Bell & Ross makes monster watches and this is their latest. It’s has both a tourbillion — the odd spinning thing that rotates ones per hour and ostensibly offsets the effects of gravity — and a Miniteur. A Miniteur is like a chronometer but it measures tens of minutes and minutes and not hours, minutes, and seconds. Why you would need this is a mystery, but it sure looks like you could get into it and drive it. No, you can’t afford it. Neither can I. Neither can God. There’s actually another version, below, sans Tourbillion, that God could potentially afford.
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B&R sent me their BR02 to manhandle but I couldn’t do an official review simply because this was a show model and had no guts. Now that the initial sadness has worn off, I am happy to report that the BR02 is a pretty cool watch. It’s styled on the Instrument Series but is specially designed for underwater maneuvers. The band is rubber and the lugs flow into the edges of the band, ensuring a snug fit. The face is quite readable — except for the tiny date window — and it feels quite solid. Expect this bugger to end up in the $4000 range, but it could go lower. Cool stuff.

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I’ve been kind of watch-depressed after losing my Omega at the hands of DHL. Bell&Ross came out with a ceramic model of the BR03. That’s nice, right?

Bell & Ross sends another one down the pipe with the Phantom edition. This standard issue BR 01 Instrument — the automatic one with three hands — has low visibility pips and digits that light up like the sun in the dark. I’m not sure about the overall readability, but the idea is cool. Again — B&R is essentially carving out its own path in the mid- to high-range watch market and I’m very impressed. Gotta get me one.

Bell & Ross

James read my BR 01-92 review and posted this amazing comment:

My son gave me a BR01-94 and it looks just like the clock I had in the SR-71 Aircraft that I flew between July 68 to Jun 74. All my friends will see the watch at the Blackbird Reunion in Reno this month and I know the watch will bring back great flying moments flying the SR-71. I am a very proud owner of one of the greatest watches I have ever owned.
James H. Shelton, Jr Col. USAF Ret

Thanks for sharing, James. It’s rare to hear these kinds of stories and remind us what a well-made watch really is: a link to the past and a way forward into the future.

I love Bell & Ross. This is a new piece from their Basel show. Fair enough. It’s blue. I think the Instrument series has pumped loads of creativity into a once-stagnant brand and even industry. It’s a cool fashion watch with enough gizmo chops to make it quite cool. But please, B&R — first the tourbillion now this? Let Glycine rock the crazy colors. Innovate, don’t “change things up.”

I had been meaning to write about this new B&R monster but never got around to it. Not much is known about this super duper Bell and Ross aviator boat anchor/jet pilot blinder, but it apparently has a thrust indicator. Why? Who knows.

If its a Grand Complication it traditionally should have about 6 different features. We shall see.

Top Secret Design Revealed! The Bell & Ross BR 01 Grand Complication [THE WATCHISMO TIMES]

Any watch description that begins with “At the request of the French Naval Air Force…” has to be some sort of hoax. But no, Bell & Ross made 150 of the Bell & Ross Type Aéronavale for real fliers. Damn nice of them.

Bell & Ross Type Aéronavale Limited Edition [PROFESSIONAL WATCHES]

Mmmm… tasty. A new B&R. This is an ETA base caliber, probably a 7750, with 42 hour power reserve. It costs about $3,500, which actually isn’t that bad, and looks like a monster.

TimeZone: Industry News: N E W M o d e l – Bell & Ross Chronograph Aeronavale [TimeZone]