Introducing the Brellum Pilot Power Gauge Chronometer

The Swiss brand Brellum has introduced a new range of pilot watches inspired by aircraft instrumentation called the PILOT Power Gauge Chronometer. That name is fairly descriptive of what you’re getting in this watch, set alongside a three register chronograph. All the usual pilot watch hallmarks are present and accounted for, and the addition of a chronograph falls inline with something of a trend we’ve seen, most recently in the Laco Munchen Chrono. While there isn’t anything particularly unexpected here, it gets the details you want in a pilot watch right, and offers some handsome, if expected, dial colors in the process.

Deriving design inspiration from the instrumentation within airplanes is nothing new when it comes to pilot watches, from the literal interpretations of Bell & Ross, to the conceptual of IWC. Brellum is using the archetypes of the genre within a round case with a box sapphire crystal in a way that takes less direct, and more subtle inspiration from the instruments. 

The dial features prominent Arabic numerals in satin finishing across the dial, with the classic triangle and two dots at 12 o’clock. Registers for the timing minutes, hours and running seconds appear at 12, 6, and 9 o’clock respectively, signalling the use of the venerable Valjoux 7750 within. The registers themselves are sunken into the dial with a radial texture to differentiate themselves from the rest of the dial, and feature a horizontal centering line at their waists, a detail that registers as the biggest nod to airplane instrumentation on the dial side.

At 3 o’clock, we find the branding, a date window, a power reserve indication, and the chronometer labeling. It’s a lot to take in, but the date and power reserve are sufficiently legible to justify their presence. The power reserve gets some fun details to further the instrument vibe. However, the biggest nod to an airplane instrument comes on the back of the watch, in the form of the oscillating weight. The rotor gets a skeletonization, leaving the appearance of a plane and leveling line, reminiscent of what you’d see in a *checks wiki Horizontal Situation Indicator. 

The PILOT Power Gauge Chronometer uses a 41.8mm steel case with a thickness of 15.9mm. Those aren’t shocking numbers considering the use of the 7750, which has been given chronometer certification for this application, meaning you can expect accuracy within -4/+6 seconds per day. Dial options are black, silver and blue and each can be had on a steel bracelet or stitched leather strap. Pricing begins at $3,140 on leather, and up to $3,251 on steel. More details at Brellum here.