Brellum

Sébastien Muller is the fourth watchmaker in his family. His great-grandfather Emile Muller opened his first workshop in 1910, making watches during the week and taking the train to Geneva or Zurich at weekends to meet clients. Sébastien spent more than 25 years in the industry himself, as product, production and quality director for watch companies, before deciding at 42 to make watches under his own name.

Brellum started in 2016 with the Duobox 42 Chronometer. The idea hasn't changed since: classic, retro-flavoured chronographs, every one of them a COSC-certified chronometer with its own certificate, made in small batches of at most 299 watches a year. The brand sells direct from its website, with no distributors or retailers, which keeps prices in check. Prices are in Swiss francs.

The range is built on proven Swiss movements, modified and certified. The Duobox 39 uses the BR-110, based on La Joux-Perret's column-wheel L110. The Pandial Power Reserve runs the BR-750RM, based on the Valjoux 7750, and the new Duobox 39 TC Moonphase has the BR-751, based on the full-calendar Valjoux 7751. Most releases are limited editions of a few dozen pieces.

Today's catalogue has four families: the Duobox (now also in 39mm), the sporty Pandial 43, the Pilot 42 and the triple calendar TC Moonphase. Prices on the brand's site run from CHF 3,190 (about €3,400) for a Duobox 39 to CHF 3,890 (about €4,150) for the Duobox 39 TC Moonphase.