Hands-On With The Angelus Instrument De Vitesse Indianapolis Blue

During Watches and Wonders this year, the world learned about Angelus’s marvelous monopusher chronograph, the Instrument de Vitesse. Now, I must admit, I got a sneak peek of the watch last year. That was the first time I could handle it, and it exceeded my expectations. At the time, one could choose between ebony- and ivory-dial versions (sadly, no pun intended). We only had to wait a few months before the Angelus La Fabrique collection received some Instrument de Vitesse updates. I went hands-on with the new Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis Blue.

I briefly introduced the Instrument de Vitesse in my first article about the model line. A few months later, I received the Indianapolis Blue before its official release at WatchTime New York. I finally spent some time with the watch, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it was tough to send this one back.

Instrument de Vitesse

The Instrument de Vitesse chronographs are the inaugural pieces in the Angelus La Fabrique model line. Well, to be more correct, the first model was the Chronographe Medical × Massena Lab, but that was a one-off. The Instrument de Vitesse came after, first in the two dial colors mentioned above. Those were perfect releases as they represented the dial tones you’d find on vintage watches. This is the whole idea behind this timepiece — a heavily vintage-inspired new model. While Angelus does not produce 1:1 re-editions, these modern timepieces take inspiration from the brand’s rich past. The Chronographe Medical and the Instrument de Vitesse went one step further. These watches almost look like re-editions of vintage Angelus models. However, there’s a catch: there never was a vintage Instrument de Vitesse. Kudos to the Angelus design team.

Indianapolis Blue or Silverstone Grey?

Ivory white or ebony black are dial colors one could imagine a vintage Instrument de Vitesse came out with back in the ’50s. The two new additions to the line, Indianapolis Blue and Silverstone Grey (I think the names need no explanation), may look strange at first glance. A vintage-looking watch with a blue dial in such a shade is odd. Yet, therein lies the genius of this watch to me. It looks contemporary and ’50s simultaneously, and it does not bother me. While I handled both models during the show, the blue version spoke to me, so I asked for a press sample for review. Blue feels more elegant; gray would have been a bit sportier. However, on the wrist, both models work equally well.

Wearability

Thanks to the hand-wound movement, the Angelus Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis Blue is only 9.2mm thick The width is 39mm, a tad more prominent than the legendary Angelus 215 Hungarian Air Force chronographs. Those, however, had long lugs; this model has short ones, which puts the focus on the dial and provides a more comfortable fit. The watch feels great on the wrist, and operating the chronograph is easy with the crown-integrated pusher. This Instrument de Vitesse comes on a matching blue nubuck leather strap with an Angelus-signed pin buckle. It complements the look and adds to the contemporariness. The tachymeter scale on the dial is wide, and thanks to the large numerals and thick syringe hands, the watch is highly legible. These gold Super-LumiNova-filled applied numerals and hands provide excellent contrast against the blue dial. I also love the blue touches in the Silverstone Grey model’s tachymeter scale.

What’s inside?

You know your watches if you find the Angelus Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis Blue caliber familiar. Inside this model beats the Angelus caliber A5000, which is based on the La Joux-Perret 5000-4 movement. So, while the caliber is not in-house, since La Joux-Perret and Angelus belong to the same company (Citizen), it comes from within the group. You can find a similar caliber in the Ming 37.04, among other pieces. It is a mechanical manual-wind movement with 23 jewels, a 21,600vph frequency, a column wheel, and a power reserve of about 42 hours. As this is a 60-second chronograph, you don’t have sub-dials as the watch can “only” measure the seconds. This, however, is enough to calculate speed, which is the essence of the model; after all, the name Instrument de Vitesse means “Speed Instrument.” The A5000 is not only a complex caliber but also a beautifully decorated one with Geneva stripes, chamfered bridges, and polished screws.

Further thoughts

It is worth mentioning that the Angelus Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis Blue is limited to 25 pieces, just like the Silverstone Grey version. There’s a very slim chance of seeing another one in the wild. Due to the intricate movement, the limitation, and the overall execution, the watch has a price of CHF 17,200 (ex. taxes), which is steep for most of us. I don’t want to justify the price, but I think the watch speaks for itself. I enjoyed my time with the Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis Blue, and being the vintage Angelus fan I am, if I had the means, I’d snatch one up in a heartbeat. Oh well, one can dream.

To conclude this article, I hope the brand does not mind me sharing this with you all. I have seen some of the new models in the making, and all I can say is that if you liked the Instrument de Vitesse Indianapolis Blue, you will love those too.