Introducing the Brellum Duobox Pandial Chronographs

Very few players hit a home run in their first at-bat. For those rare few that do, that first-time homer turns out to be a fluke. Once every blue moon, however, someone’s able to recapture the magic a second time. Brellum, whose explosive Duobox debut seriously impressed us back in May, has just rebottled and refined that lightning with the new Duobox Pandial. The original Duobox was no slouch—a beautifully finished, classic sports case and dial mated to a fully decorated, COSC-approved chronometer rated Valjoux 7750. The Duobox Pandial takes this winning formula and adds a touch of much-appreciated flash.

For the most part, the case of the Duobox Pandial remains unchanged. There is the same pump pushers, long lugs and beautiful polished bevel work on display from the original Duobox here. What sets this one apart, however, is the bezel. Gone is the polished chamfered iteration of the previous model, replaced by something a bit more racy. This new ring is slightly wider than the original, bumping the overall diameter to 43mm, but it’s the aluminum insert that steals the show. This insert, complete with a 400-unit tachymeter scale, adds even more to the Pandial’s classic appearance with a touch of motorsports flair. Coupled with the wide bevel on the lugs, there’s almost a Speedmaster resemblance to the new case.

The dial, of course, is the biggest departure from the previous version of the Duobox. As the name suggests, the Pandial is all about the panda dial, in four all-new arrangements. The first of these is a classic panda arrangement, with black sub-dials cutting through a white main dial. The outer ring is also rendered in contrasting black and converted from a seconds track to a telemeter scale, helping (along with the black bezel) to visually compress a 43 millimeter piece.

While the chronograph sub-dials at 12 and six are fully black and finished with an eye-catching concentric engraving, the nine o’ clock running seconds register takes a uniquely attractive approach. A black ring surrounds an inner white cross-hair sub-dial, creating a miniature panda treatment of its own. The other three dial options work to create entirely different impressions. The black dial is a mirror image of the white, creating a handsome reverse panda impression, but it feels slightly larger than its fraternal twin thanks to the black bezel. Meanwhile, the blue dial flips the sub-dial script, filling in the running seconds at nine and leaving the chronograph sub-dials with the white ring treatment. This version also brushes some high-contrast orange into the mix, making this perhaps the most visually arresting. On the other end of the spectrum is the gray dial. This version is all about subtlety, with low contrast black sub-dials punched up by attractive mint green accents.

The Duobox Pandial isn’t all just dial treatments and bezels, however. Brellum has also produced not one but three new straps, in calf leather, rubber and Alinghi sailcloth fabric. The leather is available in either classic or perforated rally strap flavors, with both featuring a bold side stitch. The Alinghi is a bit unusual, appearing almost like denim when coupled with the orange contrast stitch, but it pairs excellently with the blue dial to bring out the highlights of both. Lastly, each Duobox Pandial comes with an additional rubber NATO strap, of all things. Brellum hasn’t included any images of this one, but it’s certainly an intriguing idea. The Pandial is also offered on Brellum’s excellent Milanese mesh if you’re more of the bracelet type. All in all, the Duobox Pandial takes an already stunning rookie design from Brellum and makes it even more striking. At a price of $2,325, it’s a stunning value as well. Brellum