Titanium has rapidly become one of the watch industry’s favorite materials, and for its latest release of 2024, the Swiss independent brand Brellum has created a new titanium version of its popular Pandial sports chronograph. Since Brellum exclusively produces COSC-certified chronometers with a total output of just 299 watches per year, a significant portion of the brand’s models are created as small-batch limited editions, and this is ultimately rather understandable, given that a triple-digit production run would account for more than a third of Brellum’s total offerings for that calendar year. Produced as a limited edition of 46 examples, the new Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer embraces a metallic blue colorway with a two-register layout, and it offers a refined yet sporty rendition of the brand’s signature chronograph. 

Despite being crafted from grade 5 titanium with contrasting brushed and polished surfaces, the case of the Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer maintains the same profile and dimensions as other models from the brand’s Pandial collection. Although the middle case itself measures 41.8mm, the tachymeter bezel extends past the edges to create an outer diameter of 43mm, and this is what makes Brellum’s Pandial watches wear larger than other models like the Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase Chronometer, which has the same middle case dimensions but lacks the tachymeter bezel of its Pandial siblings. Just like other Brellum chronographs, the curved beveled lugs on the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer are set 22mm apart and extend to create an overall lug-to-lug profile of approximately 51.6mm, and water resistance for the new titanium Pandial comes in at the same 100 meters that can be found throughout the rest of the collection.

Automatic chronographs often have rather thick and chunky case profiles, although Brellum does an admirable job of minimizing the perceived height of its models by having a pair of box-shaped sapphire crystals fitted above the dial and to the reverse side of its watches. Similar to other Brellum chronographs, the total height of the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer comes in at 15.9mm, although the two box-shaped crystals account for a significant portion of that overall thickness, and the actual height of the case components is only 11.7mm. By minimizing the ratio of the middle case to the total height of the watch, Brellum is able to avoid the “slab-sided” profile that is characteristic of many automatic chronographs, and the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer offers the visual appearance of being noticeably thinner than its actual physical dimensions.

Operating the Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer is achieved by using its signed winding crown and pump-style chronograph pushers, while a small push-piece sits flush against the side of the case at 10 o’clock, and it serves as the corrector to advance the date display. Aside from its tachymeter bezel insert, which appears in blue anodized aluminum, the rest of the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer’s exterior components are crafted from grade 5 titanium (including its deployant-style folding clasp), and this results in a lighter overall package compared to the various stainless steel Pandial models. As a point of reference, the total weight of the new Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer comes in at approximately 91 grams (including its strap), while the strap-equipped version of the Pandial LE.5 DD DLC Full Black Chronometer weighs roughly a third more than its titanium counterpart at 121 grams.

The dial fitted to the new Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer features a two-register layout with a metallic blue surface and a date window at 6 o’clock. The center section of the dial showcases a slightly textured wave pattern, while the two chronograph registers feature raised surrounds with a dark gray finish for added depth and contrast. Since the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer opts for a twin-register layout, it omits the hour totalizer that can be found on a number of the brand’s other models, and this means that the watch is only able to track events up to 30 minutes in length. With that in mind, printed along its angled chapter ring is a telemeter scale, which can be used in conjunction with the central chronograph seconds hand, and not having a third register increases the amount of negative space to create a visually larger and slightly more refined overall display. 

While the two hands within the sub-dials on the Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer feature a crisp white finish, the trio of centrally-mounted hands are polished to match the applied hour markers on the dial, and the time-telling hands and indexes all feature thin black lines running down their centers to help increase at-a-glance legibility. Small luminous squares and triangles are placed at either end of the hour markers, while the three central hands also feature luminous elements, and all of the lume that appears on the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer is Super-LumiNova BGW9, which provides its display with a subtle blue-colored glow in the dark. Although the relatively small size of the luminous markings inhibits their lume performance, they are still a welcome addition, and along with their ability to glow, the white color of the Super-LumiNova helps to add contrast and promote legibility.

Powering the new Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer is the brand’s Caliber BR-753 automatic chronograph movement, which is based upon the core blueprint of the Valjoux 7753. Operating at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 46 hours, the Brellum Cal. BR-753 is a COSC-certified chronometer, and as the top-of-the-line version of this familiar and proven design, it features a handful of premium components that you won’t find on lesser grades of the Valjoux 7753, along with guaranteed timekeeping performance within the stringent COSC standards of -4/+6 seconds per day. Decorated with blued screws and perlage across its plates and bridges, the Brellum Caliber BR-753 fitted to the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer is completed by a custom skeletonized rotor that includes the brand’s Wyvern logo, along with each watch’s individual limited-edition number out of the 46 total examples.

Fitted to the lugs of the Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer is a dark blue two-piece Nebur Tec fabric strap that tapers from 22mm at the case down to 20mm where it connects to its signed grade 5 titanium deployant clasp. Similar to the fabric straps found on other models from Brellum’s modern lineup, the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer’s strap has fitted ends to form an integrated appearance with its case, and it features a somewhat rigid structure that works with the natural curvature of its end pieces to create an ergonomic oval-shaped cuff around the wrist. As for the clasp, it is essentially the grade 5 titanium version of the folding clasp that is fitted to models such as the Pilot LE.2 GMT Chronometer, and it features a double push-button release with brushed and polished surfaces, along with an engraving of Brellum’s name and logo.

Although some of Brellum’s designs naturally resonate with me more than others, I am consistently impressed by the level of attention to detail that exists among all the brand’s watches. Owned and operated by fourth-generation watchmaker Sébastien Muller, Brellum is a premium small-scale independent brand that exits in a segment largely dominated by big-name luxury manufacturers, and with an annual output that totals less than a fraction of what many brands consider to be a small-batch limited edition, Brellum is the true definition of a non-obvious choice. With that in mind, as prices continue to rise across the entire watch industry, the value proposition of Brellum’s watches becomes increasingly more attractive, and I can’t help but feel that its timepieces would cost significantly more had they been manufactured by any of the industry’s big-name brands.

Titanium watches almost always cost more than their otherwise identical stainless steel counterparts, although the price premiums attached to titanium can range dramatically from one brand to the next. With an official retail price of $3,650 USD, the Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer is more expensive than its stainless steel siblings, although you are really only looking at a mid-three-figure premium, which ultimately seems rather reasonable considering that you are getting grade 5 titanium that is finished to the same standards as the stainless steel models from the collection. Additionally, despite being a limited edition of just 46 pieces, the Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer actually has one of the larger production runs among Brellum’s recent models, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we eventually see another titanium rendition of the Pandial as one of the brand’s future limited-edition models. For more information on the Brellum Pandial Marina Bicompax Titanium Chronometer, please visit the brand’s website.