Hands-On With The New Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer
Today’s Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer visited us at Fratello HQ, and we were left impressed by the brand’s latest release. Brellum focuses on numbered, low-production editions with a high value-to-price ratio. This piece may be the most compelling yet.
It’s hard not to be cynical when looking at the prices of new watches. Our recurring series focused on the best watches under a certain price point constantly reminds me of this. Don’t get me wrong; there are still tons of options for one’s money, but many brands have pushed upward. There’s also the trend toward smaller watches. That benefits me, but plenty of large-wristed folks like 42mm+ timepieces. Brellum is one smaller company marketing larger chronographs packed with functionality. The Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer fits that bill and does it very well.
The Brellum Pandial Marina
The new Pandial Marina is a 43mm Grade 5 titanium chronograph with a 100m water resistance rating. The watch is 15.9mm thick and includes domed sapphire crystals on the front and back sides. With its 51.5mm lug-to-lug, this watch will suit the big-wristed but should feel great due to its use of lightweight metal (just 72 grams for the watch head). I am willing to stand corrected, but I believe this is the first titanium Brellum chronograph.
The design is faithful to other watches we’ve reviewed from the brand, including long, chamfered lugs, pump pushers, and a large signed crown. Unlike other Brellum models I’ve reviewed, this watch has an external dark blue aluminum bezel insert with a tachymeter scale.
Brellum opted for a multi-textured blue dial on the Pandial Marina. An angled telemeter rehaut surrounds a ridged minute track. The applied luminous hour indexes sit within a matte blue ring. Then, a slightly darker wave pattern makes up the central dial section. Raised charcoal sub-dials contain running seconds and a 30-minute counter, while a black-on-white date wheel sits at 6 o’clock. Finally, the polished central hands match the indexes and feature Super-LumiNova.
A chronometer-certified 7753
The Pandial Marina is equipped with a highly decorated Valjoux 7753, which Brellum calls the BR-753. The movement is on display via a sapphire crystal within the screw-fastened titanium case back. The custom rotor, perlage, gold lettering, and blued screws are all nice touches from this smaller brand. Expect 46 hours of power reserve from this 4Hz automatic movement.
Wearing the Pandial Marina
The Pandial Marina is attractive on the wrist with its adaptable blue color scheme and the blend of polished and matte metal surfaces. The watch is sporty but not overly so, and it can easily work in a business environment.
Plus, with adequate water resistance, it can handle a swim. The watch comes with a curved-end strap in a sailcloth-like material with a leather backing. Brellum has chosen to use a titanium deployant clasp that weighs just eight grams.
Thoughts and availability
The Brellum Pandial Marina will be produced as a numbered edition of 46 pieces with a price of CHF 3,250. That’s a good value considering the case material, chronometer certification, and, most importantly, the overall design. As I’ve mentioned in other articles, Brellum creates nicely made watches that sell well. Due to the dial layout and color combination, this is probably my favorite watch from the brand thus far.
For more information on the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer, visit the official Brellum site.
