Category: Bell and Ross

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Bell and Ross BR-X2 TOURBILLON

Of all the new “icons” to emerge since the rebirth of the mechanical wristwatch – and there are plenty when you factor in the Hublot Big Bang, the skeletal designs from Richard Mille, Franck Muller’s reinvention of the tonneau and others – Bell & Ross’ BR0 may be the most relevant. Why “relevant”? Because the BR0s are the most approachable in terms of price.

Anyone can aspire to say, a Richard Mille RM011, but exponentially more people can actually afford an entry-level BR0 model, typically at under £3000. Conversely,Bell and Ross BR-X2 TOURBILLON has used the BR0 round dial/square case formula for everything from diving models to tourbillons, but the where the irony comes in is with this “high end” of the BR0 range: even when the watch hosts complications or exotic materials, the pricing remains sensible. It’s a lesson in humility for all of the brands that are slowly – but surely – killing the geese laying all those 18k ova.

What Bell & Ross creates with its luxo-BR0 models are unusual mash-ups of military designs – the entire shtick is based on cockpit instrumentation – with haute horlogerie credentials. Yes, Panerai, Breitling and a few others do it, too, so I’m not ascribing uniqueness to this concept, but the BR0 models, especially those with an “X” in the name, do it with a delightfully weird French insouciance. Look up the magazine Metal Hurlant or Wild Planet to catch my drift. You don’t get more French.
That simple “X” is important, because Bell & Ross uses it to designate, as does NASA, its experimental models. The “X Factor”, before it was co-opted for a mind-numbing reality TV show, has always meant mystery and unknown elements (rather than attitude masquerading as talent). For Bell & Ross, the letter “X” first appeared in 2014 with the BR-X1, featuring a skeleton chronograph movement inside a high-tech BR0 square case that combined titanium, ceramic and rubber.

It was followed in 2016 by the BR-X1 Tourbillon Sapphire, which redefined the possibilities of the BR0 case by providing total transparency thanks to the square case being cut directly from a block of sapphire. For 2017, the BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor shows its X factor by forming the case from steel and sapphire, in the form of a sandwich. It thus provides structural integrity and total transparency without the agonising manufacturing process of carving a solid block of sapphire.
Bruno Belamich, the brand’s creative director, came up with the idea of “fusing the case and movement into a single component to make the case disappear, leaving only the movement visible.” Clever, this: the basic structure of Bell & Ross’ BR0 watches lent itself perfectly to this novel solution for a sapphire construct. OK, so it’s a “semi”, but you still enjoy a complete exposé because the 42.5mm structure consists of see-through top-and-bottom solid sapphire plates, between which is the movement in the aforementioned sandwich configuration.

From the side, you see a slim strip of steel. Despite the “filling” being the movement in a square steel frame, the effect is no less “naked” just because the metal work reaches to the case’s edges. It’s perfectly offset by a grey alligator strap and it possesses the same rugged-yet-transparent presence that defines the Hublots and Milles and Cvstoses and Rebellions and other macho skeletons.

For those who want something worth seeing, this doesn’t disappoint. Not only is the Bell and Ross BR-X2 TOURBILLON BR-CAL.380 movement a flying tourbillon, it’s automatic, with a micro-rotor as the name declares. And the underside view is as enticing as the front, because the clean bridges highlight both the back of the tourbillon and the rotor itself. The movement is slightly skeletonised; in combination with the sapphire components and a case thickness of only 8.9mm, this is a slim piece that won’t snag a cuff.
Two other novel elements deserve mention. The first is that this watch is actually water-resistant to 50m. The second is that it has been priced at €49,900, which is low not only for an automatic watch with tourbillon, but for a watch that is predominantly housed in sapphire. Bad news? Only 99 will be produced, so get your thumb out if you fancy the thought of owning one of the world’s few military-styled, see-through tourbillons.

