Bell & Ross refreshes it classic line of dive watches with subtle but noteworthy improvements.
Bell & Ross, renowned for its precision in crafting professional instruments, has applied its expertise to the marine-themed Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver. Though the Franco-Swiss brand is recognised firstly for its aviation line of watches, Bell & Ross is quietly beefing up its underwater portfolio with subtle yet noteworthy upgrades while retaining its emblematic codes to its bread-and-butter range of dive watches.
Given the environments and stresses that a Bell & Ross watch and its wearer are often subjected to, Bell & Ross recognises the right tools are required. “Providing professionals with the quality of tools needed for their tasks and pushing boundaries to their furthest extent has always been part of our brand’s DNA,” affirms Carlos Rosillo, President and co-founder of Bell & Ross. As such, Bell & Ross went about aligning the Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver with the international ISO 6425 standards for dive watches. While much of the standards require the watch’s specification to meet certain criteria, perhaps the most critical of them all reads: the watch must be operationally tested underwater. Bell & Ross is slowly connecting the dots here with its core identity as a professional instrument maker.
If there’s anything Bell & Ross learnt from being an aviation watchmaker, relaying information in its simplest form is paramount in the most critical circumstances. One of the big updates under this guidance is altering the handsets of the Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver, as the previous baton-style hands ran the risk of being indistinguishable. An arrow-tipped hour hand was a straightforward but effective solution. The other tweaks include a ceramic insert instead of aluminium and an improved movement, guaranteeing increased durability and 54 hours of power reserve.
Flaunting this accomplished set of specifications are five iterations of the Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver. Three evergreen stainless steel pieces are rendered in black, blue and white dials, while a pair of black ceramic watches are distinguished by their dials: black and Full Lum. Having had a hands-on with the watches previously, our vote goes to the Full Lum version for its green-blue hued dial that glows a brilliant shade of green under darkness.
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