Angelus

Owned by Citizen Group through Manufacture La Joux-Perret, but operating with full creative independence — all movements designed and produced entirely in-house, pushing horological boundaries with the spirit of a true independent.

Founded in 1891 in Le Locle by brothers Albert, Gustav, and later Charles Stolz — former students of noted watchmaker Henri Sandoz. From a small room on Rue du Marais, they built one of the 20th century's most influential Swiss manufactures. In 1902 Angelus won gold at the Paris International Exhibition. Key historic innovations: the Chronodate (1942), supplied to the Hungarian Air Force; the world's smallest 8-day movement; the Tinkler, the first-ever automatic repeater wristwatch; and the SF240 calibre, used by Panerai in the mid-1950s. Wartime commissions included tactile watches for visually impaired soldiers in WWI. The quartz crisis ended production in the 1970s; the brand was dormant for 30 years.

In 2011 La Joux-Perret SA acquired Angelus; the revived brand debuted at Basel 2015 with the U10 Tourbillon Lumière — a 60-second flying tourbillon in a retro-futuristic TV-shaped oval case (inspired by 1960s travel clocks), with a sapphire crystal revealing a large detached tourbillon, backed by a classically-constructed movement from 18th-century pocket watch tradition. Today all movements are designed, produced, finished, assembled, and regulated fully in-house. Three collections: Chronodate (L.A.B and heritage variants, in-house A-150 with flyback, tourbillon, and split-second); Flying Tourbillon (skeletonised sports tourbillon, limited to 50 pieces); and La Fabrique (vintage-inspired, including Chronographe Médical). Philosophy: 'advanced engineering with an athletic aesthetic.'