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Baselworld 2016 will be opening its doors to the public in just a few days and there is one brand in particular that I am really keen to visit; Angelus. Ok, to be fair there are many brands I am keen to visit but Angelus definitely ranks high on the list. Making its official re-entry into the world of watch-making last year with the insanely cool U10 Tourbillon Lumiere, the brand promised there were even more exciting things to come. Judging by the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante, Angelus plans to deliver on that promise this year.

The Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante

Given the heritage of the Angelus brand and the fact that it sits under the same umbrella as one of our other favourite high-end watchmakers – Arnold & Son – we knew to expect big things in 2016, both metaphorically and, as it turns out, literally. Measuring a whopping 47 mm x 15 mm, the new U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante packs quite a punch into its grade 5 titanium case, boasting both a tourbillon as well a chronograph with split-seconds (rattrapante) and fly-back functionality.

Despite the eye-watering specifications though and knowing how clever the watchmakers at La Joux-Perret are, I am sure the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante won’t wear anywhere near as big on the wrist as its impressive size would suggest. We’ll just have to wait until later this week when we get hands on to confirm that however.

Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante

Even if it does however I am sure the completely open-worked dial will more than make it up for it. Based on the press pictures alone it seems very little is left to the imagination (like our good friend Kim K) and in fact if you take the time to look closely and count you will see that 15 different wheels are visible on the dial side.

This includes the column-wheel for the split-seconds function, which is located at 4 o’clock, just underneath the 30-minute counter for the chronograph and can be observed in action in real time by the wearer. Also visible on the dial side is of course the hour and minute hands, the twin central chronograph seconds hands, the aforementioned counter for the chronograph, a handy little power reserve at 8 o’clock and of course the tourbillon cage which houses the one-minute tourbillon between 10 and 11 o’clock. The column wheel for the flyback function meanwhile is on the back side of the movement.

Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante

Speaking of movements, inside is the automatic caliber A-150 offering a power reserve of 45 hours. As we’ve come to expect from Angleus/Arnold & Son the movement has been completely over-engineered and finished to an exceptional standard. This includes a black gold-treated copper-beryllium balance wheel, wheels with exclusive Angelus six-spoke design to maximize rigidity, grey NAC-treated main plate and automatic bridge, hand-chamfered and hand-polished tourbillon cage with black ADLC-treated second pointer, black ADLC-treated with solid 22-karat white gold segment rotor, and black ADLC-treated and mirror-polished column wheels, among many other things.

Finished on a matte black alligator leather strap with titanium folding buckle engraved with the Angelus logo the U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante has a look that sits somewhere between sporty and sophisticated but feels like it would be at home in just about any situation (depending on how that 47mm case wears with a suit of course!)

Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante

Limited to 25 pieces the Angelus U30 Tourbillon Rattrapante will be officially launched at Baselworld this week, so stay tuned for some live pictures and pricing coming soon!

Tom Mulraney
Tom Mulraney
Founder & Editor
Tom likes to write about luxury watches. So much so, that he created The Watch Lounge just so he would have an outlet for his passion. Together with his team, he is dedicated to bringing you original, entertaining (and maybe even a little educational) luxury watch and lifestyle content.

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