Detailed dial view of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Horograph

Legibility is a big deal these days, what with more and more watchmakers updating classic looks for the 21st century. BaselWorld 2017 will no doubt reveal more such examples, where the watches are effectively instruments of time rather than playful accoutrements. Well, to be fair, brands such as Bell & Ross remind us that the tool-watch look is very cool indeed and that there is no need to sacrifice looks for elaborate design moves.

Bell & Ross have taken to calling its timepieces “watch-instruments” and that is indeed how they are presented. Take for example the new BR 03-92 Horograph, which is new for 2017 yet fits in seamlessly with the peerless aesthetics of the brand. The original design brief for the Swiss watchmaking firm appears to have been to create wristwatches that resemble cockpit dashboard clocks and that is what it has done. These days, the brand touts its Bauhaus credentials but, given its success with the “circle within a square” model, it might as well tout its Bell & Ross credentials!

For the BR 03-92 Horograph, Bell & Ross doubles down on the aviation theme, shooting to remind collectors of clocks in airport terminals. The team at WOW feels sure we have seen actual Bell & Ross airport clocks, so this might be a truly “meta”-moment. The press release itself tells us that the watches are meant to deliver the ultimate in intuitive legibility, and thus the watchmakers have stripped things down on the dial. The clear distinctions here make the date window between four and five o’clock seem entirely fitting, blending into the three lines of text at six o’clock. We imagine that the Super-LumiNova covered baton hands and indices will make this quite a standout in the dark too.

The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Horograph

As one might have anticipated, the 42-millimetre case is in bead-blasted steel and is water resistant to 100 metres. This basic degree of toughness is only to be expected of a good instrument.

Specifications

Movement Self-winding BR-CAL302
Power Reserve 38-hour
Case 42 millimetres x 42 millimetres in steel
Water Resistance Up to 100 metres
Strap Rubber or ultra-resistant synthetic fabric
Price Unavailable

This article was written by Ashok Soman and originally published in WOW.