The square root of three
Last year, we saw the introduction of the necessary indulgence with 41mm BR 01 as its focus, but this year at the W&W 2024, the focus has shifted at the fair to the BR 05. The success since it was launched in 2019 was quite a phenomenon for Bell & Ross, as its demand from the market was unexpectedly whelming. It quickly became an iconoclast on its own.
To whet your appetite, there are three square bodies for you to swoon over.
BR 05 Black Ceramic
Black is no stranger to Bell & Ross, as they practically invented it. On a watch, that is, when they started making a ceramic casing. But 2024 will mark the first BR 05 to be robed in black ceramic (the other is the BR-X5 in carbon, not ceramic). You can call it the coming of age of the new icon. It is the same as its stainless steel automatic three hands, except it has grown by a mm at 41 instead of 40mm in the stainless steel version. The black ceramic version has a black sunburst dial with white SuperLuminova with green emission and is repeated on the rhodium-plated hands. It is powered by an automatic calibre with 54 hours of power reserve.
BR-X5 Black Titanium
Almost two years ago, Bell & Ross unveiled their first proprietary automatic BR-CAL.323, jointly developed and manufactured by Kenessi, and it was found to power the BR-X5 in stainless steel and a carbon variation. What makes this variant different are the complications, the triple date window at three o’clock and a power reserve of 70 hours’ indicator at nine o’clock. The latest addition is the marvels is housed in an all-light 41mm titanium case with a black matte dial and applique indices, and the hands are coated with white SuperLuminova. It’s the grey tone that makes it utterly irresistible for the urbanites who are looking for something robust and versatile for everyday wear.
BR 05 Chrono Grey Steel & Gold
If there is an overwhelming trend for it, then Bell & Ross will scrutinise its validity before jumping in. Their coming late to the party is for a good reason as they want to make sure it is tastefully executed and perfectly pleasant to the eyes, as two-tone can be tricky. Belamich has seen to it that the steel has to be grey to tone down the garish polished or white steel can be. The brush-polished surface with mirrored edge grey steel mated to the brush-polished gold bezel with sunburst grey dial and gold indexes, hands and the sub-dials resulted in a stunning and sporty watch without being too naff, as some can be. It’s one classy watch.
