Hands-On With The New Excelsior Park Bi Compax Black

Excelsior Park re-entered the market with a boom in 2021. The brand released many models, created limited editions and one-offs, and then retreated until this year. This past summer, after a few years of hibernation, EP returned with a time-only model, the 884-SI. The watch received positive reviews for its appearance and competitive price. Now Excelsior Park is on a roll and surprises us with yet another new model line. The Bi Compax Dual chronographs, the topic of this article, are hitting the market now.

After the time-only 884-SI, Excelsior Park returned to chronographs, the brand’s bread and butter in the past. The Bi Compax Dual comes in two versions — the Bi Compax Reverse Panda and the Bi Compax Black. I received the latter for a hands-on review.

Excelsior Park

The history of Excelsior Park is rich with a sad ending, like many brands that fell victim to the Quartz Crisis. Before that, EP had some of the most incredible timepieces that are still collected, loved, and researched by collectors of vintage chronographs. The company’s movements and dial designs are iconic. We also cover the brand often and intensively on Fratello. We even made a whole podcast episode about it.

Modern EP may look like its vintage predecessor, but this is not the same company that amazed the watch world back in the ’60s. This is not criticism; we are living in a different world now. While one key element, the legendary in-house movements, is not part of the new EP lineup, it’s still a delight to have brands like EP back on the map. Through the latest editions, I’m sure the focus will also eventually shift to the vintage models, spreading the love for the brand globally.

Bi Compax Dual

So much for reminiscing about Excelsior Park’s past; let’s look at its present. The EP95 collection consists of the initially released chronograph models, while the 884-SI line has time-only pieces. The topic of this article, the Bi Compax Dual line, is now the third one in Excelsior Park’s collections. As of right now, this includes the Black and the Reverse Panda variants. As their names suggest, the colorways differ. The Reverse Panda has a black dial with cream/off-white sub-dials, while the Black version sports an all-black dial. Both models are available on a leather strap or beads-of-rice bracelet should you prefer more heft on the wrist. Either dial variant costs US$1,750 on a leather strap and US$1,950 on the bracelet.

Bi Compax Black

Now that I have given you the basics, let’s look at the watch in detail. Aside from the dial, everything I mention for the Black model also stands for the Reverse Panda. Let’s start with the size. Vintage EPs are known for their substantial sizes, at least for the era, and often had 37–38mm steel cases. The new Bi Compax is only a hair larger than its vintage predecessor. It has a 38.9mm diameter, a 47.5mm lug-to-lug, and a 13.9mm thickness. The 316L steel case takes inspiration from vintage models, and it has tall pump pushers and a sapphire-equipped case back to display the Landeron 70 manual-wind movement inside. Due to its size, the watch sits nicely on the wrist, but as it’s not as slim as a vintage model would be, it may feel a bit larger.

This is especially true if you opt for the steel bracelet. However, due to the drilled lug holes, another tremendous vintage nod, swapping between a strap and a bracelet is not an issue. I got the watch on a bracelet, which feels like quality and comes with a micro-adjustable clasp with safety push buttons. If you have a smaller wrist or are not a fan of steel bracelets, I suggest you get the new Bi Compax Black or Reverse Panda on the leather strap. The watch looks great on that too, and the wearability is excellent. Plus, thanks to the 20mm strap width, you can easily pair the Bi Compax Dual models with straps from your current collection.

Scales

Regarding the dial itself, the most critical question is legibility. While the overall color is black, thanks to the large, syringe steel hands and the Super-LumiNova filled indexes, the Bi Compax Black is highly legible. Regarding the design, there is hardly any text on it aside from “Excelsior Park” at 12. Vintage EPs were known for their curved 4s and hooked 7s, and I’d love to see them on one of these re-editions. What I find super exciting is that along with the 60-minute track you see on most timepieces, the dial has two more scales. The telemeter is for measuring distance (full explanation here), while the “Base 1000” tachymeter scale is for measuring speed. While I love them as they add a touch of vintage flare to the watch, I’d love for them to be larger and more visually significant. There’s enough real estate on the dial for that.

Landeron 70 inside

While the new Excelsior Park watches initially came with Sellita movements, the new Bi Compax Dual models have the Landeron 70 caliber inside. We have a mechanical hand-wound movement with a 28,800vph (4Hz) frequency and 32 jewels. The power reserve is around 46 hours. Thanks to the display case back, you can see the caliber in action if you turn the watch over. Partially due to the push-pull crown and pump pushers, the watch is only water resistant to 50 meters. Then again, this is a re-edition of a vintage chronograph and not a diver, so the depth rating is suitable.

Overall, the new Excelsior Park Bi Compax Dual is a great new watch line, especially considering the price. It is a tad different than the brand’s previous chronos, but this is not negative criticism. I’m excited to see what the brand brings out next. Feel free to share your thoughts about this watch and the brand’s future in the comments below.