(Bell & Ross)

Do you smell the scent of burning rubber on asphalt? Do you hear the sounds of powerful jets roaring through the sky? If you think about it, these sensations aren’t just noise, they’re the essence of the mechanical marvel of human achievements. Bell & Ross, inspired by this, are releasing a duet of watches—BR-X5 Racing and BR-03 Horizon—that mimic the powerful machines that dominate both land and sky, bringing the spirit of high-speed racing and aviation directly to your wrist.

On the ground, the BR-X5 Racing takes center stage—an automatic timepiece that draws inspiration from the dashboards of racing cars. Just as horological precision is king in the world of high-performance racing, the central seconds hand of the model features a “checkerboard” type graduation, capable of slicing time down to a quarter of a second. Echoing the DNA of supercars, the watch uses a featherlight woven carbon plate integrated into a robust titanium body. All this is packed into a 41mm case that protects the COSC certified in-house BR-CAL.323 caliber. And because Bell & Ross are so confident of this movement, they’ve guaranteed 5 years of precision and reliability. There’s no sense in hiding it either, so it's on display through a large, tinted window in the middle of the dial, as well as through an open caseback.

The power reserve indicator located at 9 o’clock is particularly interesting. Once 70 hours is up and the needle moves from the indicator marked with “F” for full, to “E” for empty, you’ll know it's time to wind the watch again. With only 500 limited pieces floating around the market, the watch probably won’t make you drive any faster, but it could certainly make you feel like you could.

Instrumental to aviation

BR03-Horizon

Look up, the BR-03 Horizon might just be soaring overhead. Similar to its racing counterpart, the watch lifts the design elements of a dashboard in the cockpit of an aircraft. There’s a slight twist though, the dial mimics an earth-and-sky concept: the upper blue area represents the sky, while the darker lower half represents the earth. A large white hand indicates the minutes, while a black and white striped one marks the seconds. What makes this watch stand out from others, however, is how the dial rotates, doubling as an hour hand through a large central indicator arrow. The BR-03 Horizon not only improves on what was thought possible for legibility in a watch, but completely reinvents it.

Encased in micro-blasted black ceramic, the watch houses the BR.CAL-327 automatic movement, offering a power reserve of 54 hours. With only 999 pieces available, the chances of one actually flying overhead is likely slim to none. But don’t rule out the possibility of another Bell & Ross timepiece ticking away on the wrist of the pilot on your next flight. After all, this is just one of their many “instrument watches” that continue to push the boundaries of aviation timekeeping—but you probably already knew that.

It's worth noting that Bell & Ross has a finger on the pulse of the future. Aside from being in all kinds of watchmaking endeavours, the brant even ventured into aeronautics and transportation on terra firma. Bell & Ross continues its envelope-pushing course, with the BR 03 Cyber Ceramic.

Taking the iconic BR 03 line, the design is tweaked and given perspectives without erasing what came before. Bell & Ross’ co-founder and creative director, Bruno Belamich, combined the BR 03 design with the Cyber collection's graphic and futuristic codes.

Through faceted 3D designs, the timepiece's personality is shown through the lines making up its case. It reminds one of a stealth aircraft—with their sharp-edged fuselages and the distinct technical feature of reflecting waves, which is how spy planes, drones and strategic bombers become undetectable to radars. (It can be said that this was inspired by stealth design but we are pretty sure that the design is gonna turn some heads, but we digress.) The readability of flight instruments is added to the wrist with a graphic edge and an openwork feature is chosen for the dial and main components on the mechanical self-winding movement, the BR-CAL.383 calibre, with particularly spectacular 3D skeletonising.

Matte black is chosen as its bold shade, straying away from your usual precious materials used in traditional watchmaking. With a laser focus on technical and contemporary components, the BR 03 Cyber Ceramic 42 x 43.7 mm frame is a ceramic case. With the removal of the lugs, the rubber strap is cut into the case. Ceramic is used to decorate the 12 metallic indices and logo and treated in glossy black under the surface of the anti-reflective sapphire crystal. With a five-year warranty, production of this exceptional watch is limited to 500 pieces world-wide.

Metamorphosis is an often risky process—successful examples within the horological context are finely balanced along the double-edged sword of mass opinion. With the release of the Bell & Ross' latest BR 03 collection, however, the brand demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of this balance by preserving the elements that made the collection a cornerstone of the manufacture’s offerings, while paying heed to modern design sensibilities.

The most visible change within the BR 03 is the watch's reduced dimensions. The cosmetic changes are subtle. The case diameter is reduced from 42mm to 41mm, while the lugs have been downsized from 4.5mm to 4mm, contributing to a marked change in the timepiece's wear and presence on the wrist. In an era where smaller watches are once again gaining traction, these changes reflect the brand’s recognition of contemporary watchmaking trends and preferences.


(From left: 2006 BR 03 42mm; 2014 BR 03 42mm; 2023 BR 03 41mm)
The BR 03’s cosmetic changes see its case diameter and lug length reduced.

More significantly, the BR 03 has a new movement under its hood: the BR-CAL.302. Based on the Swiss Sellita SW 300-1, the movement itself is a reflection of the manufacture's delicate balancing act between trends and heritage. While it is (for the most part) still the same reliable, workhorse movement widely used across other Bell & Ross timepieces, it also crucially introduces an extended power reserve of 54 hours—a significant upgrade on the previous 38 hours of power reserve.

The BR 03 may have undergone a subtle metamorphosis in the dimension and movement department, but Bell & Ross has elected to retain the elements that made the BR 03 a success. The 'circle within a square' case shape embellished with screws and highly-legible, flight instrument-inspired font, for example, ensures that the timepiece still possesses much of the tool watch charm that made it a unique design proposition when it first landed in 2006.

BR 03 Black Matte
BR 03 Black Steel
BR 03 Phantom

Offered in two case materials—black ceramic and brushed steel—Bell & Ross offers a choice between a muted, utilitarian look more synonymous with a tool watch, and a more sophisticated, dressier appearance.

Amongst the ceramic offerings, a new union of the matte black ceramic case with a khaki dial and matching rubber strap functions as the manufacture’s homage to its military-inspired design language. As for the polished steel option, the newest kid on the block takes the form of a retro-styled, brushed, copper/salmon dial offering. Engraved, jet black Arabic numerals and indices are paired with eye-catching blued steel hands, with the contrast between the satin-brushed finishing and smooth chamfered edges of the case a refined touch on a handsome timepiece.

Overall, the new edition of the BR 03 is a great horological example of the tricky act of balancing oft-fickle and transient trends, while staying true to brand philosophy.

crosschevron-down