Bell & Ross Introduces 30 New Timepieces At 2017 Baselworld Collections Unveiling

Watch lovers, you might want to watch the Bell & Ross space. The Swiss watchmakers have released a host of exquisite timepieces (with more launches staggered over the remainder of 2017) that go extreme on three frontiers: sky, land and marine.

As we know it, the trademark round face in a square case captures Bell & Ross’ longstanding passion for aviation, and the new additions to their BR 03 family reaffirms the deep relationship they have with elite air forces. Bell & Ross has also plunged into the opposite end of the horizon to revive their diving watch –the world’s first square cased one at that. Rounding up their ‘Search of Extreme’ philosophy is the RS17 collection which celebrates their partnership with Renault Sport Formula One team.

But there is still one more frontier that Bell & Ross has signaled their intent on. Until now, no notable timepiece has been made for the women’s market, and their diamond encrusted Novarosa collection looks set to seduce the hearts and minds of many a lady.

Without further ado, let us then do a quick highlight reel of Bell & Ross’ 2017 Baselworld collections presentation.

 

Going Airborne With BR 03 Additions

 

                                      

The BR 03 is Bell & Ross’ core collection influenced by the field of aviation. The two new additions, the Horograph and Horolum, continue to pay tribute to air travel; both timepieces adopt the Bauhaus ideology of ‘shape induced by function’ and feature simple lines and right angles, for the purposes of efficient time telling.

The Horograph goes full utilitarian by taking cues from airport terminal clocks, whereas the Horolum is capable of a brilliant tinted green illumination thanks to an ultra-phosphorescent Superluminova coating. The glow on the dial stays lit seconds after the passing of light, and Bell & Ross credits the feature to airport runways during nightfall –said to be one of the most beautiful sights from the cockpit.

Only 500 pieces of Bell & Ross Horolum are produced.

	BR 03-92 Horograph	BR 03-92 Horolum
Calibre	BR – CAL.302 Automatic	BR – CAL.302
Case (mm)	42	42
Dial	Black with white Superluminova	Microblasted grey. Sandwich construction with Superluminova.
Strap	Black rubber / Microblasted steel pin buckle	Grey-green calfskin / Microblasted steel pin buckle
Price (SGD)	4,500	4,800

 

The Formula One RS17 Trilogy

                

When you own one of these timepieces in your personal collection, it is like wrapping a F1 steering wheel around your wrist. Last year, Bell & Ross became an official partner to Renault Sport Formula One Team in their pursuit of extreme performance. This year, they are going the distance with the partnership by releasing a trio of timepieces inspired by the yellow Renault single seater RS17 F1 car.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature upon first glance is the myriad of colors surrounding the dial; just like what you would see on the steering wheel of a F1 car, Bell & Ross has ported over the same color coding element to the watches in a bid to facilitate instant reading of time in high octane environments. Each function is paired with a color. For example, in the RS17 chronograph watches, the time, chronograph, date, second and power reserve each has their own vivid hue for easy, mistake-free identification.

The BR 03-94, BR-X1 Skeleton Chronograph and BR-X1 Tourbillon Chronograph have only 500, 250 and 20 pieces produced respectively.

	BR 03-94 RS17	BR-X1 RS17 Skeleton Chronograph	BR-X1 Tourbillon Chronograph
Calibre	BR-CAL.301 Automatic Chronograph 30min	BR-CAL.313 Automatic Skeleton chronograph 30min	BR-CAL.283 Manual winding (4 days power reserve) Monopusher chronograph 30min
Case (mm)	42	45	45
Dial	Carbon fibre Metal indices with white Superluminova	Skeleton dial Metal indices with white Superluminova	Skeleton dial Metal indices with white Superluminova
Strap	Black rubber  / Black PVD pin buckle	Black rubber / carbon fibre Black PVD / rubber pin buckle	Black rubber / carbon fibre Black PVD / rubber pin buckle
Price (SGD)	9,000	34,900	245,000

 

BR V2 Vintage Collection

                    

Bell & Ross’ love for aviation continues to feature heavily in the Vintage family, albeit with round casings for a touch of timelessness. The BR V collection have gone through three generations to result in a more sophisticated bezel and casing, and it has also slimmed down a notch for better comfort. Exclusive partnerships with air force regiments around the world see a colored insignia embellishing the dial above the 6 o’ clock mark, but that is not the only redesigned feature in the Vintage.