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Bell & Ross BR-X1 TOURBILLON

Though probably best known for its more affordable, instrument-inspired pilot and field watches, French watchmaker Bell & Ross continues to assert itself as much more than a one-trick pony, with the latest addition to its BR-X “Experimental” collection: the wild Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire.
Standouts in this sometimes divisive collection have included the stealthy forged carbon BR-X1 (hands-on) and the more exotic Bell & Ross BR X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor Automatic watch (hands-on). With its micro-rotor and ampersand-adorned flying tourbillon, the BR X2 was a step closer to this latest creation not least because it was something of a sapphire sandwich. The new Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire is like a functional hybrid of the two – but with a twist, as it uses the BR-X1 case assembled from five, very carefully carved sapphire blocks.
The Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire is a whole hell of a long way for a brand whose humble beginnings started with tool watches (remember B&R’s watches used to be manufactured by German tool watch master Sinn), but a journey that’s gotten considerably more impressive as the Experimental line continues to find interesting ways to visually and technologically push the envelope. Sapphire crystal is more or less scratch-proof, but its hardness has made it particularly difficult to work with in anything other than very simple shapes. Technology and techniques have improved in recent years, however, with more fully sapphire-cased watches, and even prices for them beginning to come down such as with the Hublot Big Bang UNICO Sapphire (hands-on) – though they tend to remain more rare and expensive even than precious metal case watches.
One thing that’s particularly neat about the X1 series watches, though, is that no matter how outlandish each design gets, it still carries Bell & Ross’ core design language; that square 45mm case, screwed together at each of the four corners. And though this DNA does carry through to the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire, were it not for the case signatures, this one could be mistaken for something other than a Bell & Ross watch, as the primary timekeeping cues (the hour and minute hands) have been shrunken to the upper 12:00 region of the dial. While this does give plenty of opportunity to enjoy the flying tourbillon’s movement against all the clear, negative space from the sapphire, it does detract somewhat from overall utility and legibility in comparison with the brand’s pilot and tool watches – something that other Experimental offerings have maintained.
The steely gray lines of the 3Hz manually-wound BR-CAL.288 movement architecture cast a nicely skeletonized, industrial contrast against all the translucent elements on the watch – even the strap is translucent rubber, which should make for some interesting wrist shots. Part of the idea, besides the novelty itself of a totally transparent case, is that the movement and even the screws holding the case together are visible from about every angle. The only part of the watch that isn’t fully see-through is the large mainspring barrel itself, which provides 100 hours of power reserve, and is tucked conveniently behind the luminous hour and minute hands at 12:00, preserving some degree of legibility for timekeeping.
In keeping with the more exclusive traditions of the Experimental collection, only eight pieces of theBell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire have been produced. However, this particular piece is now the most expensive of all the X1 offerings – even beating out the BR-X1 Chronograph Tourbillon Rose Gold Diamond variant by a healthy margin – with an asking price for the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Skeleton Tourbillon Sapphire

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Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Chrono

For the pilots’ watch review in our March-April issue, on sale now, writer Martina Richter selected two three-hand pilots’ watches and seven pilots’ chronographs to accompany a trio of pilots – aerobatics champion Klaus Lenhart and his protégés Axel Schütte and Andreas Langer − while they performed an aerobatic program, specially designed for our review, in the skies above the Swabian Mountains in southern Germany. One of the watches chosen was the Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Chronograph Steel.
Lenhart, who is the owner and CEO of the German Leki ski-pole company, flew a sporty, single-seat Leki Extra 330 SC; Schütte, an Extra 300 L; and Langer, a Giles 202. The program consisted of 14 aerobatic figures, lasting a total of about five minutes. Including takeoff and landing, the watches were subjected to stress for about 20 minutes. They encountered g-forces ranging from +7 to –4. By comparison, a passenger aircraft banking for a turn exerts about 2 gs; a rollercoaster ride 4 to 6 gs.

We measured each Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Chronograph watch’s rate behavior on a timing machine before and after the aerobatic flight. The pilot’s appraisal of each timepiece was also included in the overall verdict. In particular, the pilot judged each watch’s legibility under various lighting conditions during the flight, as well as passing judgment on its wearing comfort, user friendliness and reliability.

The Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Chronograph Steel reminded Schütte of a cockpit instrument. With its large hour and minutes hands, this chronograph looks like the coarse/fine altimeter in his plane, Schütte said. This resemblance is enhanced by the 42-mm-square stainless-steel case with four screws at the corners to keep it securely closed.

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Bell & Ross BR 03 GMT

Bell & Ross might not have been a part of Watches & Wonders, but who says you always need to go to the party to have fun? Instead, the Parisian brand has been slowly unveiling its 2021 novelties on its own terms – a new watch coming every few weeks, a steady drip of takes on the classic square shapes and unorthodox designs it’s best known for.
Taking a look at what has been unveiled thus far, one model in particular stands out. The BR 03-93 GMT, was unveiled at the start of this month and uses that famed square silhouette. Importantly, this GMT features a bi-directional 24-hour bezel, updating the previous BR 03-93 GMT design unveiled in 2016 which opted for a fixed bezel. It also follows up on the success of the 2018 BR V2-93 GMT, which was the first of the brand’s designs to use an external rotating 24-hour bezel, though with a more traditional rounded case as its outline.
Two features quickly catch your attention. The first is, of course, the familiar square watch design, deriving from an aviation-inspired style which Bell & Ross has come to dominate over its almost 30-year history. The other is its “Coke” bezel, which draws its influence from the ever-renowned Rolex GMT-Master and GMT-Master II collections that’ve famously featured the colorway.

