality. It captures the optimism of my youth with the wisdom of state of the art know-how. This is a timepiece made in the 21st century for those of discerning taste who appreciate the fusion of neoteric styling and the high-end Swiss craftsmanship synonymous with haute horlogerie.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere – the dial

Set aside notions of convention, the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere does not look like any other watch.

Biased to the left-hand portion of the rectangular, almost lozenge-like case, is the main display. The white hour and minute hands are brushed, rhodium treated and lined with black SuperLuminNova that exhibits a blue emission in restricted light.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

The hour and minute hands traverse a concave dial, constructed of tinted sapphire crystal. The dial surface is marked with 12 white lines emanating from the central axis, used to indicate the hours.

Near the periphery of the dial area, slender white lines denote the minutes. They are shorter than those lines representing the hours but continue to exhibit a long, lithe profile.

A deadbeat central seconds display completes the indications shown on this dial. The central seconds hand is slender in form with an open-worked, circular counterweight adjacent to its fulcrum. Interestingly, Dr Sébastien Chaulmontet, the highly talented Head of Development for Angelus, chose the ‘seconde morte’ complication in order to emulate the andante, step-like gait of the seconds hand fitted to a quartz watch. The advent of the quartz crisis in the 1970s caused the temporary demise of Angelus and, with a touch of mischievous irony, Chaulmontet wanted to imitate ‘the very technology that signalled the death knell for Angelus’ prior to the brand’s recent resurrection.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere – case

The Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere is a horological leviathan, measuring 62.75 mm x 38 mm x 15 mm. Quite simply, its generous proportions will polarise opinion and may well prove too large for some potential buyers. Fortuitously, my behemoth arm proved ably equipped to accommodate this watch.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

The case is constructed of ‘annealed steel’, BO-988, said to be superior to the more commonplace 316L grade. Angelus states it has selected this material for the case as it ‘contains fewer impurities’ and ‘is less liable to corrode and is more biocompatible’.

Certainly, appraising the construction of the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere, everything appears top-drawer with no evidence of compromise to be found.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

An aspect of the case design which must have proved especially challenging is Chaulmontet’s penchant for using sapphire crystals. The Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere is equipped with seven sapphire crystals, some of which embrace curves that, I have no doubt, would have been especially challenging to realise. The outcome of this ‘green-house’ inspired design language is an amazing capacity to flood the internal surfaces of the case, including the dial, with a profusion of light. The spectacle proves enchanting with the sun’s rays entering the case and bewitchingly toying with the numerous internal components of the watch.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

The design of the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere presents the dial and regulation device in two distinct sections. Positioned to the right of the hour and minutes display is an amphitheatre, showcasing the one-minute flying tourbillon. The upper sapphire crystal curves along its westerly flank, affording a sideview of the whirlwind complication. Turning over the watch, a further sapphire crystal allows the wearer to admire the underside of the tourbillon, supported by one sole titanium bridge beneath. The scale of the tourbillon cage, measuring a commensurately large 16.25mm in diameter, permits the majority of its components to be viewed and appreciated.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

A further sapphire crystal is fitted to the caseback, which provides sight of the in-house Angelus A100 movement. For the majority of watches, the inventory of sapphire crystals identified would have been concluded by now. However, as stated earlier, this case is equipped with seven. Along the caseband, both above and below the flying tourbillon, two additional panes of sapphire crystal confer additional views of the regulating organ performing its unidirectional pirouette.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

The final pane of sapphire crystal is located along the caseband, below the hour and minute display. Beneath its rectangular form, a linear power reserve indicator is presented.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

The Swiss brand has sensibly located the crown on the left-hand flank of the case, mitigating the risk of it gouging the wearer’s arm.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere – calibre SF240 movement

Angelus had a rich history of being an innovative maison from its foundation in 1891 to the cessation of its activities in the 1970s. It was famous for its chronographs which, in some cases, incorporated day, date and month displays. Moreover, the company had an enviable reputation for producing high-end, reliable movements capable of harnessing sufficient energy reserves to power functions for eight or more days. Indeed, such was the exalted esteem in which Angelus movements were held, that Panerai chose to equip some of its legendary Royal Italian Navy issue divers’ watches with the calibre SF240 movement.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere

When La Joux-Perret SA acquired the Angelus name in 2011, it could have cynically applied the nomen to reproductions of former models or merely branded otherwise mundane horological offerings. However, I am pleased to report it did neither, choosing instead to expend much energy into creating a new, highly innovative movement worthy of the Angelus nomenclature.

The in-house, exclusive Angelus A100 movement adopts a specification and style all of its own. It respects the past, but embraces the future. The movement bridges and plates are presented in nickel-silver and feature chamfered and polished edges. The movement screws are bevelled and delivered with mirror-polished heads. The tourbillon cage incorporates hand-chamfered and polished edges, courtesy of the adroit skills of a time-served artisan. Many aspects of this watch respect the traditions of fine watchmaking.

However, Angelus has also chosen to embrace technology, choosing to laser engrave some bridge areas with a criss-cross pattern. ‘The two rachets are also laser-engraved and enamelled.’

The A100 movement is equipped with twin spring barrels, arranged in series, delivering an impressive power reserve of 90 hours. This is especially impressive considering the movement is equipped with a tourbillon which, by its very nature, will consume energy when rotating. In the press material provided by the brand, Angelus state the ‘two mainspring barrels are optimally sized in a special ratio for a flatter torque curve’. By adopting this approach, the amplitude should remain relatively constant, conferring greater accuracy. Indeed, this specification detail, together with the flying tourbillon, should ensure excellent precision.

Despite its contemporary styling, there are several details which are likely to induce joy in the heart of any diehard purist. The hand-wound movement has a frequency of 18,000 vph (2.5Hz) conferring a traditional tempo, typical of old pocket watches. The Swiss lever escapement includes a screwed balance and the hairspring features a Breguet Overcoil. Indeed, there are many charming touches on the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere, likely to induce smiles of appreciation.

Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere – closing thoughts

This inaugural model from Angelus, created whilst under the stewardship of Manufacture La Joux-Perret, is stunning. The watch company has exhibited extreme bravery, choosing to imbue the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere with styling which is likely to divide opinion.

Personally, I applaud the brand for showing courage and exploring aesthetic codes not sampled before. The ‘lumière’ moniker alludes to the light which floods the case and it honestly captures a notable attribute of this design. Indeed, honesty is a term I would readily use to describe this watch, which hides little from view and discloses its numerous, finely finished components. By fitting seven sapphire crystal panes to this watch, Angelus has invited the scrutiny of potential cynics, whilst delivering delectation for the disciples of its design philosophy. Rest assured, there is little for cynics to criticise and much to gratify purists.

Sometimes a design becomes an icon such as a great building, an item of furniture or even a kitchen utensil. Only time will tell what the future holds for the long-term opinion of the Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere. However, if this is a sample of what is to come, I am keen to see more from the newly, reinvigorated Angelus brand and the next futuristic timepieces which will bear this historic name.

Technical specification

  • Model: Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumiere
  • Reference: 0LUAS.B01A.C001F
  • Case: BO-988 specific annealed stainless steel; dimensions 62.75 mm x 38 mm x 15 mm; water resistant to 3 bar (30 metres); seven sapphire crystals.
  • Functions: Hours; minutes; central dead-beat seconds; one-minute flying tourbillon
  • Movement: Calibre A100; hand-wound movement; frequency 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz); 38 jewels; power reserve 90 hours
  • Strap: Hand-stitched alligator leather strap supplied with a stainless steel folding clasp
  • Price on application
  • Limited Edition: 25 pieces

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