Thursday, November 25, 2010

Bell & Ross points the way...

Bell & Ross began selling watches back in 1992, although in those days, their watches were made by Sinn. Since then, they have designed watches for astronauts, pilots, divers and even bomb disposal experts. 


Although announced at Basel this year, SalonQP was the first time that the BR 01-02 Compass had been shown in the UK. It is based on a simple concept: the "hand" (or rather the time measurement point) stays still while the dials revolve. The outer dial displays the hours, while the inner dial displays the minutes (it was just before nine when I took the shot below). Speaking to Carlos Rossilo, we briefly discussed the technical challenges of the watch, which included finding a suitably robust, yet lightweight material for the dials. 


I must admit to being immediately taken by this piece. Although it is a simple design, and a relatively simple movement - the ubiquitous ETA 2892 - the overall effect is rather captivating. A new take on time, that rather skews one's view of the world: rather than hands turning, this watch almost gives you the impression that the world is revolving around you.

Limited to 500 pieces, sporting a 46mm PVD'd case and looking rather cool, it'll be available soon. More photos, including the rather nice BR 01-92 Radar, the BR 03-92 Military Ceramic and the Vintage BR 123 / 126 Heritage range, are available here.

1 comment:

Pierre said...

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