It goes without saying that the watch is not a Rolex, but what’s significant is this is the first square GMT watch from Bell & Ross to use an external rotating bezel. This is particularly noteworthy because the French watchmaker has been producing GMT designs since 2007, when it launched the BR 03 51 GMT Titanium which featured a second time-zone sub-dial directly on its face. So, in the course of a 29-year history of making square watches, and 14-year history of making GMT watches, only now does the brand bring one of the most popular GMT styles— i.e. an external rotating 24-hour bezel—to the square shape. Furthermore, it is doing so in one of the most popular colorways in the industry for its launch, the red and black “Coke” look, which is only secondary to the red and blue “Pepsi” style.
Significance for the brand aside, the BR 03-93 GMT is, at its core, still a solid new novelty from the brand. With a sturdy 42mm case opting for a layered look with four corner screws, beveling along its edge, an uncommon knurled crown on its right side, and a mixed use of satin finishing and polish throughout, the watch from its case alone reads as a highly durable tool watch – a fact further showcased via its 100-meter water resistance and much talked-about bezel.

Heading underneath its curved sapphire crystal, the dial is straight forward and well executed, with the clear focus on legibility. Along its outer edge is a simple curved white ring marked from 5 to 60 in Arabic numerals for the passing minutes, while applied and lume-filled markers sit within for the hours and smaller printed markers for the remaining minutes. The only flourish to this look comes in a subtle rounded date window towards the 4:30 position. At the center of the dial are a large set of lume-filled hands, the two passing over oversized applied Arabic numerals at each quarter hour and altogether making the process of telling time at a glance highly efficient. These hands are accompanied by a simple tapered seconds counter and, of course, the red-tipped and lume-filled arrow pointer for the watch’s second time-zone.
Inside the GMT is Bell & Ross’ modified ETA 2893-2, which they dub the BR-CAL.303. The automatic movement is modular and derives from the highly popular non-GMT ETA 2892-2, and like that movement, features a hacking seconds mechanism, 42-hour power reserve, and frequency of 28,800 vph – all alongside an independently operated GMT hand. Like the GMT it powers, it’s an easily serviceable, no-nonsense caliber able to keep time efficiently without much flourish.

