Bell & Ross
Bell & Ross BR 05: The Fifth Element
Bell & Ross
Bell & Ross BR 05: The Fifth Element
Known as the BR 05, a new watch case that is inspired by modern design and architecture as much as it is by aviation and its own history, it had been in discussion for some years.
Belamich explained that the BR 05 is “a project that has been growing since 2014 in my mind. After three years of reflection, we started working on this collection. It took two years in total. Between the moment when we started drawing the first sketch of the watch and the moment when we approved its design.”
Integration
The name of the watch — BR 05 — may come as a surprise to many of us since technically there isn’t a BR 04, but Rosillo has a more amusing take on this: “The Asian market is the third biggest market for Bell & Ross. In China, the number ‘4’ is not a lucky number, that’s why we jumped from BR 03 to BR 05.”
The BR 05 has links with some watches from the brand’s past, such as the Demineur Type or Bomb Disposal Type watch, which featured an integrated bracelet, and the Space series. But it also shares a strong connection with the existing BR V1, the BR 01 and even more memorably, the integrated bracelet cases of the ’70s and ’80s, though refreshed for the 21st century. The sleek demeanour of the watch, inspired by modern skyscrapers and urban spaces, is simultaneously a Bell & Ross classic and a refinement of what led the brand to its incredible popularity. The three-link bracelet is in fact a reconstruction and refinement of the Type Demineur’s original bracelet, even though it’s sure to evoke comparisons with a Gérald Genta or Jorg Hysek design.
Non-braceleted versions of the watch are available as well, with a moulded and tapered rubber strap that’s striped and adds a different look to the watch.
Belamich adds, “We wanted to complement our two existing pillars. It is the missing link between our two existing collections and case shapes. The round is inspired by the history of aviation, the past, and the square for its radical form and for a professional use. We wanted to create a watch with the iconic Bell & Ross case and to merge it with a steel bracelet. With the BR05, we now have a Time Instrument for urban explorers.” He also points out that he found inspiration in Mies van der Rohe’s work as much as the Demineur Type itself was a reference for the watch.
The bracelet edition of the rose gold watch is magnificent to behold in the flesh, and a hefty hunk of metal on the wrist as well. A version in a black rubber strap is available for those who are looking for a slightly more subdued piece, though we say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it.
In Comparison
It’s what everyone is thinking in their heads and will inevitably bring up when drawing associations with the new BR 05: is Bell & Ross’s design derived from the success of industry predecessors who have achieved acclaim with their sports-luxe watches?
In truth, yes and no. Belamich, growing up in the era of modern design and contemporary architecture, was surely impressed by the designs of Genta, Hysek and a plethora of other great watchmakers, all of whom leapt onto the new sports-luxe category that was created by the surge of the Italian market in the ’70s and ’80s. Just as that has influenced the work of hundreds of others in watchmaking, it would be ridiculous to think he would not have found their work impressive in design. Rosillo opines that “the lines of [the BR 05] case combine round and square, the basic geometric shapes that form part of Bell & Ross’s identity. For me, it is more than a watch. It is the design of an era.”
P.S. The BR05 is currently available in Bell & Ross stores across the world. Go check it out and try it on the wrist, and decide for yourself if it’s the watch for you.