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 on sale today, and orders will be accepted for the next 10 days until all 20 pieces are accounted for. Including the deposit, the MdS5 is priced at €18,500 excluding taxes, reflecting both the small batch nature of the production run and interesting movement.

Sophisticated serifs

The vintage inspiration of the watch is conveyed clearly by its grained, 2N gold-plated dial. With an instrument-like design that references scientific chronographs from the 1940s and 1950s, the dial is neatly printed with a tachymeter scale in place of the telemeter scale found in the aptly named Chronographe Télémètre.

Tachymeter scales are commonplace and rarely noteworthy, but the designers at Angelus took an atypical approach to the typography, with fonts that actually feel period-correct. The flat-topped threes and fours, and open sixes and nines, look right at home alongside elegant serifs. Lume-filled syringe hands complete the picture.

The vintage illusion is broken somewhat by the positioning of the sub-dials, which are larger and closer together than they would have been in days gone by. This is a consequence of the small movement, and something that impacts almost all contemporary chronographs based on historical calibres. Another departure from historical norms is the open case back, which is welcome, and arguably necessary, given the distinctive movement.

Independent at heart

While the A5000 movement is built by an industrial manufacture owned by a multi-billion dollar corporation from Japan, it bears the imprint of three of the most celebrated independent watchmakers of today: François-Paul Journe, Denis Flageollet, and Vianney Halter.

The trio of now-celebrated watchmakers founded Techniques Horlogères Appliquées (THA) in 1989, with the goal of supplying brands with bespoke movements. The firm developed a manually wound chronograph ebauche for Cartier that was first seen in the Collection Privée Cartier Paris Tortue Monopoussoir launched in 1998.

While the design of the A5000 is similar to that of the THA ebauche developed for Cartier, there are important differences, and the movement actually has more in common with a later variation that François-Paul Journe developed for Jaquet, a movement maker that eventually collapsed and was reborn in 2004 as La Joux-Perret.

When the dust settled, La Joux-Perret owned the rights to both generations of this unusual monopusher calibre, a movement that combines the appealing look of a horizontal clutch chronograph with the robust simplicity of an oscillating pinion.

La Joux-Perret was acquired by Citizen in 2012, and in 2025 LVMH came onboard as a minority investor. In the intervening years, La Joux-Perret acquired the rights to the dormant Angelus brand in 2015, reviving the company and operating it alongside Arnold & Son.

Naturally, given its development history, the A5000 bears several signs of François-Paul Journe’s thinking. For example, the layout of the chronograph works, including the design of the oscillating pinion, the arrangement of the elapsed minutes wheel, and the shape of the hammer are clearly referenced by the later F.P. Journe cal. 1517 in the lineSport Chronographe Rattrapante.

Key facts and price

Monochrome Montre de Souscription 5 Angelus Chronographe Tachymètre

Diameter: 37 mm
Height: 9.25 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 30 m

Movement: A5000
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph
Winding: Hand wind
Frequency: 21,600 beats per hour (3 Hz)
Power reserve: 42 hours

Strap: Leather with matching pin buckle

Limited edition: Yes, 20 pieces
Availability: On the Monochrome shop for a period of 10 days (or until all 20 pieces are sold), starting on January 29, 2026 at 3PM CET. Deliveries are expected in April 2026.
Price: €18,500 excluding taxes (including a non-refundable deposit of €5,000 plus taxes due at the time of order)

For more, visit shop.monochrome-watches.com