Cameron Wong
What if you were a brand born in a cockpit and were an ace at aviation-inspired watch designs? What would be your next step? Why, you'd design a plane, of course! And that's exactly what Bell & Ross have done. The brainchild of Bruno Belamich co-founder and creative director of Bell & Ross the BR-Bird is a way-out V12-powered propeller-engine aircraft that's designed for speed. With short, broad wings placed nearly at its tip and a single-seat cockpit set as far back as possible, the ultramodern bird was designed to compete at the Reno Air Races an extreme aviation speed competition set on the edge of the Nevadan desert. To commemorate this flight into the world of aviation, Bell & Ross have also introduced two brand-new limited-edition watches inspired by the decorative elements of the BR-Bird.Vital statisticsLimited to 999 pieces and dubbed the BRV Racing Birds, the pair consisting of a three-hander, and a chronograph sport the colours and aesthetic of their high-flying inspiration. White dials are highlighted by hints of orange and grey, and the font for the blue Arabic numeral hour markers is taken straight from the on-board counters of the BR-Bird. With another reference to flight instrumentation found in expanded date windows that now show an extra numeral either side. Just as on previous versions of the BRV, stainless-steel cases remain sized at 38.5mm for the time and date only BRV1-92, and 41mm for the BRV2-94 chronograph, with its blue bezel displaying a tachymeter scale. And inside are the same self-winding mechanical movements the 38-hour BR-CAL.302 for the BRV1-92, and the 42-hour BR-CAL.301 for the BRV2-94. While orange central seconds hands now show the silhouette of the BR-Bird on their tail, as do the solid stainless-steel case backs.Initial thoughtsI have a soft spot for Bell & Ross limited editions. I feel like the watches are a chance for the design team to really let loose with bright vibrant colours, in contrast to their familiar mix of black-and-white. And full credit to them for taking their love of all things aviation to new sky-high limits.
22.03.18