Brellum Swiss Watchmaking Pandial | Hands-On Review

Brellum Swiss Watchmaking Pandial

We cover a lot of microbrands here at Watchreport and I would say on the average, most are $1000 and under. Today I present to you a watch that is well over $1000 and while many would give it the microbrand label, I think it is safe to say they deserve the Independent Watch Brand Moniker. The Brellum Swiss Watchmaking Pandial comes in at around $2500 and is also a COSC chronograph, two things that really put it above the microbrand label. Brellum also hand assembles and regulates their watches before they are shipped out, so again, you are getting much more than your average microbrand watch company offers.

Brellum Swiss Watchmaking Pandial Specifications:

• 43mm Case Width
• 51MM Lug to Lug
• 15.9mm Thick (with Box Sapphire)
• Box Sapphire Crystal with Inner AR Coating
• Caliber BRELLUM BR-750-1 Automatic chronometer, base Valjoux
  Movement Chronometer Officially Certified by the COSC
• Multiple Strap Options
• 50 Meters Water Resistant

Price $2500

https://www.brellum.swiss/en/onlineshop/pandial/

To those out there reading this who may not be familiar with Brellum, its okay, they are still relatively new to the wristwatch scene, going online in 2016. Unlike many new brands, Brellum did not do any crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and chose to bring their first watch, the DuoBox, direct to the market. That is risky of course, but it has proved to be very successful for the Swiss Brand. Flash forward to 2019 and they have produced a few different versions of the DuoBox, the Pandial that you see here in this review (in many different color options) and their latest piece, the Wyvern, a beauty that comes in both an L.E. double-barrel manufacture manual wind movement with power reserve or a small second hand automatic.

That brings us to this Pandial I have in hand. I have been wanting to get one of these watches in for review for quite a while and fortunately was finally able to make that happen. It is not every day you run across a watch of this magnitude from such a young brand, and because of that, I needed to check it out and see if the hype is real. Design-wise, this watch is really not for me (at least these days, though it seems my tastes keep evolving) but it is definitely a watch that I can appreciate and even though it is not something I would regularly wear, it is one that I find very attractive. The Brellum Swiss Watchmaking Pandial gets its name from the Panda dial, one that we commonly associate with white subdials on black, or the reverse panda, which is black subdials on white. Brellum takes this dial design even further with multiple versions of dark and light colorways. The one seen here is the Grey Meteor, which has mint green accents to give a subtle pop of color. It really is a beautiful color, but I do think my favorite would be the blue/white Pandial.

Taking a look around the watch, you will notice that it is similar to many high-end 7750 chronographs that you have seen. You have the tachymeter scale bezel, a 3 eye chronograph, a date at the 6 o’clock location, and two chronograph pushers. The case itself is a combination of brushed and polished finishes and while it is very nicely done, it is nothing out of the ordinary. There are 3 things that separate this watch from the pack, especially at this price, and those are as follows; The dial finishing, the movement finishing and the fact that is is a certified chronometer. Let’s start with the dial. You may not notice it at first glance, but when you get closer, you see that it is not just a standard matte or sunburst dial, but a vertical brushed grey dial with applied markers and refined skeleton-style hands, and it just showcases fine craftsmanship.

The applied dragon logo is a nice touch, but I will agree with others that the amount of text and the different sizes and fonts are a little much and I think a little restraint could have gone a long way here. Other than that, I really can’t complain about the dial, the applied indices match the style of the hour and minute hand, the date is not stuck in some weird place that throws off symmetry and while the colors on this version are somewhat subdued, it still pops and is easy to read.

Moving around to the back, you will see what some may refer to as the star of this watch, the highly decorated COSC certified 7750 automatic movements. Beyond the good looks of the watch case and dial, this is one of the main reasons people have been plunking down their hard-earned $2500 for. Face it, when buying a retail or direct from a brand, when was the last time you saw a COSC chronograph for $2500? Sure, maybe it’s possible if you buy preowned or on a really really good grey market sale, but it is not the norm by any means. The movement is also absolutely beautiful. It is nicely decorated with a custom rotor and movements like this and beyond are what exhibition case backs are meant for.

As I talked about in the video, I only received one strap, the perforated leather strap with deployant buckle, with this review model. On my 7 1/2 inch wrist, I found the strap to be comfortable, but not long enough at all. There are mesh bracelet options and depending on the model you order, regular calf leather straps and fabric strap options, and I believe you can order a set where you can get multiple straps with your Brellum Swiss Watchmaking Pandial. At 43mm by 51mm, it is a great size for me but I think maybe just slightly smaller with a shorter lug to lug might appeal to a wider audience these days, but again for my wrist size and personal tastes, it wears just fine.

At the end of the day, Brellum Swiss Watchmaking has produced a damn nice watch with the Pandial. If I were to make a few suggestions; I would like to see longer leather strap, maybe a fitted rubber strap option and a true bracelet. I do not think they should include all that with every watch, just it would be nice to see these options as a choice. That is really my only gripe with this piece, the short leather strap. Even though it is not a watch I would run out to purchase because the style doesn’t appeal to me, I can not deny the beauty and elegance of this chronometer. Some will mock the high price, and I completely understand. $2500 is a big chunk of change to lay down for a brand most have not heard of. I will say if you like this design of the watch, the quality is definitely there. I think Brellum will be in the game for a long time, and there first few models are only the beginning.