In the new BR V1, the counterweight for the second hand is shaped like a stylized plane profile, something that promises to be even more prominent in future productions. As for the BR V2, it now comes in a polished and satin-finished steel bracelet for a look that is both contemporary and sporty, while the pared down black dial retains the iconic aeronautical characteristics.

	BR V1-92 Black Steel	BR V2-92 & V2-94 Black Steel
Calibre	BR-CAL.302	BR-CAL.302 (Auto), BR-CAL.301 (Chrono)
Case (mm)	38.5 Stainless steel	41 Stainless steel
Dial	Black with white Superluminova	Black with white Superluminova
Strap	Black calfskin / Stainless steel pin buckle	Black calfskin with steel folding buckle Stainless steel bracelet
Price (SGD)	3,200	4,200 / 4,700 (Auto) 6,300 / 6,800 (Chrono)

 

In Too Deep With BR 03 Diver

Among the new launches by Bell & Ross, the BR 03 Diver represents the Swiss watchmaker’s aspirations to take its ventures deep into the blue. This is the first ever square faced diving watch in the world. It started with the HYDROMAX that was capable of withstanding an astounding 11,100m meters underwater; two generations later, the BR03 Diver that we see now offers resistance of up to 300 meters and has passed the standards set out by the International Organization for Standardization on diving watches.

The water resistance is further bolstered by a thick sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, and beneath it lies a black dial with white Superluminova and time indications to enable maximum legibility in the deep dark marine.

If you think the BR 03 Diver already sounds resilient enough to rough out underwater adventures, there is still the steel exterior and the iron cage equipped on the 2.80-mm thick case back you need to hear about. Seems like even if you collide with sharks, you can put S$5,300 worth of concerns to rest.

Calibre	BR-CAL.302
Case (mm)	42
Dial	Black Metal indices with white Superluminova
Strap	Black rubber / Stainless steel pin buckle
Price (SGD)	5,300

 

Starry-eyed Surprise: BR S Novarosa

                    

The military inspired timepieces in Bell & Ross’ core collection sport a very masculine profile, and the new Novarosa range is about to shake things up. The distinctive name of the new women’s collection, Novarosa, is a simply portmanteau of supernova and rosa; Bell & Ross has closely modeled the design of the timepieces after the astronomical phenomenon, whereby the explosion of stars produce a spellbinding display of illumination in outer space. Rosa –a shade of pink symbolizing femininity, romance and seduction—completes the package.

The trio in the Novarosa collection come in three finishes for everyday wearability: diamond, full diamond and no diamonds. For the diamond versions, round diamonds are encrusted on the bezel and time indications against a pink sunray dial. The non-diamond version feature baton-shaped metal appliques. There are also three different choices of straps: grey calfskin, pink alligator, and for the first time ever, Milanese mesh strap.

Calibre	BR-CAL.102 Quartz
Case (mm)	39
Dial	Pink sunbrushed Metal indices or diamonds
Strap	Grey calfskin with steel pin buckle / Pink alligator with steel pink buckle / Milanese mesh strap
Price (SGD)	No diamond: 2,990 / 3,500 / 3,500 Diamond: 3,990 / 4,500 / 4,500 Full diamond: 9,400 / 9,900 / 9,900

 

BR X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor

French novelist Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said, “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” That was the core principle engineers steadfastly stuck to when the BR X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor was created, and that is why it comes without a case. Only two plates of sapphire sandwich the mesmerizing movement framed inside of a holder, leaving it to shine on its own as it should. If Bell & Ross is purported to have gone extreme on land, air and sea, you can bet that they have broken new grounds with extreme minimalism. And going by Antoine’s logic, they have certainly inched closer to horological perfection.

Only 99 pieces of the BR X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor are produced.

Calibre	BR-CAL.380 Automatic Micro-Rotor
Case (mm)	42.5
Dial	Skeleton dial Metal indices with white Superluminova
Strap	Grey alligator / Stainless steel pin buckle
Price (SGD)	95,000