Hands-On: The Ice-Blue Brellum Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase
Today, we’re back with a hands-on look at the latest Brellum watch. Fans of the small but communicative brand may recognize the styling of our current subject, but there’s a difference. The new Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase has an icy-blue hue, and it looks fantastic! Join us as we take a closer look at this limited-edition chronograph.
Last April, we introduced the then-new salmon-dial Brellum Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase. The watch was well received with its impressive array of complications and commanding presence on the wrist. Now, the design is back with a new dial color that works perfectly with either of the available case materials. We spent some time with the watch in our headquarters, and we’re happy to share our thoughts.
The Brellum Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase Ice Blue Chronometer
While light blue dials have been popular for over a decade, their addition feels like a natural extension of an attractive design. Perhaps that’s why Brellum chose the shade for its 41.8mm by 51.8mm case. The 15.9mm-thick watch is available in either 316L stainless steel or titanium with a stainless steel bezel. Pump pushers and a large, signed, tactile crown ensure that this elegant piece has some sporting elements. No, this isn’t a small watch, but not everyone wants a sub-40mm timepiece. As always, Brellum focuses on watches that can be worn every day, so water resistance is rated at 100 meters. For dry weather, though, the black handmade alligator-pattern leather strap with a signed deployant clasp should make for the perfect partner.
A new dial
We’ve mentioned it before, but Brellum produces small runs of each of its watches and never makes them again after they’ve sold out. Therefore, we have come to expect new colors and raw materials from the brand throughout the year. As mentioned, the major news regarding this piece is its ice-blue dial. Whereas the prior salmon version had an opaline surface, this model has a sunray finish.
The dial sports a lot of information, but as I’ve said before, it has a balanced, harmonious layout. Polished Roman numerals trade space with arrow-shaped hour markers that match the luminous central hour and minute hands. As far as surfaces, the raised central section has sunburst striations, while the sunken hour ring is glossy. A raised calendar display surrounds the dial at the outer edge.
There’s plenty of additional information on the Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase. As the name suggests, this includes a moonphase complication in the bottom register. It shares space with a 12-hour totalizer. Then, there’s a running seconds indicator at 9 o’clock and a day/night display. Finally, the top sub-dial contains a 30-minute counter, along with the day and month windows. A small corrector on the case flank helps for those pesky non-31-day months. Blue-emitting Super-LumiNova is thoughtfully placed at the top of the dial, the day/night indicator, and on the central hands.
The COSC-certified Brellum BR-751
The Triple Calendar Moonphase uses the brand’s automatic BR-751 caliber. Essentially, this is the chronometer-certified Valjoux 7751. The slight modification is the use of a skeletonized bespoke 4N-gold-coated and numbered oscillating rotor with a moon motif.
Considering the finishing, it makes for an attractive sight through the case back’s domed sapphire crystal. From a performance standpoint, the automatic caliber beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour and provides a 46-hour power reserve. Perlage, Geneva stripes, and blued screws add to the visual allure.
A curved design that hugs the wrist
No, the Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase isn’t small, but there’s a difference between making a large, ungainly watch and a commanding watch that fits well. Thankfully, Brellum always chooses the latter. The brand’s watches defy their numerical measurements with curved lugs that conform to the wrist. Plus, elements such as brushed case sides and a box sapphire crystal reduce the piece’s visual appearance. There’s a large market for watches of this size, so it’s nice to know that a company like Brellum doesn’t take that for granted by making a clumsy chronograph.
Would we wear this watch daily? Absolutely, but we’d likely enjoy throwing on the occasional racing-style strap for more casual occasions. For the water, perhaps a nylon or sailcloth strap would work nicely.
As always, this Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase is limited
Like the aforementioned salmon model, the Duobox Triple Calendar Moonphase Ice Blue Chronometer is limited. Just 33 numbered pieces will be made in a combination of titanium and stainless steel models. The lightweight piece retails for CHF 3,890, while the steel model costs CHF 3,690. While we didn’t spend time with the titanium model, its darker case should look great with this dial. The question of which to choose really comes down to preference. We’d advocate for either. For ordering information, visit the official Brellum website.
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