For those wondering if there are dive watches on the market with a tourbillon, the answer is simple: yes! However, they are few, and naming them off the top of your head can be challenging. Fear not, though, as Angelus has just released a new watch in their bold U50 collection, thus increasing the number of available dive watches with a tourbillon by at least one! Here is the Angelus U53 Tourbillon Dive Watch in a trendy khaki green color.
Let me give you a moment to think of other watches that feature a (floating) tourbillon escapement and have a diving depth of 300 meters or more. It's not that easy, is it? Because it's something that doesn't naturally combine: a robust underwater device equipped with a delicate anti-gravity regulator. Of course, the Angelus U53 is not alone, but finding the answer requires a good knowledge of the watch market, past and present. Richard Mille did this with the RM 025, a 300-meter watch with a hand-wound chronograph and a tourbillon. Blancpain also has such a model in their collection - the 300-meter Fifty Fathoms Tourbillon 8 Days. And Panerai did it too, releasing the Submersible EcoPangaea Tourbillon GMT model. But it seems that Angelus is a kind of specialist in this niche concept, already having the U50 Tourbillon in their collection. In any case, the genre is not widely represented.
Here is the Angelus U53. For several years now, Angelus has been creating high-tech modern watches with complex mechanisms, leveraging all the capabilities of the brand's owner, the Citizen watch group. This group includes the movement developer and manufacturer La Joux-Perret, responsible for the A-300 caliber installed in this watch (more on this later).
The Angelus U53 Tourbillon is the latest evolution of the U50 dive watch series, designed to fill a very narrow niche. The external design uses grade 5 titanium in a strong and ingenious design. The round case is topped with a 'sawtooth' style bezel (new for this U53 watch) and equipped with crown guards. One crown is for winding and setting the movement, and the other is for using the internal rotating bezel, now covered in khaki green. Given the skeletonized construction, there is no real dial in the traditional sense of the word. Instead, the flange on the inside of the rotating bezel helps to determine time using luminous hour markers and a minute scale between them. Large hour and minute hands are complemented by a small seconds subdial at the '9 o'clock' position.
The U53 Tourbillon Dive Watch is equipped with the in-house caliber A-300 with manual winding. As mentioned earlier, it is made by La Joux-Perret and equipped with a one-minute floating tourbillon. This is the same caliber used in the U40 Racing Tourbillon Skeleton model a few years ago, although it is slightly inclined to accommodate two crowns on the right side of the case. It operates at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vph - quite fast for a tourbillon) and provides a 60-hour power reserve. For a smooth finish, the plates are bead-blasted, and the wheels have circular graining. The tourbillon cage has beveled and polished edges.
The Angelus U53 Tourbillon Dive Watch is limited to 25 pieces and comes on a green textured rubber strap with a titanium folding clasp. The set includes an additional green textile NATO strap with a titanium clasp. The price of the watch is 39,400 Swiss francs before taxes.
For more information, visit Angelus-Watches.com.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS - ANGELUS U53 TOURBILLON
Case: diameter 46 mm x height 12.47 mm - grade 5 titanium case - grade 5 titanium bezel with micro-bead finish - sapphire crystal with AR coating - sapphire crystal case back - crown with double protection - water resistance 300 meters
Dial: skeletonized dial - khaki green - internal rotating dive bezel with 60-minute scale - hour markers with Super-LumiNova - hour and minute hands with central Super-LumiNova line - small seconds subdial at 9 o'clock - Angelus logo on the inside of the crystal
Movement: Caliber A300, in-house - manual winding - skeletonized construction - diameter 32.80 mm x height 4.30 mm - 23 jewels - floating minute tourbillon - 28,800 vph (4 Hz) - bead-blasted plates and circular-grained wheels - 60-hour power reserve - hours, minutes, small seconds
Strap: green rubber strap with titanium folding clasp - additional green textile NATO strap with titanium pin buckle
Availability: Limited edition of 25 pieces
Price: 39,400 Swiss francs (excluding taxes)