foversta
[PuristSPro Moderator]
20814
Baselworld 2011: Bell&Ross
Bell&Ross is currently in a quite paradoxical situation. Thanks
to the Aviation BR line, they have had a sucessful dynamic for several
years after a difficult period. Trouble is that they depend a lot now on
the results of this line... and you never know if the clients will keep
on buying a large square watch inspired by both military and aviation
worlds. It is the reason why Bell&Ross has started to work on a
diversification of its collection with more ambitious projects inside
the Marine and Vintage lines. The novelties unveiled at Baselworld this
year have this objective: to show that Bell&Ross is
more than the brand of an unique line without losing this special look
and feel inspired by the past.
I propose you to
browse some of these novelties taking into account that I couldn't see
all of them due to a tiny time slot. But I would like to thank a lot the
Bell&Ross team which did its best in the context of a very busy
day at Baselworld.
Let's start with this Aviation
BR 01
Ceramic.
That's a logical move from
Bell&Ross: the Ceramic case brings a more elegant and shinny
touch to the BR case. Thanks to its weight, the watch will be more
comfortable for those who find the BR 01, even with a steel case, too
heavy. Maybe the visual depiction of this Ceramic case suits better with
the small BR S (the 39mm case) but the fans of the brand will love this
BR 01 Ceramic because it allows us to wear a more sophisticated watch
without losing the features of the BR 01 case.
We stay inside the Aviation Br collection
with this new version of the Radar. The idea of the Radar is interesting due
to its coherency with the inspiration of the Bell&Ross watches.
After all, when a lot of watches are an expression of the aeronautical
world, we are not surprised to find a Radar watch. This year,
Bell&Ross presented a worthy evolution of its Radar watch which
was unveiled in 2010. If I found the 2010 Radar a bit disappointing (the
watch was not very fun at the end... if not boring), Bell&Ross
tried this time to really take advantage of the true radar display to
bring to the owner of the watch the feeling to wear an instrument
"closer" to the real thing. This changes a lot its interest: the
designers managed to create the sweeping effect of the light beam.Of
course, this effect is mainly visible on the second disk which is fast
enough to create it. The hours and minutes disks are too static for this
purpose but they were nicely designed. In a mechanical point
of view, we find again the caliber ETA 2892. Don't expect here an
impressive horological work: it is not that complicated to create this
type of time display. The main issue was to lighten the disks in order
that they require less energy from the caliber which is not, for me, the
best in terms of winding efficiency. The red-tinted cristal and the
scales on it contribute a lot to this feeling to be in an air-traffic
control atmosphere. A good improvement from
Bell&Ross.
We spoke a lot about the Airbone when it
was presented by Bell&Ross in 2009. The Airbone is back and here
again, Bell&Ross improved the first version thanks to a
detail... which changes a lot the way we feel this watch. The
stainless-steel case of the new Airbone has been made older, has got a
sort of patina: the Airbonne II becomes more basic, raw, distressed. Due
to the method used to finish the case, each watch will be unique. The
overall design remains the same and the watch seems to directly come
from a sort of Mad-Max world. The leather strap is gorgeous and in
harmony with the style of the watch. The movement is still the ETA 2892.
This Airbone II is one of my two favs Bell&Ross
novelties.
I also saw this BR 03 Blue Ceramic with
black&blue finishings: it is just a pure change of colors, a
Ceramic BR 03 is already existing. The case is smaller (42mm) than the
BR 01 (46mm) and this watch features a date window. If you wish to wear a
Bell&Ross watch with a Ceramic case and if you find the BR 01
too large and too excessive, this one is for you... I really think that
the concept of the Aviation BR is totally linked to its big size. With a
smaller case, the Aviation BR lose a bit their character and so...
their interest.
Let's leave the Aviation BR line to
discover the BR-PW1
and the BR-WW1
watches.
These watches belong in a sort of theme
followed by Bell&Ross. Bell&Ross is a new brand but they
wish with their different models to pay hommage to the evolution of the
military watches during the XXth century: from the pocket watches to
the wristwatches, without forgetting the influence of the dashboards...
it is not a linear influence. Today's watches are inspired by the past
and we feel more now a back to the roots than a true evolution in terms
of contents or functions.
Bell&Ross already
presented us the watches which symbolize the 40's, the 70's and year
2000. Were missing the first two stages of this evolution and that's the
purpose of the BR-PW1 and the BR-WW1. It is very interesting to analyse this
will for a new brand to create a sort of historical context for its
collection. I find this approach very clever in terms of business model
and very well made when we look at these watches. Of course, we can be a
bit shocked by this attitude which may appear to be like: "we don't
have a past ? No problem, let's create one!". But the result is here:
the 5 watches which compose the evolution of the military watch create a
very logical collection and in terms of design, the job was nicely
made.
Let's start with the BR-PW1. This pocket watch
uses an Unitas 6897 caliber and has a 49mm stainless-steel case. I like
its dial and thanks to the Unitas caliber, it looks very balanced. The
work on the caseback is OK, nothing surprising. I would have
prefered a more original ring: Bell&Ross designed it without any
originality, maybe something a bit sharper would have been nicer. And
we don't have to forget a lot of various pocket watches rings were
available. A room for maneuver was available to the Bell&Ross
designers. Anyway, the watch is nice, very "Bell&Ross" in its
style. But some details would have required a more sophisticated
approach IMHO.
The BR-WW1 is my other fav watch from
Bell&Ross this year. Inspired by the cases of the first
wristwatches, when we wear the BR-PW1, we have the feeling to have a
pocket watch on the wrist. I like the slightly unbalanced design of the
case due to the width between the horns and the case diameter (45mm).
The BR-WW1 is powered by the ETA 2897 caliber we recognize thanks to the
presence of the power reserve indicator dial side. Not a bad idea, this
indicator fills the dial even if its presence is a bit strange due to
the inspiration of the watch. I llike the domed sapphire but beware at
the overall height of the watch: the watch is thick (I don't have the
exact figures) and this point will surprise you a lot when you will try
it. Despite this, I was seduced by the BR-WW1. I don't know how to
explain it: the caliber is basic, the dial is nice and in the
Bell&Ross standards but there is something special which occurs
with this watch on the wrist... thanks to the
case.
You
may think about the Panerai Radiomir but as a Radiomir owner (but I'm
not a Panerai specialist), I found the BR-WW1 different: the case shape,
the crown... and above all the thickness of the horns welded to the
case .
This BR-WW1 is, IMHO, a great achievement from
Bell&Ross because its perfectly combines the Bell&Ross
style with the inspiration from the first wristwatches. I find it more
convincing than the pocket watch... but maybe I would have appreciated
to find a large handwind movement inside like for the pocket watch. But
this would have required a specific work on the Unitas to get a central
second hand.
My report is over now. I know that I
missed a lot of novelties but I managed to handle the three watches I
wish to discover: the new Airbone and the "duet" BR-WW1 and BR-PW1. This
2011 collection from Bell&Ross is large and will fulfill the
expectations of the fans of the brand thanks to the improvement brought
to the Airbone and the use of Ceramics for the BR 01. The BR-WW1 and the
BR-PW1 may attract new clients if they expect a strong and recognizable
design and not exclusive calibers. In terms of horological contents,
the offer remains basically the same with simple and reliable
calibers.
Thanks a lot to the Bell&Ross team
for its availability and the warm
welcome.