Depancel is a French watch brand with a passion for automobiles. The name is a portmanteau of three French automobile manufacturers: Delage, Panhard, and Facel Vega, symbolized by the three stars in its logo. Delage and Panhard were eaten by more prosperous rivals and Facel Vega folded in 1964. Still, all three produced iconic vehicles in their day, and Depancel channels that passion into its watches, all of which share an automotive theme.
I encountered them at Wind-up NYC last year, and among the collections of motorsport chronographs and racecar-themed watches the brand had on display was the Depancel Pista Offroad, which took a very different approach. For example, the Depancel Serie R watches feature a case inspired by the classic Delage radiator shell. The Allure is a mid-sized, 60s vintage driving watch. The Pista Offroad, on the other hand, with its large cushion case and a treadplate-textured dial, takes its inspiration from the rugged machines of the Dakar Rally. It was as if I were browsing the Corvettes and Ferraris at a Cars and Coffee, and someone drove up in this:
By AlfvanBeem – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18253449
That sharp-looking brute is a modern Panhard VBL, a light armored vehicle I didn’t know existed until I started researching Panhard for this review (it’s now part of Renault). If a VW Scirocco and a Willys Jeep had a baby, it might look like this. I want one. Ok, maybe the Pista isn’t quite as imposing as the VBL, but the point still stands. It is a detour from the Depancel catalog and a fun one at that.
We start with that square-shouldered, 42mm wide, brushed stainless steel case. Short, steeply angled lugs keep the overall length to 46.5mm, which is handy when you have a 6.75″ wrist like mine. A surprising bit of detailing helps to break up the blocky shape. Tapered sides and a hint of polish on the beveled edges at the four corners make it appear even slimmer than its 12mm thickness might suggest.
Exposed fasteners and an engraved serial number plate impart an industrial vibe on the left while on the opposite side, the same device highlights the crown guards and their bead-blasted insets.
There are two crystals on this watch, sapphire up front where you need a high degree of scratch resistance, and mineral out back where (unless you have an unusually abrasive wrist) you do not. Through the rear window, you can see the Miyota 8315 (21.6k bph, 21 jewels) with its Geneva stripes and skeletonized rotor, but it is more practical than pretty. The real appeal is its durability and impressive 60-hour power reserve.
The crown is a push-pull as the Pitsa seals to a strictly land-bound 50m water resistance. This is more than sufficient for daily wear and even mud and snow. Besides, if you are under 50m of water, it’s a good bet your off-roading adventure has already come to a bad end. It’s a good-looking crown, signed and aggressively toothed with an anodized red channel.
It would have been easy to give the Pista a common timing bezel, but in keeping with the Offroad’s design brief, it got something arguably more useful for overland travel, a compass bezel. Any watch can be used as a makeshift solar compass (see how in this article). A movable bezel makes it easier, and a compass bezel is easier still. With its brushed surface, engraved markers, and red-orange triangle, the Pista’s aluminum insert looks good doing it too. Bezel action is 60 clicks, bidirectional. this makes good sense for a compass and the clicks are suitably firm, so you will not have to worry about it moving out of position and sending you off in the wrong direction. My only complaint is that the broadly spaced fluting on the rounded edge, meant to evoke the tread of a sand tire, offers precious little grip.
The Offroad’s dial is particularly striking. Its herringbone texture is cleanly defined and reminds me of treadplate. Inside the chapter index is a 24-hour band split presented in 12-hour segments that are further split into the Southern and Northern hemispheres. Moving inward, you arrive at hour markers so richly lumed that they almost appear applied, and finally, a conventional field watch style 24-hour index. While I doubt that I will ever use those features, I love the way Depancel’s use of color scale has made this undeniably busy dial both legible and attractive. The beige, black, and red-orange look fabulous on the khaki green. If green is not your thing, the brand offers a blue model as well.
Depancel offers the watch on a 22mm strap made from either perforated brown leather or color-keyed Cordura with quick-release pins. My review sample was Cordura with a signed buckle (a deployant clasp is optional) and it was absolutely the correct choice. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good leather strap, but the synthetic canvas weave better fits the Pista Offroad’s theme. The combination of green fabric, beige stitching, and black reinforcement is an excellent match for the colors on the dial and the French tricolor detail stitch in the corner is a nice bonus. Like all Cordura straps, it’s stiff out of the box, conforming after a few days of wear.
I only comment on a watch’s packaging when it is something out of the ordinary and Depancel’s fits the bill. The box has the dimensions of a large, hardbound book. Once you slip off its sleeve and open it up, you will find your watch (or two as the case may be) securely strapped in one of the padded lower compartments, and the manual and other paper materials tucked into a pocket in the upper part. I lobby for minimal and biodegradable boxes, but I must admit that the quality printing and heavy stock of Depancel’s make its package something I wouldn’t mind holding onto, and given its shape, I’d more likely store it on a shelf with my watch books than in a bin at the bottom of a closet.
The Pista Offroad lists for $595 US and is currently offered for $450, which is a nice price for such an enjoyable and well-executed watch. If you are in the market for a compass watch, a four-wheel-drive traveling companion, or a just a smart weekend watch in some lovely earth tones, you would do well to check it out.
The Depancel Pista Offroad is available now at Depancel.com.
