Bell & Ross’s New BR 05 Watch Is a Celebration of Stainless Steel
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Now that a suit and tie are no longer de rigueur in the office, the classic gold dress watch is more special-occasion piece than everyday accessory—which is why the steel-bracelet watch is particularly well suited for today’s time. As steel models have gained popularity, an increasing number of brands are introducing more (and more) watches in the metal, especially in bracelet form.
One introduction of note this year is Bell & Ross’s 40 mm BR 05, which comes in five versions: three solid dials in blue, black, and gray; a pink-gold version; and a skeleton, pictured below. The company unveiled the new model to press and retailers in March to much fanfare—eliciting comparisons to Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, albeit a much more accessible version—but otherwise kept it under wraps until its recent official debut. “The goal was to develop an intermediate model between our iconic utilitarian square-faced watches and our round-faced pieces, which are more universal and generic,” says Bell & Ross co-owner Carlos Rosillo. “But it’s true we also wanted to open up to a new market.”
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It’s the first Bell & Ross model specifically designed to be worn on a steel bracelet and is intended to be an evolution of the BR 03, the company’s popular square-faced 42 mm instrument timepiece. “The idea was to move from the professional world of the extreme to the urban landscape,” says Rosillo. But much like B&R’s instrument watches, the new BR 05 is likely to appeal to the sartorially inclined and the watch-obsessed alike, which is the kind of formula that put Bell & Ross on the map in the first place.
The idea for the BR 05 was conceived by Rosillo and co-founder Bruno Belamich five years ago, but it wasn’t until 2017 that the idea took flight. “It took two years in total, between the moment when we started drawing the first sketch of the watch until it was finally approved,” says Rosillo. “For me, it is more than a watch. It is the design of an era.”
Check out more images of Bell & Ross’s 40 mm BR 05 below:
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