Monochrome Monopusher: The Montre de Souscription 5 by Angelus
On the heels of its sold-out collaboration with Habring² back in December, Monochrome is back with a vintage-oriented monopusher chronograph in collaboration with Angelus. The Montre de Souscription 5 Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre (MdS5) is a subtle riff on the brand’s Chronographe Télémètre, which walked away with the Chronograph Prize at least year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). Initial thoughts I had the chance to see the MdS5 on the wrist of Monochrome founder Frank Geelen during Dubai Watch Week, and the watch makes a statement with its compact proportions. In fact, it could almost pass for a vintage watch. While historical reissues are made in abundance, they are often unnecessarily up-sized to suit modern tastes. At just 37 mm, the MdS5 has a tidy footprint on the wrist, and the 9.25 mm case height makes for a low profile. Interestingly, the watch could actually be a little smaller, given the compact proportions of the La Joux-Perret A5000, a manually wound monopusher chronograph movement descended from a construction first developed at THA by independent watchmaking royalty, including François-Paul Journe, Denis Flageollet, and Vianney Halter. This lineage gives the movement cachet, though the La Joux-Perret movement is in reality a distant relation of the THA (and Jaquet) original. As a souscription series, as many as 20 pieces of the MdS5 will be made, assuming enough demand, with a non-refundable deposit due up front. The watch goes o...