Bell & Ross’ saga started in an aircraft cockpit and was driven by the ambition of designing watches directly inspired by aeronautical instrumentation, the ultimate point of reference regarding precision, legibility and reliability.
In just a century, the aircraft has evolved from the Wright brothers’ biplane to the Rafale. Regardless of the era and the device itself, watches have always been a precious aid helping crews with navigation and providing operational support to pilots. The stakes are even higher when the aircrafts are involved in combat missions. This is why all military-inspired Bell & Ross watches comply with the strict specifications established by the armed forces.
The heritage between today’s Bell & Ross watches and their glorious predecessors is strong. So, when Bell & Ross decided to launch a watch collection in 2009 highlighting the key eras in aviation history.
This new BR Vintage collection was fully redesigned to be thinner, smaller and more elegantly shaped. Quite a success, which was later followed by several colourful limited editions, such as the Gardes-Cotes or Bellytanker.
Bell & Ross just introduced a new version in the Vintage collection, the Vintage BR-V2 Steel Heritage. And if the normal ones were already cool, these new ones are certainly even cooler.
The whole idea of the Bell & Ross Vintage collection, while keeping the dashboard instrument inspiration and the link with military and aviation, is to offer something more classical, more down-to-earth, more… round!
The look of these BR-V2 Vintage watches is less bold and “segmenting” than the squared BR-01 and BR-03 pieces. The French Parisian brand scaled down the cases, going from 43mm to 41mm, but also gave the watch a more rounded, more compact design, and slimmer profiles. All of that was combined to clean, military-inspired dials and highly domed sapphire crystal to enhance the vintage look. They evoke the past, and at the same time belong to the modern era, thanks to the latest watchmaking technologies and materials that combine high performance with a retro spirit.
The details include a polished/satin-finished steel case with a slightly smaller diameter of 41 mm, push-buttons and a screw-down crown to reinforce the water-resistance of the case, rounded lugs that match the new metal bracelet with fine links to ensure it sits comfortably on any wrist, and the sapphire crystal with an ultra-curved finish to evoke the style of vintage watches. Inspired by instrument panels from 1960s aircrafts, the BR V2-92 and BR V2-94 Steel Heritage measure time with precision whilst cultivating a resolutely retro look. A Vintage spirit with the Heritage concept.
