A discussion about the new BR 03 and its size
Mr Fabien de Nonancourt was in Kuala Lumpur recently to launch their new BR 03 41mm, which to Bell & Ross is a big thing; on paper that 1mm is a minuscule difference, but when you put it on the wrist, it actually makes a difference. He and I had a chat about why the size matters and the market reaction and reception to it. Never has the size of the watch been so thoroughly challenged and discussed with such a level of passion, apart from the length of the skirts and pants in the fashion world, except for Bell & Ross, who always cause such reactions, like the BR 01 at 45mm which had created a trend that seems to last forever.
This is what Fabien de Nonancourt has to say during our chat on the new BR 03 41mm.
When we first launched the BR 03, it was in DLC black and a smaller option for the clients at 42mm in 2007, instead of the BR 01 45mm. We then introduced the cerramic case to the collection, and that was the evolution in 2014. There were little details we changed on the case and slightly different hands. It was time to update and upgrade the product, it wasn’t a revolution but a slight evolution. If you look at the Porsche 911, it’s constantly evolving, you need it to look the same and yet a little different.
Okay, when it comes to design evolution, what can we do and why did we do it? There are two elements that have to remain the same - it has to be square, and it has to have three hands and one counter. Sometimes, we hear the comments from the clients that they love the watches but it was a little too big for them. So we decided to look into it to see what we can do for our clients. The best compromise Bruno (co-founder and Creative Director) found in keeping the robustness of the watch and keeping the flight instruments, it has to be big and can’t be too small, and the best compromise was 41mm. That’s how we arrived at the new size. The new size sits well on many wrists, yet you can still feel the powerful presence of the watch. That 1mm on a watch does make a mark difference.
The watch is not exactly the same as the 42mm. We have also made little changes to the watch. The corners are a little rounder and a little softer, and you can immediately feel the difference. With just the rounder corners and smaller lugs, it gives a different look and feel. We also made other subtle changes to the bezel and the hands, very subtle. We have also reduced the size of the strap, and it is a bit narrower and not as bulky as it used to be. All these minutiae of changes to the watch make a lot of difference. The challenge is to keep the spirit of the watch and change it at the same time.
The new BR 03 41mm comes with the latest generation movement. It has 54 hours of power reserve, so we have improved the characteristics of the watch compared to the previous one—a lot of changes were made to continue the saga of the BR 03.
It’s a common trend now. It’s true, people are even asking for 36mm or 37mm, but this watch has to be an ‘instrument’, it’s a piece of the cockpit of a plane, you cannot make it too small, or it will lose its personality. In a way, we still have the smaller ones, but we put them aside. The BR-X collection is 38mm, and it’s not the same. It’s too small, and it is missing something.
When I first joined Bell & Ross 10 years ago, the first watch I picked from the collection was the BR 01. I remember it was the GMT because it was the closest to the dashboard instrument, and back then, I didn’t mind wearing it, but now I feel it is too big on the wrist. Even the 42mm is still on the big side. I have been wearing this watch (BR 03 41mm) since I left France on Friday, and the size fits so much better. When it comes to the 42mm, I have to take it off when I am at my desk because it is consciously heavier, but with the 41mm, I can keep wearing it all the time, but not when I am in bed, of course.
The reaction and feedback from the journalists and retailers have been excellent. Everybody says it's perfect. It is also a challenge for us, you know when you change your icon people will complain that we should have kept the 42mm as it is iconic for BR 03, at this moment, nobody complained. BR 01 was 45mm, BR 03 was 42mm and BR-X was 38mm, we also thought people might complain that maybe we shouldn’t call it BR 03, we should find another name for it.
It is not 40mm or 39mm, and it has to be 41mm. Bruno had many prototypes made to compare and has tried all the sizes. After much deliberation he chose the 41mm, as the size is just right and doesn’t compromise the instrument it's supposed to be. Even amongst the staff in the office, there were debates about the size - some think we shouldn’t change the size and should remain at 42mm and it an icon, while some agree that 41mm should be the size and we should do it. Bruno decided it should be 41mm and not any smaller. We do have to compromise with our customers to a certain degree, and 41mm should also remain automatic. If a customer wants something bigger we have the BR 01 and BR 03 Chronographs and GMT; if they want something smaller, there is always the BR 05. We have all the sizes covered.
We will be unveiling three more novelties. We will start with one in a couple of weeks and the other two will spread across over the next few months until the end of the year. There is one for land, one for aviation and one for the sea. All you need to do is wait and see what is installed ahead. I can’t tell you exactly what it is, but as soon as the watch arrives, we will show it to you.
