Bicompax Ref. 1152A

The Architect

ExpertSep 27, 2026

75

The Furlan Marri Bicompax Reference 1152A arrived in 2021 as a calculated proposition: a bicompax chronograph layout — subdials positioned at nine and three o'clock — executed at a diameter of thirty-eight millimeters, addressing a segment of the market systematically neglected by larger incumbents. The dial is the axis upon which this reference rotates, and it is, concordantly, its most defensible achievement. The two-register configuration preserves visual balance with a discipline that multifunction contemporaries at this price tier routinely fail to demonstrate. Vis-à-vis its immediate competitors in the sub-$600 category, the 1152A achieves a formal elegance that warrants genuine attention. The case, however, represents a less resolved outcome. At 12.8 millimeters of thickness, the proportion is acceptable rather than distinguished, a function of the Sellita SW510 architecture beneath — a competent automatic chronograph caliber, though one that carries none of the mechanical prestige its visual surroundings might imply. There exists a certainty that the movement will divide prospective owners: those who prioritize legibility and design over horological provenance will find the exchange equitable; those who do not, will not. The leather strap, as supplied, is adequate. Ergo, the value calculation here is the probability that produces the clearest signal — at $595, this reference occupies a position its predecessors in the segment rarely managed to inhabit with comparable coherence.