Categories
Angelus Replica Brand

BASELWORLD 2017 : Angelus Skeleton Tourbillon U21 andU22

Last year saw Angelus’ launch of the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon (see photo below), a innovative piece using a layer of clear sapphire as its main plate, to which the movement bridges are fastened. This year, launched at Baselworld 2017, Angelus decided to push themselves further with the main plates for the new U21 Tourbillon and U22 Tourbillon, with the use of carbon fibre.

Let’s step back a bit first, and revisit the U20.

Released during Baselworld 2016, the U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon is special because rather than the skeletonisation of an existing movement, the start point was to have an open worked movement, so it was built from the ground up, so to speak.

The manual-wind Calibre A-250 movement is based on a sapphire main plate (created from a solid block of sapphire), with hand finished, blued skeletonised satin-finished titanium bridges. The absence of a dial, in combination with the main plate material, means that even by skeleton replica watch standards, the result is exceptional; it really does look like the movement is floating. At 6 o’clock there is a one-minute flying tourbillon.

To match the modernity of the use of sapphire in the movement, the U20 has added another unusual and contemporary touch – the case’s band made from NPT carbon fibre attached to titanium lugs, also making for an exceptionally lightweight replica watch.

So from the U20 to the U21 and U22.

Both the U21 and U22 share the 42mm size of the U20, with the same domed sapphire crystal, open case back, and water resistance of 30m. However, the case of the U21 is now carbon fibre and 18kt red gold.

As the core features of the U21 are the same as for its elder sibling, it also shows off the manual-wind Angelus Calibre A-250 with a one minute flying tourbillon, this time with an NPT carbon fibre main plate and solid 18kt red gold bridges. The clear main plate of its predecessor makes for an attractive and interesting replica watch (the U20 was one of my personal highlights from last year) but the use of carbon fibre makes it a completely different timepiece, not least of all because transparency is no longer at its heart.

Notwithstanding the absence of transparency, Arnold & Son are still calling both the U21 and U22 skeletonised in their naming, because there remains the skeletonised bridges etc, and the movement is still part of the dial, highlighting the carbon fibre. Along with the hour and minute markers there are rhodium-treated and lumed hands.

There may be the use of the very contemporary carbon fibre in an unusual way, but the use of red gold on the case, especially the lugs, gives it a more traditional twist.

Secondly, we have the U22, an amalgam of sorts, of the U1 and U22. It uses the same titanium and carbon fibre case of the U20, but with the addition of red hands and matching red minute markers.

Hour and minute markings are printed on the outer chapter ring as per the other two models but the rhdodium-treated hands have a fun element – red Super-LumiNova.

Movement wise it’s the same Calibre A-250 with carbon main plate of the U21, but with the titanium bridges of the U20, no longer blued.

In looking at all three of them, I’m still most partial to the U20 (one of my personal highlights of 2016), followed by the U22. As with the U20 from 2016, production of both the U21 and U22 will be limited to 18 examples each.

Categories
Angelus Replica Hands-on Swiss Replica

Closer Look At ANGELUS : From the Replica U10 Tourbillon Lumière to the U40 RacingTourbillon

Basel2016AngelusU10TourbillonLumiere5

In 2015 the venerable name of Angelus found itself once again in the replica watch spotlight after a three decade odd hiatus. Arguably the domain of vintage replica watch enthusiasts, its name was most frequently uttered alongside nostalgia about its movements (both for themselves and others) in particular, with the occasional lamentation about how it was a shame that they were longer extant.

If you are wondering about the shape of the case, Angelus say that it was inspired by the multi-display travel clocks for which they were known between 1930-1960. It is made of annealed stainless steel, which has fewer impurities than the usual 316L steel and is more finely grained.

Then, the U10 Tourbillon Lumière happened.

Released in 2015, the re-emergence of the Angelus name (by La Joux-Perret, who have done the same with Arnold & Son and are in turn owned by Citizen) was startling enough, but the form in which this replica watch took was so bold and seemingly antithetical to the Angelus replica watches of old that the collective attention of the replica watch world was immediately grabbed.

 

With a very 21st century look (not to mention sizing) that is glossily industrial and modern, its most distinctive characteristics are also the most obvious – the curved rectangular stainless steel case with the sapphire crystal wrapping around it. The one-minute flying tourbillon with its titanium bridge is highlighted through the use of four surrounding crystals through which you can see it from various angles.

Apart from the retention of the original logo and crown design, the modern Angelus bears little obvious ties, especially design-wise, to the original, but in terms of wanting to be at the boundaries in terms of pushing themselves technically and be known for this, then it can be argued that the old spirit is there.

If their goal was to say “hello, I’m baaaack!” with a bang then the limited edition (twenty-five pieces) U10 Tourbillon Lumière, with its flying tourbillon and dead beat second, certainly did that.

 

The case features a total of seven sapphire windows, including an open caseback that shows the manual in-house, 90-hour power reserve Calibre A100 movement powered by two mainspring barrels with laser-engraved plate pattern, hand-finished polished nickel-silver bridges and wheels. The size of the movement is 52.10mm x 30.40mm, in a case of 62.75mm x 38mm (thickness of 15mm), to give you some perspective.

On the side you can see a linear power reserve indicator. On the left is a transluscent grey-coated sapphire dial with a hour, minute and seconds hand, with the addition of SuperLumiNova at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock (white) and black SuperLuminova for the hands. The deadbeat seconds hand is white lacquered.