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Bell & Ross BR 03-92 DIVER

Introduced in 2022, the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver is not the brand’s first dive watch, but it is the first dive watch in their iconic square case. It is, in my opinion, a great success in balancing various design elements and themes as well as boldness and wearability. “Balance” is a word that I kept returning to when considering different aspects of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver. The result is a solid, refined dive watch with a look and character quite unlike any other I know of, and it is just plain fun to wear.
No matter how good, satisfying, or original a brand’s watches are, a genuinely “iconic” model is something most watch brands will never be able to convincingly claim – by its very nature the term can be accurately applicable to only a limited number of watches. I try to avoid even using the word, but I think many watch enthusiasts will agree that Bell & Ross’ square-cased, aviation-themed watches based on the dashboard instruments of old airplanes will qualify. The design is strongly associated with and rooted in aviation, but Bell & Ross has branched out to plenty of other genres or styles with the square case as the foundation. While the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver could get lost among so many other variations on the theme, taken alone it is successful as a compelling dive watch.
There are several Bell & Ross collections that use essentially the same basic case design but in different sizes (and each with different models). The BR 01 is a wrist-eclipsing (for me, anyway) 47mm, the BR 03 like the one reviewed here is 42mm, and the BR S is 39mm. The BR X watches are Bell & Ross’ “Experimental” collection that also use some variation of the square case but with generally more elaborate constructions, avant-garde designs, and haute complications (hands-on example here with the Bell & Ross BR X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor). There are divers in other collections – and there have been more in the past, such as the BR 02 – but, again, the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver is the first diver in the square case.
You will have to be the final judge as to whether Bell & Ross got it right with the BR 03-92 Diver – and I recommend you try it on first – but my judgement after wearing it almost daily for a couple weeks is that they did. The Bell & Ross case is immediately identifiable as such, but the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver is also just a serious-looking dive watch. It further manages to play the part of a bold-wearing luxury sport watch with an aggressive presence – and at the same time, it looks purposeful and down-to-earth, so the wearer doesn’t look like he’s desperate for attention. Finally, despite that boldness and presence, its size and dimensions somehow keep it surprisingly wearable. At least, these have been my impressions while wearing it.
About those dimensions: Looking at the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver on the wrist, one might not guess that it measures only 42mm wide. It might be a weird or abstract thing to say, but I would describe the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver as wearing more like a 44mm-wide watch. Square cases are going to wear larger than their measurements would suggest – if you are familiar with watch measurements and have a habit of guessing how a watch might fit you based on pictures and specs before seeing it in person. Perhaps a corner-to-corner measurement is a good way of evaluating the size of a square watch because that may better represent how much wrist real estate it occupies. I really made an effort to portray in some of the photographs how well it wears on my 6.5″ (17cm) wrist – though I probably couldn’t pull off even a millimeter larger.
Dive watches tend to be chunky, and water-resistance of 300m is more or less standard nowadays for “professional dive watches” – even though some brands get away with calling a 100m water-resistant watch a diver, and others take it much further to 1000m and more (Bell & Ross’ Hydromax in 1997 was rated to no less than 11,100m). Water-resistance is often understood by consumers as a shorthand for or way of quantifying general durability. The Bell & Ross BR03-92 Diver is rated to 300m and meets all the other ISO dive watch specifications, and the brand emphasizes how those specifications influenced the design.
Considering that most dive watches are primarily used today to tell the time on dry land, I’ve often felt that the deemphasized hour hands found on many are kind of a sacrifice of real-life usability for the sake of being taken seriously as a “genuine” diver. Part of the ISO standards, however, stipulate that the minute hand should be more legible than the hour hand because the minutes are more critical when diving. For the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver, legibility is not hampered by the orange lume for the hour hand, but it is indeed deemphasized in the dark with a (much) fainter glow while everything else (hands and markers) shines bright green with Super-LumiNova.

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Bell & Ross BR 03-92 auto

Bell & Ross is well known for making watches that draw inspiration from aeronautical history, instruments and design. That’s apparent throughout their entire collection and more specifically with the BR 03-92. Its distinct 42 mm circle-square case bears resemblance to the clocks used inside of an airplane cockpit and for the past decade, Bell & Ross has continued to incorporate more design cues from other indicators on the cockpit instrument panel into the BR 03-92. A few examples include the Red Radar, HUD and the Bi-Compass. Today, Bell & Ross adds to the ongoing Flight Instruments collection with the BR 03-92 Radiocompass, staying true to their foundational design principles of Legibility, Functionality, Reliability and Precision.
What’s a Radio Compass anyways? I’ll save you the quick Google search. A Radio Compass points to the direction of terrestrial transmitting radio stations and beacons, differentiating it from a magnetic compass, which utilizes the magnetic poles of the Earth for direction. This allows the aircraft in flight to figure out its position and direction via signals on the ground. Why is this helpful? Well, it helps the pilot navigate regardless of visibility conditions (flying at night or through nasty weather) that might detract the plane’s intended flight path.
Now we have that sorted, let’s unpack the BR 03-92 Radiocompass starting with the B&R’s first design principle, Legibility. The hour and minute hands are distinguishable and sure to grab your attention. Designating the hour is a broad orange skeletonized hand that extends past the center of the dial and tipped with a broad arrow. The minute hand uses a narrower stem and is identified by its neon yellow color. Further making sure the hands are identifiable, B&R adds an “H” in the arrow of the hour hand and an encircled “M” in the middle of the minute hand. The numeral hour makers also use the Radio Compass for inspiration. Notice how the numbers angle towards the center of the dial, just as it does on the navigation instrument. The numerals also use a distinct font known as Isonorm. This font design was created directly by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and uses a clean and geometric design, with rounded ends, making the markers more legible to the human eye.
Next up, Functionality. The BR 03-92 Radiocompass uses a ceramic case ensuring the watch stays scratch free and looks the same the day you bought it. The BR 03-92 Radiocompass also displays a date window neatly tucked away between 4 and 5 o’clock. It’s subtle, discreet and I dig how B&R pulls off the date display. Expect the watch to continue its usability in complete darkness as the numerals and 12 hour triangle marker are filled with Super-Luminova. The hands may not look it, but are also lumed, using a metal skeletonized Super-Luminova.
Finally Reliability and Precision. At the core of the BR 03-92 Radiocompass is the BR-CAL.302 self-winding movement that’s based on the Sellita SW300-1; a workhorse and very dependable movement in its own right. Expect the BR 03-92 to run approximately 42 hours on a full-wind. That’s more than twice the amount of time it takes for the longest available commercial flight to complete its trip (Singapore to New York and that flight lasts 18 hours and 40 minutes). The BR 03-92 Radiocompass will be accompanied by a B&R signed rubber strap with a matching PVD steel pin and buckle, as well as a synthetic fabric strap.
The BR 03-92 Radiocompass is indeed a fun watch. Even if the BR 03-92 Radiocompass used a set of white flieger hands as opposed to the trio of colored hands, I’d totally be into it still for the Isonorm numerals and starkly contrasted dial. But that wouldn’t be Bell & Ross, and the funky hand set definitely makes this watch another welcomed addition to their Flight Instruments collection. As far as availability goes, the BR 03-92 Radiocompass will be limited to 999 pieces 

