Felix Scholz
A few months ago we had a look at the Bell & Ross BR V2-94 Garde-C?tes, an orange-accented twist on their vintage chronograph. Well, today we're going to pare it back a little further, with the time and date BR V2-92 Garde-C?tes.Looking at Jason's excellent photos of this watch it should be quite apparent the sort of watch you're looking at here. A no-fuss 41mm automatic, with a bright personality. That personality comes, of course, from the bright orange chapter ring and the day-glow seconds hand. But there's more points of interest at play than just these peacock elements. There's the dial, a functional, almost battleship grey in a matt finish a colour picked up in the soft rubber strap.The colour scheme is inspired by the hi-vis livery of the French Garde-C?tes, or Coast Guard, in particular their distinctive Eurocopter Search and Rescue choppers. And then there's the bezel, an aluminium insert with radial numerals that really helps the watch live up to its Vintage' name. And it's certainly a watch that you don't need to stress about getting wet 100 metres of water resistance, unidirectional bezel and screw-down crown with crown guards ensure that.For me though, this watch isn't a hard-core technical take on the genre (and Bell & Ross could certainly have justified such a watch, given the Coast Guard connection). It's more of a thematic inspiration, which is, to be perfectly honest, much more suited to everyday wear. Few of us count rappelling into choppy seas as amongst our daily duties, so the need for an over-engineered extreme diver just isn't there. A nice steel watch that balances style and function? That's another story.Bell & Ross BR V2-92 Garde-C?tes Australian priceBell & Ross BR V2-92 Garde-C?tes, $4100. For more information, see here.
13.12.17