An Unexpected Feature Is the Key to This Automatic Chronograph’s Exquisite Dial

I’m a sucker for a good panda dial, but after a while, they can all start to look pretty similar.

That’s what caught my eye about Brellum’s latest addition to its Pandial series of chronographs with contrasting subdials. Here was a panda-dial chronograph in the most classic setup — a white dial, black subdials and black tachymeter bezel — but there was something different about it.

Instead of the usual two or three subdials, this Pandial has four. This not only sets it apart from other chronographs in the Pandial collection, but I’m also struggling to think of another automatic panda-dial chronograph with four functional subdials. You’ve got the Universal Geneve Tri-Compax, but that’s been discontinued for what, 50 years? (Though it may come back.)

So, how did Brellum pull this off?

Brellum

Panda power

Unlike the Universal Geneve mentioned above, the Brellum doesn’t use its fourth subdial to display a pointer date and moonphase. The watch does feature a date, but it’s a discreet window at 6:00, with its white-on-black color scheme perfectly blending into the 12-hour totalizer within which it’s placed.

At 12:00, the Pandial features a 30-minute totalizer for the chrono, and at 9:00, we have our running seconds indicator. That’s where most chronographs call it quits, but Brellum adds a little something extra for the fourth register at 3:00.

That subdial displays a power reserve indicator, which is hardly revolutionary on its own, but I think the way Brellum has incorporated it here is quite clever.

Brellum

There are two scales on the indicator. On the left, a white hand tracks the actual hours of the mainspring’s reserve, up to 46 hours. On the right, and oriented in the opposite direction, is a more generic power reserve meter, with its red side indicating an empty tank. The two hands track the exact same thing, but positioning them in this way makes the display more dynamic and brings some highly pleasing symmetry to the dial.

What’s also notable is that while Brellum has incorporated power reserve indicators on some of its chronograph dials before — though never on a Pandial — it has done so in a typical fan style that messed with the dial’s beauty. To my knowledge, this is the first time the brand has gone the subdial route, and it looks great.

Brellum

The cool fourth subdial really ties this Pandial together, but the rest of the watch is also impressive. The stainless steel case, while on the large side at 43mm x 15.90mm thick (just 10.9mm without the domed sapphire crystals front and back), looks sporty with curved lugs featuring vertical brushing and polished chamfers.

A black minute track and inner telemeter scale nicely frame the white dial, while the black external aluminum bezel functions as a tachymeter. What’s more, the watch boasts an impressive 100m depth rating, and its Valjoux 7750-based movement is nicely decorated and COSC-certified — the latter detail spelled out on the movement’s rose-gold coated custom rotor.

Brellum

Pricing and availability

The Brellum Pandial Power Reserve is one of the best-looking chronographs I’ve seen in a while, and it shows what can happen when a brand thinks outside the box just a little.

The bad news, however, is that the watch is severely limited. Just 33 pieces will be made, all of which include both a five-row steel bracelet and a black leather strap. For now, they’re still available on Brellum’s website for the pretty reasonable price of CHF 3,124 (~$3,881).

Brellum

Brellum Pandial Power Reserve LE Chronometer

Specs

Case Size	43mm
Movement	Brellum Cal. BR-750RM automatic chronograph (Valjoux base)
Water Resistance	100m

• $3,881 at Brellum

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