Abelès-type refractometer of determining the refractive index of a thin film is discussed. A rotary encoder and a lock-in-amplifier are used for the measurement of the Abelès angle. The refractive index between 1.3 and 4.0 can be measured to an accuracy range of about 0.002 in the 380-800 nm wavelength region. An improved measuring method is also discussed.