The Low-Down

It isn’t often that the legendary tracks of the F1 circuit are treated to a new team, but in 2021 that’s the case. In blue, white and red livery, the Alpine team is set to turn heads as they head to the racetracks this year. But while the name may be new, the team isn’t. Alpine is the new name for the Renault F1 team, which itself took over the Lotus team in 2016. With a refreshed name comes a refreshed partnership between Bell & Ross and Alpine.

IMHO

To mark the new name, we’ve been treated to three new chronographs, the round BR V3-94 A521, the square BR 03-94 A521 and the bold BR—X1 A521. Let’s roll through this trio like Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon rolling through qualifying laps.

The BR V3-94 is a large, 43mm round steel chrono taken from the brand’s vintage collection. There’s nothing old-school about this watch, though, as the big and blocky case taps into a rich heritage of automotive chronographs while adding modernity into the mix in the form of the hatched leather strap, which resembles carbon fibre (there’s also a steel bracelet option). The chronograph seconds hand (in Alpine blue) features an ‘A’ logo as the counterweight.

Next up is the BR 03-94 A521 (the last part of the designation is taken from the name from the Alpine F1 Team’s chassis btw), is a much more familiar sight from Bell & Ross, the iconic ‘circle in a square’ that made the brand famous. This particular square is 42mm across and made from stainless steel. The chrono pushers are finished in a black PVD and are reminiscent of the paddles from an F1 steering wheel. In a similar automotive touch, the rubber strap is vented for more efficient air-cooling.

Finally, BR-X1 A521, the sophisticated grade 5 titanium B&R. With its skeletonised dial and rubber ‘bumper’ shell, this is easily the most sophisticated offering in the trio. It’s also the rarest, limited to just 50 pieces, while the other two references are in runs of 500. Like the other watches, it features those distinctive Alpine blue details and a black PVD’ time marker’ allowing the wearer to quickly mark a lap time against the fixed inner steel bezel.

Along with a new name and a new colourway, there’s a whole new energy flowing through the F1 watches of Bell & Ross.

Tech Specs

BR V3-94 A521

Movement: Calibre BR-CAL.301
Case & Dial: 43 mm in diameter; satin-finished and polished steel; bi-directional rotating steel bezel with anodised black aluminium ring and 60-minute countdown scale; screw-down crown; sapphire caseback; black dial with applied numerals and Super-Luminova.
Strap: Carbon-effect blue and black calfskin leather or satin-finished and polished steel.
Price and availability: Limited to 500 pieces; USD 4,400-4,700.

BR 03-94 A521

Movement: Calibre BR-CAL.301
Case & Dial: 42 mm, satin-finished and polished steel; bi-directional rotating bezel with anodised black aluminium insert and 60-minute countdown scale; black dial with applied numerals and super-Luminova.
Strap: Perforated black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.
Price and availability: Limited to 500 pieces; USD 6,400.

BR—X1 A521

Movement: Calibre BR-CAL.313; ‘X’-shaped upper bridge; 56 jewels, 28,800 vph; skeleton chronograph.
Case & Dial: 45 mm, PVD titanium and ceramic with rubber inserts; bi-directional rotating steel bezel ring with time marker; rocker pushers; Caseback with opening in tinted sapphire crystal, centred on the balance; Skeleton dial with applied numerals and Super-Luminova.
Strap: Perforated black rubber.
Price and availability: Limited to 50 pieces; USD 21,500.