Bell & Ross Expresses Artisanship With The BR05 Artline
An artful and sculptural interpretation of Bell & Ross’ most contemporary collection.
A fresh and dressy take on Bell & Ross’ instrument panel-inspired timepieces, the BR05 that debuted a little over two years is now one of the brand’s hottest collections. The line-up currently comprises automatic, chronograph, and GMT models – a substantial repertoire for a burgeoning collection. More impressively, BR05’s much-debated aesthetics have become its top draw.
In the new BR05 Artline, the collection is further elevated by ornate touches that put its characteristic vintage-meets-modern casual dress watch DNA in a different light. While previous models garnered fans with a forthright take on the casual luxury dress watch, the BR05 Artline pushes the envelope a little further with artisanal design.
A monochromatic timepiece housed in stainless steel and paired with matching bracelet and a ruthenium grey dial, the BR05 Artline stands out with grooved decorations on the case and bezel links. Besides lending texture and character, the striated decoration lends the automatic watch a sense of craft and whimsicality.
“We wanted a watch that is dressed and decorated. The BR 05 had potential,” says Bell & Ross’ creative director, Bruno Belamich, adding that the watch’s case is perfect as it has “a vast surface to decorate”. The bezel that features the gadroon decoration is made in a single piece and affixed by the exposed screws. Elsewhere, the decoration is replicated on the bracelet’s central links.
That said, Belamich reveals that the inspiration for the BR05 Artline came from 1930s and 1940s industrial design and air travel, a world that is long intertwined with the brand’s origins and DNA. The grooved decorations, especially, recall the corrugated aluminium fuselage on 1940s transport aeroplanes.
Although it isn’t quite the same as setting gemstones on the watch, the artful decoration certainly endows the BR05 Artline, which is limited to 250 pieces, a sense of regality and prestige. Or, as Bell & Ross puts it, a “rare elegance” to a brand best known for its knack for military-inspired designs.
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