The new Angular Momentum Classic Dress belongs to the Swiss brand’s Technical Timepiece collection and offers you to take an unbeaten path towards elegance.
Before going to the drawing board, any designer should ask himself a question: What is a dress watch? Is it a chunky chronograph in gold and diamonds? Is it a massive tourbillon paved with diamonds?
Well, it is generally recognized that an ideal dress watch must be (1) understated, (2) plain, (3) modest in size, (4) expensive, (5) preferably mechanical. The new Classic Dress Watch meets all four requirements but does that with a twist.
As you can see in the photos, the new timepiece is presented in a simple round-shaped Staybrite steel body.
Only 36 millimeters in diameter (a rare size these days) and made of three parts (bezel, middle and case-back,) it looks understated, but in a way that can’t help but pay attention when you see it on someone’s wrist.
The reason for that is, of course, its dial.
Featuring solid mother-of-pearl, which is cut from precious freshwater cultured shells, it looks surprisingly different from the customary silvered, white or black metal faces with inevitable guilloche or other types of decor.
Making it easier on the eyes, the Swiss brand decorated the dial with only four baton-shaped hour markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock and equipped the watch with a pair of thin, too, baton-shaped hour and minute hands.
Together, they make the dial look both simple and highly refined, like a Zen garden.
Unfortunately, Angular Momentum decided to extend the keep-it-simple principle to its NOS Fontainemelon FHF 96 hand-wound movement that they seem to possess a fairly large stock.
Judging by the photos, the movement seems to be installed almost as is with its bridges and parts of the gear train coming absolutely undecorated.
Well, I can understand the idea, but would definitely love the historic caliber to show even a single sign that it was a trifle customized before being installed into this beautiful timekeeper.
According to Angular Momentum, the Classic Dress Watch is not going to be available in retail networks. If the price of CHF 3200 doesn’t scare you away, you may contact the company via email and they will send you a piece. Although, at 3200 Swiss Francs apiece, this one looks like an expensive toy, I have an impression that the price is at least partially justified by the timekeeper’s unique styling (I don’t think that you will be able to find anything close to it within the CHF 3000-3500 range) and the rarity of the mechanism. Being primarily a collector’s item, the gadget will be hard to resell if you will need some liquidity in a hurry, but otherwise, I think that it is worse the money Angular Momentum plans to charge you.
See also: Vacheron Constantin Historique 1955 Ultra-fine 1955 (ref. 33155/000R-9588)
Photos: Angular Momentum
Angular Momentum Technical Timepiece Collection: Classic Dress Watch specification
Price: CHF 3200 (MSRP)
Movement: Hand-wound, Caliber FHF 96, 18,000 vph, 17 jewels, NOS, Swiss Made
Functions: Hours, minutes
Power reserve: 48 hours
Case: 1.4435Ncu Staybrite steel
Shape: Round
Size: 36.00 mm
Case height: 12.00 mm
Dial: Solid mother-of-pearl, natural color
Hands: Steel, baton-shaped
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Black leather strap
Crystal: Sapphire, double-curved
Back: Sapphire
Yep, this is me. Just had my beard trimmed.
I am a founding father of this weblog since 2008.
Bought my first mechanical watch in 1986 and it took me ten more years to realize that I have a problem: at some point in time watches became my passion. Well, it could be worse.