Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB

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.

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.

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).  

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.