Does the size detract from the replica watch? Well that’s going to be something subjective, but when I saw it, it seemed bigger than I had thought it would be but it was also more likeable than I had anticipated. I thought that its sheer size would overwhelm all other impressions but it didn’t; this is a slightly bonkers but attractive replica watch.

Because the movement is visible from so many angles in this piece you are treated to a variety of finishes from satin finishing of the mainplate with its laser engraving to the chamfered polished edges of the bridges, sunray satin finishing on the dial side of the plate, circular satin-finished wheels, bead-blasted and satin-finished tourbillon bridge, and the cage itself hand-chamfered and satin and mirror polished surfaces.

The overall impression of this is that it’s all shiny and rather big. At 99,500 CHF it’s going to rule a lot of people out anyway, but the size is something that needs to be experienced. It looks big on your screen, but it’s a replica watch that is impossible to get an accurate grip on without handling it.

As a follow up from this, Angelus have released the more ‘normally’ sized U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon, the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante and the U40 Racing Tourbillon to add to their Urban Collection. I do love a simple numbering system; it really can’t be underestimated.

I didn’t have an opportunity to see the U10 until Baselworld 2016, when it was also my first ‘hands-on’ experience with the modern Angelus. Rather than have all of them in the one post I thought that I would leave the other 2016 pieces I photographed to a second one, so look out for it coming soon.

Basel2016AngelusU40RacingTourbiSkeleton2

To whet your appetite here is a glimpse of the U40 which at 26,350 CHF is quite frankly, not bad at all.

Categories
Angelus Replica Hands-on

ANGELUS : From the U10 Tourbillon Lumière to the U40 RacingTourbillon

Basel2016AngelusU10TourbillonLumiere5

In 2015 the venerable name of Angelus found itself once again in the replica watch spotlight after a three decade odd hiatus. Arguably the domain of vintage replica watch enthusiasts, its name was most frequently uttered alongside nostalgia about its movements (both for themselves and others) in particular, with the occasional lamentation about how it was a shame that they were longer extant.Replique Montre Hublot

Then, the U10 Tourbillon Lumière happened.

Released in 2015, the re-emergence of the Angelus name (by La Joux-Perret, who have done the same with Arnold & Son and are in turn owned by Citizen) was startling enough, but the form in which this replica watch took was so bold and seemingly antithetical to the Angelus replica watches of old that the collective attention of the replica watch world was immediately grabbed.

Apart from the retention of the original logo and crown design, the modern Angelus bears little obvious ties, especially design-wise, to the original, but in terms of wanting to be at the boundaries in terms of pushing themselves technically and be known for this, then it can be argued that the old spirit is there.

If their goal was to say “hello, I’m baaaack!” with a bang then the limited edition (twenty-five pieces) U10 Tourbillon Lumière, with its flying tourbillon and dead beat second, certainly did that.

With a very 21st century look (not to mention sizing) that is glossily industrial and modern, its most distinctive characteristics are also the most obvious – the curved rectangular stainless steel case with the sapphire crystal wrapping around it. The one-minute flying tourbillon with its titanium bridge is highlighted through the use of four surrounding crystals through which you can see it from various angles.

If you are wondering about the shape of the case, Angelus say that it was inspired by the multi-display travel clocks for which they were known between 1930-1960. It is made of annealed stainless steel, which has fewer impurities than the usual 316L steel and is more finely grained.

The case features a total of seven sapphire windows, including an open caseback that shows the manual in-house, 90-hour power reserve Calibre A100 movement powered by two mainspring barrels with laser-engraved plate pattern, hand-finished polished nickel-silver bridges and wheels. The size of the movement is 52.10mm x 30.40mm, in a case of 62.75mm x 38mm (thickness of 15mm), to give you some perspective.

On the side you can see a linear power reserve indicator. On the left is a transluscent grey-coated sapphire dial with a hour, minute and seconds hand, with the addition of SuperLumiNova at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock (white) and black SuperLuminova for the hands. The deadbeat seconds hand is white lacquered.

Because the movement is visible from so many angles in this piece you are treated to a variety of finishes from satin finishing of the mainplate with its laser engraving to the chamfered polished edges of the bridges, sunray satin finishing on the dial side of the plate, circular satin-finished wheels, bead-blasted and satin-finished tourbillon bridge, and the cage itself hand-chamfered and satin and mirror polished surfaces.

The overall impression of this is that it’s all shiny and rather big. At 99,500 CHF it’s going to rule a lot of people out anyway, but the size is something that needs to be experienced. It looks big on your screen, but it’s a replica watch that is impossible to get an accurate grip on without handling it. Does the size detract from the replica watch? Well that’s going to be something subjective, but when I saw it, it seemed bigger than I had thought it would be but it was also more likeable than I had anticipated. I thought that its sheer size would overwhelm all other impressions but it didn’t; this is a slightly bonkers but attractive replica watch.

As a follow up from this, Angelus have released the more ‘normally’ sized U20 Ultra-Skeleton Tourbillon, the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante and the U40 Racing Tourbillon to add to their Urban Collection. I do love a simple numbering system; it really can’t be underestimated.

I didn’t have an opportunity to see the U10 until Baselworld 2016, when it was also my first ‘hands-on’ experience with the modern Angelus. Rather than have all of them in the one post I thought that I would leave the other 2016 pieces I photographed to a second one, so look out for it coming soon.

Basel2016AngelusU40RacingTourbiSkeleton2

To whet your appetite here is a glimpse of the U40 which at 26,350 CHF is quite frankly, not bad at all.