From pocket watches to the 21st Century, Bell & Ross today.

The brand was launched in 1992. The first watches were designed by Belamich and Rosillo and made by a German watchmaker Sinn.

Two boyhood friends, joined forces for one of the most beautiful adventures in watchmaking of the late 20th century.
They decided to launch a simple idea: “function shapes form.” Efficiency, legibility, and reliability were the three words that was the philosophy of the Bell & Ross brand.

Watches such as the BR Instrument have been designed to replicate the shape of a cockpit instrument taken from an aircraft. The BR02 range caters for diving professionals through the use of highly legible dials and cases water resistant to withstand 1000 metres of pressure.

Space One and Hydro were the fruit of this collaboration..
The second idea was to get the concept off the ground by presenting it a strong identity as an efficient chronometer, to meet the requirements of the most exacting user. Immediately adopted by NATO and the Air Force, Bell and Ross also found takers within the French security service’s bomb disposal squad.
Another offering is the Hydromax; which contains hydraulic fluid within the case to counteract the effects of external pressures.

They created Hydromax, the most reliable watch in the world, for deep underwater work, with the world abyssal record for water resistance to 11,000 meters. They also managed to restore with great success the taste for pilot watches that had flourished in the 50s and 60s, but which had since been forgotten.

Bell & Ross's first watches were virtual re-issues of Sinn models and carried the Bell & Ross logo as well as Sinn's. The partnership ended in 2002, when Bell & Ross began its own independent production in its facilities La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

BR 03-94

Today, Bell & Ross released their new Golden Heritage collection featuring the BR 03-92 and BR 03-94 Chronograph models , both to feature the industry standard SW300 ETA 2894 movement underneath a 42 mm satin-brushed steel and an anti-reflective sapphire crystal.

This piece has a gloriously vintage appeal to it, with the black face offset by gold dials, also including a date indicator. A black calfskin strap completes the piece, nicely touched with white stitching.

Movement: mechanical automatic SW 300 – ETA 2894.
Functions:
• BR 03-92 : hours, minutes, seconds. Date.
• BR 03-94 : hours, minutes, seconds. Date. Two-counter chronograph (with 60-second and 30-minute accumulator).

Case: diameter 42mm. Satin-brushed steel.
Dial: brown. Golden appliqué index and numerals. Golden hands.
Crystal: anti-reflective sapphire.
Water-resistance: 100 meters.
Strap: calfskin with hot stamping and black heavy-duty synthetic fabric.
Buckle: pin buckle. Satin-brushed steel.

Left: Czech boutique, Right: Bell & Ross Basel booth - 2013.

After opening its first European sole ownership boutique in Paris in 2011, Bell & Ross continues to expand around Europe by inaugurating its third store in Europe, in Prague, capital of Czech Republic.
Two years after opening its first store in Singapore, Bell & Ross chose the historic center of Prague to open its 14th self-owned store.
The new boutique will shelter the entire collection, through lines AVIATION, MARINE, VINTAGE, as well as exceptional pieces such as the BR01 Tourbillon.
"This long-awaited opening will offer collectors a wide selection of watches in a venue consistent with the aesthetic codes of the brand, and a bespoke service," said Carlos Rosillo, Bell & Ross CEO.
Like all Bell & Ross boutiques, this one perfectly reflects the identity and principles that characterize the brand: pure lines and timeless elegance.

ref: www.bell&ross.com.