The term “limited edition” gets bandied about all too often in watchmaking. Usually when a mainstream brand says a watch is limited edition they’re talking about production being limited to “only” a few thousand units. Well, that’s certainly not the case with the latest release from Brellum. The brand is pleased to unveil a new variant of their popular Pandial chronograph, dubbed the LE.1, and limited to just 33 units worldwide.
Before we talk about the watch, let’s talk a little about Brellum as a company. The independent brand is run by fourth-generation watchmaker Sebastien Muller, a man who founded the company having spent a quarter of a century working in the industry.
It’s this wealth of experience that makes Brellum what it is today. The brand prides itself on attention to detail, and as such never produces over 299 watches a year. Each timepiece is individually tested to ensure accuracy, water resistance, and power reserve. Such thoroughness is reassuring, and it’s one of the key benefits of small brands like Brellum.
Furthermore, each movement is a COSC-certified chronometer, which is another feather in the brand’s cap. Few companies bother to offer certified chronometers, let alone send off every single watch for testing.
As you can see, Brellum obviously has a focus on quality, so let’s take a look at their latest release…
Specifications
- Case size: 43mm
- Thickness: 11.7mm (excluding crystal), 15.9mm (with crystal)
- Case material: 316L Stainless steel
- Crystal: Box sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 100m
- Luminescence: Super-LumiNova applied to hands and indices
- Calibre: BRELLUM BR-750-2 Automatic COSC-certified chronometer (ETA 7750 base)
- Power reserve: 46 Hours
- Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, Day/Date window, 12 hours chronograph, stop second, tachymeter
- Strap: Integrated Nebur Tec strap and stainless steel bracelet
- Price: $2,950 / £2,490 / €3,000 / CHF 2,750
- Availability: Limited to 33 units, available from Brellum’s website
The Design
For the Pandial LE.1 Brellum chose a striking blue and white colour scheme that’s pleasantly reminiscent of Omega’s Snoopy Speedmaster. Apart from looking very summery, the contrast on this Pandial looks to be exceptional. With chronographs it’s always important to be able to easily distinguish the subdials, and the bold blue of the ones on the LE.1 make them stand out brilliantly against the white dial.
In fact, the Pandial LE.1 does a good job of packing a lot of features without looking crowded. The watch offers a variety of extra functions, including a tachymeter scale, day/date display, and of course a 12-hour chronograph.
For the LE.1, the water resistance has been improved from 50m to 100m. It’s a small change, but one that’s much appreciated. Though the LE.1 isn’t a dive watch, it’s always good not to have to worry about getting your watch wet.
The steel case measures a sizeable 43mm, but it’s only 11.7mm thick excluding the crystal. This means that the Pandial LE.1 should have a strong wrist presence without appearing oversized. The box sapphire crystal brings the total height to 15.9mm, which should add a nice vintage touch to this very clean design. The crystal also has an anti-reflective coating to help reduce glare and improve legibility.
In addition to the Pandial’s standard 5-link steel bracelet, the LE.1 comes with the model’s first integrated Nebur Tec strap. This fabric strap offers a more casual option that’s perfect for summer, and comes equipped with a deployment buckle.
The Movement
Like the other Pandials, the LE.1 uses a Brellum BR-750-2 movement, which is essentially a modified ETA 7750. The 7750 has long been one of the go-to automatic chronograph movements, and it’s well-known for its reliability. It features 25 jewels, a 46-hour power reserve, and beats at 28,800 bph.
The 7750 is a solid movement, but in true Brellum style, they’ve gone the extra mile to have each movement chronometer-certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC).
To round things off, the movement is beautifully decorated with perlage, Geneva stripes, blued screws, and a gold-coated custom rotor. Such a high level of movement finishing isn’t necessary, but it’s another thing that demonstrates Brellum’s attention to detail and commitment to producing beautiful, high-quality timepieces.
Final Thoughts
In many ways, it’s a shame that the new Pandial LE.1 is limited to just 33 units, because it looks like an exceptional chronograph that ticks a lot of boxes. But I suppose that’s part of the charm of an independent brand such as Brellum. You’re not buying a mass-produced product that’s churned out in the thousands, you’re getting a limited, high-quality product that’s been individually tested.
As for the watch itself, the Pandial LE.1 is certainly an impressive addition to the Brellum range. With its clean design, solid specifications, and chronometer movement, I think it offers everything you could want in a quality mechanical Swiss chronograph.
The Pandial LE.1 is priced at £2,490, which is an exceptional price for a watch of this quality, and that figure also includes free worldwide shipping.
You can purchase the watch directly from the Brellum website here.
