Massena LAB creates, designs, and develops timepieces with renowned watchmakers. Founded by William Massena, the Massena LAB proposes ideas or concepts to manufactures that are unusual and beyond the offerings from their collection. Massena LAB exists to embody a horological culture and play an integral part in its constant evolution using elements of style from the past to enhance the future of watchmaking. It aims to create a community of informed watch enthusiasts with a passion for original timepieces from independent watchmakers. The ‘LAB’ stands for laboratory, label, but also collaboration.
William Massena has been a passionate collector of watches from an early age. He’s an active participant in the world of horology as a collector, consultant, and former auctioneer. He was a retailer with stores in Miami and New York City, and later became the Chief Operating Officer of Antiquorum in Geneva.
The latest and greatest project of the Massena LAB is the new Angelus Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB, a re-edition of Angelus' first doctor's watch, which was first produced in the 1960s. Since then, the legendary original has become a favorite among vintage collectors and enthusiasts. This new mono-pusher chronograph is cased in a 39 mm stainless steel case. The domed silver opaline dial features two scales that include a pulsometer, to measure the heart rate, and an asthmometer to measure the respiratory rate.
To measure heartbeats per minute, activate the chronograph and count to ten heartbeats. Stop the chronograph. The chronograph hand will then point to the correct reading along the pulsometer scale. The scale is color-coded with green showing a positive reading, black being neutral, and red indicating a negative outcome.
To calculate breaths per minute, the asthmometer scale works in much the same way as the pulsometer scale. Activate the chronograph, count to five breaths, and stop the chronograph to locate the reading. This scale is red to distinguish it from the minutes’ track.
Using the chronograph, each test takes less than one minute to complete and requires no additional calculation, an extremely practical technological shortcut for physicians working in the 1960s. This is a tool watch in its purest form. When Angelus launched their first doctor’s watch in the 1960s, it was a manual wound, monopusher chronograph featuring a unique dial.
The Angelus Chronographe x Massena LAB is powered by the manual wound Angelus caliber A5000, first developed by THA Ébauche, a collaborative manufacture of watch movements founded by some of the best-known names in independent watchmaking today, including François-Paul Journe, Denis Flageollet, and Vianney Halter. Importantly, departing from the THA movement, the Angelus A5000 moves the chronograph pusher from the crown to the 2 o’clock position with a mono-pusher and provides a power reserve of 42 hours.
The Angelus Chronographe Médical x Massena LAB is delivered on a golden brown Novonappa calfskin, with hand-stitched ecru stitching and equipped with a stainless steel pin buckle.
The Angelus Chronographe x Massena LAB is available in a limited edition of 99 pieces and the watch is available for pre-order with a $5,000 USD deposit. Clients who choose to make a full prepayment of the sticker price of $19,900 USD will be guaranteed to receive their watch within the first batch of deliveries. limited to one watch per household. Delivery is to be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis, with the first delivery of approximately thirty watches to deliver at the end of April 2023. The remaining watches will be shipped in batches of ten, beginning in May 2023.
Sticker Price $19,900 USD. For more info on Massena LAB click here.
