This chronograph is under 10mm thick – but you won't get one

If you're a fan of the best watches on the market, you're likely a fan of chronographs. These watches were made to go racing, fusing a stopwatch into the dial of a wristwatch for easy timing of laps.

The iconic design for a chrono includes two or three sub-dials on the watch face. We see it on a wealth of popular models, like the Rolex Daytona and the Omega Speedmaster.

But if you want the functionality of a chronograph without the cluttered dial, you need this new Angelus Instrument de Vitesse. Utilising a mono-pusher design, the watch is a chronograph in disguise, with an outward appearance more like a pilot's watch.

The central seconds hand serves the chronograph functionality here, activated by a single pusher built into the crown. That does theoretically limit you to timing sixty second bursts, but that's not the end of the world – and hey, it's an incentive to get that lap time down, too.

The 39mm case is crafted from stainless steel, and houses a stunning A5000 movement. That's a manually wound, column wheel chronograph movement which sits an impressive 4.2mm thick.

That allows the Angelus to enjoy it's most impressive spec – the thickness. All in, this watch sits just 9.27mm off the wrist. That's an absurdly impressive feat. Chronographs are notoriously chunky, making this even more interesting again.

A box sapphire crystal sits atop the dial here, with anti-reflective coating on both sides to help with easy reading. You'll also get 30 metres of water resistance. That's not the best we've seen, though frankly if you're taking this thing near water, you might need a check up.

Two different variants are on offer – a white dial with a blue leather strap and a black dial with a caramel leather strap. With just 25 pieces of each colour – at a CHF 17,100 price tag (approx £15,000) – users looking to snag one will need to be quick.