Bell & Ross : Design in limited editions

WW2 Tourbillon Military

Case: titanium with PVD finish, protective cover in polished/satin-brushed titanium, sapphire case-back, mobile lugs Diameter : 45 mm Movement : mechanical hand-wound (120-hour power reserve), tourbillon with pink gold carriage Functions : Regulator-type display. Hours (upper counter), minutes (central counter), power-reserve indicator (5 days), precision indicator (Trust Index) Dial : matt black, composed of several plates with titanium-finish metal plaque secured with screws and adorned with Côtes de Genève motif. Gilt hands, numerals and hour-markers Water resistance : 50m Straps : chestnut brown distressed and chestnut brown alligator leather with titanium pin buckle Limited series : 10

 

WW1 Régulateur Vintage 

Case : polished 18K pink gold, barleycorn guilloché back Diameter : 42mm Movement : mechanical self-winding (Dubois-Dépraz calibre, 48-hour power reserve) Functions : hours (counter at 6 o’clock), minutes (central hand), seconds (counter at 12 o’clock) Dial : opaline silver-toned, cambered, snailed counter, blued hands Water resistance : 30m Straps : chestnut brown alligator leather with pink gold pin buckle Limited series : 99

 

Known and reputed for its generously sized watches inspired by the professional world of pilots and divers, Bell&Ross makes regular flyovers of Fine Watchmaking territory while adding its own specific design touch to the cause of optimal readability. Round shapes are therefore a must, as exemplified in two limited series featuring technical content as different as their aesthetic approaches : the surprising titanium WW2 Tourbillon Military with a titanium protective cover, carbon fibre mainplate and gold tourbillon carriage ; and the WW1 Régulateur Vintage. The latter’s perfectly pure dial is swept over by three manually-blued hands along the 12-6 o’clock axis, where a minimalist 12 o’clock numeral forms the only interruption in the logic of the three series of variously sized concentric markers. Each to his own style.

 

Brice Lechevalier is editor-in-chief of GMT and Skippers, which he co-founded in 2000 and 2001 respectively. He has also been CEO of WorldTempus since it joined the GMT Publishing stable, of which he is director and joint shareholder. In 2012 he created the Geneva Watch Tour, and he has been an advisor to the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève since 2011. Also closely involved in sailing, he has published the magazine of the Société Nautique de Genève since 2003, and was one of the founders of the SUI Sailing Awards in 2009 and the Concours d’Elégance for motor boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2015.

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