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Bell and Ross BR 01 Skull Bronze

The BR 01 Skull Bronze is the latest version of Bell & Ross’s bold Skull watches – and this time they’ve taken to the high seas for inspiration.
Bell & Ross introduced their first skull motif watch in 2009 as a tribute to the Airborne Divisions of the US Army, especially those 101st Airborne of D-Day (and Band of Brothers) fame. A popular design for the brand, it’s been released in blacked-out and iced-up versions, and in 2015 Bell & Ross are continuing their skull narrative with the BR 01 Skull Bronze, a watch that’s less ‘death from above!’ and more “release the kraken!”
While using skulls on a luxury timepieces might seem like a punk-ish act of rebellion, there’s actually a long and rich tradition between skulls and timekeeping. Memento mori is a Latin phrase that translates roughly as ‘remember you must die”, and refers to artistic or symbolic representations of mortality. Two of the most common themes are skulls (for, you know, death) and, you guessed it: time. The BR 01 could be seen as a modern memento mori, reminding us that life is fleeting, and that the most precious resource of all is time.
Aside from the photo-luminescent skull emblazoned in the centre of the 46mm watch, its most distinctive element is, of course, the bronze. (For all you metallurgists out there, the specific alloy used, CuSn8, is 92% copper and 8% tin.) Pioneered by Anonimo and popularised by Panerai, bronze is a material well suited to watch cases, in that it’s slightly heavier and softer than steel. But its main appeal is the distinctive oxidised patina it develops over time. This offers the functional benefit of protecting the metal against corrosion, but let’s be honest, the main take-home point is that it looks awesome, and that no two models will ever be the same.
The patina of a Bronze Skull depends on a variety of factors, including exposure to the elements and the habits of the wearer, which means each watch will be unique to its owner (though not quite as unique as the next-level Skull Bronze Tourbillon Bell & Ross have made for the Only Watch auction).

But this individuality comes at a cost. The atmosphere in a watch boutique could affect the metal, as could a fingerprint from a potential customer, meaning that Bell & Ross needs to go to special effort to ensure the watches are presented in mint condition for their clients. Each watch will be displayed in vacuum-sealed packaging, ensuring that whoever’s lucky enough to end up with the watch has the joy of leaving their own marks on the metal.
Of course, the combination of skull and crossbones (which cleverly integrate the case screws) and bronze, a common maritime material, instantly evokes the romantic image of the pirate, as epitomised by Depp et al. Replica Bell & Ross are playing with something new here – frilly shirts and gold doubloons are a far cry from flight suits and fighter jets. The aged leather strap and stylised sabre and dagger hands only accentuate the swashbuckling inspiration behind the watch. But, somehow, it works. And while this ‘retrofuturist’ (to borrow from the Bell & Ross literature) aesthetic is well beyond the comfort zone of the brand’s core DNA of aviation, it’s still very much in keeping with the spirit of Bell & Ross: bold, distinct and individual.
The 46mm square BR 01 case wears large. Add to that the unusual bronze case and the dial’s grinning skull and you’ve got a watch with massive wrist presence. It’s comfortable to wear, thanks to the thick calf strap and the very short lugs. And, given that bronze, when it oxidises, can leave green marks on the skin, Bell & Ross Replica Watches have done well to minimise the amount of bronze skin contact by using a titanium caseback and a bronze PVD coated watch buckle.