Bell & Ross
Introducing the Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono White Hawk
The Low-Down
Bell & Ross are exceptionally adept with shapes, proportions and aesthetics and this is amply demonstrated across its broad collections, from the square-cased BR 01 which evokes the flight instruments of combat aircraft developed up to the 1970s where aircraft continued to rely on analogue instruments, before the advent of glass cockpits a decade later. It is also evident in the company’s round-cased BR V1 which marries the nostalgic charm of vintage timekeepers with the quality and reliability of a modern wristwatch. The company has never stopped stretching its design language further in tasteful steps, while its relentless push for higher performance from its watches have yielded some models with extreme endurance specifications.
In this scheme of constantly stretching itself, the company hit upon yet another winner in the squircle BR 05. Unlike the earlier BR 01 and BR V1, which dipped into action, adventure and design codes of the military with its attendant mud and danger, the BR 05 is unreservedly urbane, sophisticated and relaxed, a sporty complement to the good life lived in times of plenty and peace. To this end, while Bell & Ross had released the black- and blue-dialled version of the BR 05 Chrono, it is this limited edition with opaline white dial – the “White Hawk” – that most naturally epitomises the personality of breezy elegance.
In less capable hands, the flat pushers could have stuck out awkwardly like a pair of animal ears… here, they rest off crown guards that flow from the angle of the case, forming an integral unit with the crown. Turning the watch over, the sapphire crystal display back bears a metalised motif of a hawk in silver, obscuring the view somewhat of the movement behind it; and not all-bad for it.
IMHO
Watchmaking is diverse enough that brands can carve out their own niche specialising in something, such as endurance, high complications, heritage, desirability; enough putting any company in a box, we can say that Bell & Ross does handsome, and it does it very well indeed. The symmetry and measured bulk of the BR 05 carries itself with easy charm and charisma; it was just waiting for a white dial to fully wind down and sip on a martini. In that regard, we hope Bell & Ross also releases a white BR 05 Chrono in a non-limited edition at an appropriate time.
Tech Specs
Movement: Self-winding BR-CAL.301,
Functions: Chronograph with 30-minute register, hours, minutes, small seconds, date
Case: 42mm, satin and polished steel, display back, water resistant to 100 meters
Strap: Black rubber or integrated steel bracelet