Even though it was founded in 1992, Bell & Ross cemented its place in the luxury watch industry in 2005, when it introduced the BR 01, a square, aviation-inspired mechanical watch designed to look as if it had been yanked out of a cockpit.
With its chunky case, spare dial design and signature sans-serif typeface—the emphasis always on readability—the BR 01 established the French brand as a serious contender in the world of Swiss watchmaking.
Bell & Ross BR03-92 HUD Watch on Rubber Strap Courtesy of Bell & Ross
Now, 15 years later, Bell & Ross is embracing its roots as a maker of military instruments with a new take on its iconic old style. Known as the BR 03-92 HUD, the automatic model is named for the Head Up Display, or HUD, the transparent screen that displays mission-critical information to pilots within their line of sight.
Bell & Ross BR03-92 HUD Watch on Rubber Strap Courtesy of Bell & Ross
The piece ups the ante on legibility thanks to its green-tinted details, including the ring around the sapphire crystal, the four brackets that evoke the corners of the computer-like display, green and black minute and second hands and a green triangle marker that indicates the hours, rendered as rounded Arabic numerals.
Bell & Ross BR03-92 HUD on Synthetic Fabric Strap Courtesy of Bell & Ross
To mimic the fluorescence of the HUD digital display, the model is coated—on its hour numerals, indices and triangle—with a generous amount of Super-LumiNova C3, made all the more dramatic by the backdrop, a 42 mm anti-reflective matte black case. The piece comes on a black rubber strap as well as an ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric strap.
Utilitarian, stylish, masculine, the BR 03-92 HUD blends all the hallmarks of Bell & Ross into a 21st-century model and is available for pre-order in a limited edition of 999 pieces. The BR 03-92 HUD retails for $3,990 and will be in stores as of early June.
