Hands on Review: Brooklands Triple-Four Spectrum

The Brooklands Race Circuit is one of the most significant venues in motorsport as it was the world’s first purpose-built motor racing circuit. Its steep banked corners quickly became legendary after its opening in 1907. The track was used extensively for motor racing events with the peak being between 1920 and 1929 when the Brooklands Automotive Racing Club (BARC) were in charge of the track. During both world wars the site was used for the building of Hawker aircraft including the infamous Hurricane making Brooklands one of the most significant sites in England for automotive and aviation history.

Today, the Brooklands site is home to a museum hosting some of the pioneering cars and aircraft that were developed and raced at the site. Some of the track remains but you can no longer drive the full loop as roads and buildings have taken over in parts. Despite this, the memory of the track and the achievements of the people involved are honoured by the museum. But more recently a new legacy has begun, a watch brand bearing the name of the very track where it was founded.

We have had the brand-new Triple-Four Spectrum at the WatchGecko HQ this week. So, let’s find out if this is a fitting tribute and whether it lives up to its vast heritage!

Brooklands Watch Company was launched in 2017 by aero-mechanical engineer Simon Jeffs and the Triple-Four has been the flagship model for the brand. Designed by Sir Terence Conran, this is an automatic chronograph with a bi-compax configuration, sub dials at 6 and 12 o’clock. The dial is simply decorated and the sloping rehaut blends nicely into the bezel. It is a simple but beautiful design that draws inspiration from the chronographs of the 20 ^th century.

This new launch features new colours on the dials which are paired with matching leather straps. An expansion to the Brooklands lineup that offers customers a wider variety of colours. There are four colours available in this launch: Black, Navajo Sand, Green, and Blue. Each watch comes in Brooklands’ beautifully crafted leather watch box. This is a lovely addition that elevates the luxury feeling of purchasing this watch.

This watch is powered by a Sellita SW500 that has been modified with a skeletonised rotor. This is a reliable Swiss made chronograph movement that has satisfyingly crisp actuation. I am a big fan of how this movement feels to operate, and it has the added bonus of a date function, a complication I find myself using more and more. The SW500 is essentially a modern-day clone of the very successful Valjoux 7750. A column wheel chronograph movement that featured in many watches from Omega to Patek and many brands in between. Apart from the new rotor, the finishing on this movement is basic, but is still nice to look at through the exhibition case back.

Automatic chronograph watches are large, and the Triple-Four is no exception. This watch is 41mm in diameter with a 12.8mm thickness. This watch wears bigger than those numbers suggest too. It is a tall piece with slab sides that don’t hide its thickness, and the long lugs make it sit wide on the wrist too. It is definitely a watch for people that like their watches on the larger end of the scale. This is not quite Panerai Luminor levels of large, but I wouldn’t put it far behind in the rankings of big watches. Although large, this case offers an impressive 100 metres of water resistance. An unusually high rating for a chronograph.

This brings me on to my biggest issue with this watch. It doesn’t have a tachymeter! Now, I know that nobody ever actually uses a tachymeter in the world of speedometers and GPS. But, for me a racing inspired watch that is classic in design and pays homage to motor sport, all of which this watch does, should have a tachymeter. Maybe I’ve been brainwashed by the Daytonas and Speedmasters into thinking that a tachymeter is an integral part of chronograph design. But then again, I don’t think that I have.

Something else I am not so impressed by is the price. This watch will cost £3,900. That is a lot of money, a lot. And while I am confident in saying that this is a high-quality watch with a good movement and lovely presentation, I do feel that this asking price is too high. There is no extra finishing on the movement, the dial is simple in construction and materials, and the case is extremely simple. I’m not saying that this doesn’t make it a good watch, I’m just not sure where the extra value comes from over something like a Baltic Tricompax which has the same movement and case material but is less than half the price.

Something that may be a factor in this elevated retail price is this watches scarcity. Only 50 pieces for each colour will ever be produced which does make it a very rare and limited timepiece.

Overall, this is a very good-looking watch with high quality finishing, a solid movement and a wealth of history behind it. The new shade of green is beautiful in person and echoes the famous British Racing Green colour that I love so much. This is definitely a watch for the racing enthusiast. It is a combination of timeless British design and Swiss watchmaking precision that is brilliantly presented.

• Movement: Swiss automatic chronograph SW500-BV
• Case: 41mm stainless steel
• Water Resistance: 100m
• Crystal: Sapphire with AR coating
• Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, chronograph
• Limited stock: 50 pieces per colour-way
• Colour-ways:
  Spectrum: Black, Navajo Sand, Green, Blue
  Spectrum II: Opalin White with Black or Green sub-dials
• Price: £3,900
• Availability: October 2025