Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon

Following the U10, U20 and U30 Tourbillon models, the Swiss watchmaker Angelus is now presenting its first diver’s watch, the U50 Diver Tourbillon.

The new U50 stands out from other diver’s watches for its open dial and skeleton movement.

Crafted in a 45 mm titanium case, the Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon features two large screw-down crowns. The two-position crown at 4 o’clock is used for winding and setting the time, while the crown at 2 o’clock is used to rotate the uni-directional 60-minute flange ring, used in place of the more common exterior rotating 60-minute bezel found in diver’s watches.

At the 9 o’clock position, a helium escape valve is placed to ensure the watch’s water-resistance of 300 meters / 1,000 feet, even during saturation diving where the watch would be exposed to helium gas that could make its way into the case under pressure.

Instead of a solid dial, the U50 Diver Tourbillon features an open display with a highly contrasting flange ring in blue and yellow lacquer, featuring white Super-LumiNova on the indexes. Matching the flange ring, the hands are rhodium plated with blue and yellow lacquer, with Super-LumiNova applied in the middle of the hands. This way, the U50 offers excellent legibility even with an open-worked dial.

Rather then simply being a cut-out version of an existing movement, the U50 Diver Tourbillon’s A-300 calibre was designed as a skeleton from scratch.

Much reduced in weight, it has maximum rigidity from its beam-type bridges and the fact that all the movement’s main elements, such as the wheels and barrel, are firmly secured between two plates. This design replaces the conventional main plate and bridges construction and increases the mechanical resistance of the movement.

The watch’s rigidity is further enhanced by the Angelus in-house six-spoke design, which reinforces the wheel train and protects the skeletonized ratchet and barrel.

Offering 55 hours of power reserve, the 4 Hz (28,800 vph) A-300 calibre has haute horlogerie finishing with snailed black ADLC coating and chamfered edges.

Matched to a black rubber strap bearing the Angelus “A” logo and secured to the wrist by a titanium pin-buckle, the Angelus U50 Diver Tourbillon (ref. 0TDAT.B01A.K008T) has a retail price, before local taxes, of Swiss Francs 29,700. angelus-watches.com