Few would argue that Angelus is one of the most storied brands in watchmaking, most famous for its complicated chronographs and for creating movements that powered very early Panerai watches. But because of the quartz crisis, the company ceased operations in the late 1970s. Fortunately, the brand was revived in 2015 by Manufacture La Joux-Perret, which, incidentally, was acquired a year earlier by the Japanese Citizen group. The modern-day Angelus is particularly fascinating because, unlike other revived names, its current collections bear little resemblance to the watches that made it famous. For instance, the original Angelus company never made a tourbillon, and yet here we are now with a new tourbillon watch. This is the new Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon.

Keen fans of Angelus will immediately notice that the Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon combines elements from its other watches. Specifically, it has the highly angular and technical case of the new Chronodate and the movement from the U23 Flying Tourbillon watches. This means an 18k red gold case that is 42.5mm-wide and 11.7mm-thick. The case is actually quite elaborate. The bezel is a single piece of 18k red gold and the mid-case is carbon. The crown is also 18k red gold and it has a band of carbon. The watch will come with a black “ballistic rubber” strap with a matching 18k red gold and titanium folding clasp. And even though the case is quite sporty in its design, take note that its water resistance rating is just 30 meters. Stay clear of liquids!

The dial where the magic really happens. The main dial is carbon fiber, and surrounding it is a black PVD chapter ring. The hour indices are white gold, while the hour and minute hands are rhodium-plated. In the middle, you can see the Calibre A-250 in its entirety. The movement features prominent gold bridges, a single barrel providing a respectable 90 hours of power reserve, and a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock that beats at 3Hz. I especially love the gold bridges because they stand out so strongly against the black carbon fiber dial. All in all, it’s a dial that combines legibility with lots of visual attraction.

One could argue that the Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon isn’t special enough because it reuses components from other Angelus watches, and that’s certainly a valid point of view. On the other hand, I’d like to think that Angelus is being judicious with how it uses its resources. Perhaps it’s because I’m a sucker for anything that’s gold and black — it’s such a winning combination. The Angelus Gold & Carbon Flying Tourbillon is limited to 18 pieces and it’s 68,900 Swiss Francs. For more information, visit the Angelus website here.