Angelus Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB

Press release

April 2023

Angelus is launching its new La Fabrique collection by resuscitating its legacy medical chronograph. Angelus heads back in time and takes the pulse of its heritage with the La Fabrique collection, which will incorporate very limited editions of iconic Angelus models. Re-released at the instigation of Massena LAB, this Chronographe Médical limited to 99 pieces is universally reminiscent of the functional, watchmaking and chronograph legacy of Angelus watches. In fact, this chronograph is one of the watches designed specifically for a profession and its requirements. Its dual pulsometer and asthmometer scales make it a true tool chronograph.

Angelus Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB

Press release

April 2023

Angelus Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB

ngelus is introducing a new collection to its catalogue. La Fabrique is a separate category created specifically for tribute editions. Massena LAB is cutting the ribbon with the 99 pieces of the Chronographe Médical.

In the 1960s, Angelus launched its “doctor’s watch”: a wrist-worn hand-wound chronograph with a unique dial. It presented a dual scale for reading the vital signs doctors need during patient examinations: a pulsometer – to measure the patient’s pulse – and an asthmometer – to record their respiratory rate. This rare piece, which follows the 1950s and 1960s trend of specialising chronographs to meet specific functional or professional requirements, has been brought up to date by Angelus to appeal to modern tastes—without any side effects.

In consultation with William Massena, founder of Massena LAB, Angelus is releasing a limited edition of 99 pieces of the Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB. “When talking to Bertrand Savary (President of the brand), we discussed Angelus’ spectacular heritage,” explains William Massena. “We hit on the idea of creating a capsule collection that would revive one of the most perfect tool chronographs of the 1960s.” The 99 pieces will be available through the network of authorised Angelus retailers. The watch will also be available directly from MassenaLAB.com.

The Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB is therefore a re-edition, distinguished from the original by several small details. The A5000 movement is an Angelus calibre with manual winding and integrated chronograph. The case is made from 316L steel, the surgical kind, as is naturally befitting a doctor’s watch. Lastly, the case diameter has been increased to 39mm to make the pulsometer scale more legible.

The pulsometer function indicates a patient’s heart rate without the need for calculations. On the Angelus Chronographe Médical, the pulsometer scale between 1 and 3 o’clock is based on 10 beats. As soon as the chronograph is started, simply count 10 beats, then stop the mechanism. When compared against the pulsometer scale, the chronograph hand will then indicate the number of beats per minute. The asthmometer displays the respiratory rate per minute. The Chronographe Médical works on the basis of five breaths. After starting the chronograph, count five breaths before pressing the pusher again. The chronograph hand will indicate the number of breaths per minute on the inner scale graduated from 40 to 10.

These functions, and how they are presented on the dial, remain unrivalled. Not only has the combination of pulsometer and asthmometer remained unique, but its display is also one of a kind. First and foremost, the pulsometer has a very specific colour code: green, black, or red, corresponding to the severity of the reading obtained during the examination. By contrast, the respiratory scale is red and is nestled inside the minute circle. These two scales are positioned so as to make them as legible and clear as possible. Before each scale, the requirement for taking vital signs is listed (base 10 pulsations and base 5 respirations). The font used is particularly wide, contrasting and impossible to miss. Two large arrows accentuate these scales, one of which, curved and crossing the minute circle, is completely unique. Lastly, the silvered opaline dial and Dauphine hands with luminescent lines are identical to the model that inspired this timepiece.

Because of their importance, the pulsometer and asthmometer scales are given pride of place on the dial, pushing the minute track, and the hour markers, in towards its centre as well as the appliqué hour markers, which are half indexes and half Arabic numerals. This layout shows that this timepiece was intended to be a tool, with visual precedence given to its utilitarian functions. When combined with the fact that the chronograph function only measures a duration of 60 seconds, this piece becomes a specialist model. It is fitted on a full-grain calfskin Novonappa® strap in a beautiful shade of golden brown that develops a patina over time and is one of the finest skins used in leather goods.

Inside the Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB, Angelus has incorporated a very specific version of its A5000 calibre. It displays the small seconds at 9 o’clock and only the chronograph seconds hand – the only one needed to use the medical scales. With no 30-minute counter, this calibre is dedicated to diagnosis. This version is presented with a single mushroom-shaped pusher at 2 o’clock. Operating at a rate of 3 Hz, it incorporates a column wheel and a horizontal clutch. Its manual winding is a reference to the early days of the brand, right at the heart of the mechanism.