1942 Angelus Chronodato Gold Plate, ref. Calibre

Featuring an unusual gold-colored dial with in-house Angelus movement, and matching gold 38mm. case, beveled lugs reminiscent of later sports chronographs – helping this watch achieve a delicate balance between sport and dress – the Angelus Chronodato Gold Plate kills it with a suit and tie, butat heart is a legitimate sportsman watch.

Unlike the many Swiss brands that turned out cool looking watches by assembling quality components from multiple suppliers, Angelus was among the elite group of watchmakers who built in-house complicated chronographs decades ago. The Angelus Chronodato Gold Plate is one of the earliest full calendar chrono wristwatches, it proved to be popular among mid-20^th century customers.

Since its early stages, Angelus excelled not only at creating high quality movements, but also at designing them for ultimate legibility. Instead of scrunching up the calendar around the center of the dial like many other brands, the Angelus Chronodato Gold Plate gave each register plenty of breathing room and arranged the day and date windows in a pleasant symmetrical layout. The date displayed at the outer edge of the dial, marked by a red-tipped hand.

At first glance, this Angelus Chronodato Gold Plate from 1942 appears to be a simple vintage chrono, but a closer look let’s one appreciate its thoughtfully-designed functionality.

Just like many others, Angelus is one of the old Swiss chronograph masters that couldnt survive the Quartz Crisis. They succumbed to the changing international watch market and shuttered their factory, leaving behind some of the finest chronos of the mid-century.

Luckily, they left behind some amazing artifacts, and since Angelus is only in the nascent stages of a collecting revival, the value proposition of these watches is pretty incredible for any collector.

Submitted by Analog Shift.