We continue to highlight a few of our favorite watches from among the more than sixty watchmakers that have created timepieces for the Only Watch charity auction, which commences Sunday, November 5, in Geneva. Christie’s will auction these incredible one-of-a-kind watches to raise funds that benefit research in the battle against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
While you may have seen a few of the watches set for auction earlier this year when Only Watch announced them, we thought you’d enjoy seeing many of these impressive designs again just ahead of the event.
The watches are currently touring the globe. After concluding their U.S. visit at Christie’s in New York on September 17, the tour will visit Monaco next, followed by stops in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and back in Geneva. See the Only Watch website for tour dates and details.
The Bell & Ross BR 03 Cyber Rainbow.
In this post we highlight the BR 03 Cyber Rainbow, the Bell & Ross entry to Only Watch 2023. The colorful model is a new take on the watchmaker’s own Cyber concept series,
It offers a black DLC case measuring 42mm x 43.7mm and a full 3D skeleton movement with an oscillating weight with bridges made from DLC micro-blasted metal.
The movement is suspended by bridges filled with colorful varnish; the watch’s micro-blasted metal hands are enhanced with white SuperLuminova. All indices are metalized inside the sapphire.
Bell & Ross has even colorized the rubber strap using varnish, resulting in an eye-catching mosaic pattern.
Bell & Ross mixes nature and architecture with the new BR 05 Chrono Green Steel, the latest model in its BR 05 series of ‘rounded square’ designs.
The new Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono Green Steel.
While we saw a similar sun-ray green dial from Bell & Ross earlier this year when the watchmaker introduced a gold-cased, three-hand model (BR 05 Green Gold), this newer model appears even more contemporary, especially as a steel chronograph.
Steel, after all, shines in any urban area, and with the geometric, multi-level BR 05 case and fully integrated bracelet, the watch’s so-called ‘urban spirit’ is evident.
“The case and strap are one,” notes Bell & Ross Creative DirectorBruno Belamich. “This design is a nod to a type of watch that first appeared in the 1970s. Transposed into the Bell & Ross identity, we were able to achieve a result that is at once clear, modern and graphic.”
The new BR 05 Chrono Green Steel joins a wide range of Bell & Ross chronographs, many of which are also powered by the Sellita-based self-winding BR-CAL.326 movement.
Bell & Ross fits an eye-catching automotive-inspired 360-degree rotor to the movement, which is visible through a sapphire caseback.
Price: $6,200 (rubber strap) and $6,700 (steel bracelet).
Specifications: Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono Green Steel
Movement: Automatic Caliber BR-CAL.326 (Sellita base) poweringhours, minutes, small seconds at 9 o’clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock, central chronograph seconds.
Case: 42mm by 14.25mm satin-polished steel. Screw-down crown. Crown guard. Sapphire crystal and sapphire case-back with 360° oscillating weight. Water-resistance to 100 meters.
Dial: Green sunray with applique indices filled with SuperLuminova. Satin-finished applique numerals. Metal skeletonized SuperLuminova-filled hour and minute hands.
Strap: Green rubber or satin-polished steel with satin-polished steel folding buckle.
Price: $6,200 (rubber strap) and $6,700 (steel bracelet).
Two recently debuted blue-dialed watches, the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue and the Oris Aquis Small Second Date 45.5mm, demonstrate how versatile —and attractive — the azure tint can be when perched on a wrist. And both debuts sport serious specs and can be worn anytime and in any workday or playtime environment.
Oris
If your typical day takes you in or near the water, the Oris Aquis Small Second Date 45.5mm ($2,900) is your best bet here given its much-greater-than-average 500-meter water resistance rating.
The new Oris Aquis Small Second Date 45.5 mm.
Oris notes that the watch’s water resistance rating is actually greater than the standard model within its Aquis dive series, which typically includes watches rated to 300 meters of water resistance.
The watch, with its ocean-inspired deep-blue dial, represents a new size the Oris Aquis time-and-date-only series. It retains all the dive-ready specifications you’d expect from Oris, including a small seconds indicator (at the 9 o’clock position) with a luminous hand, a screw-down crown with protection, a uni-directional rotating bezel with a ceramic insert, and either a metal bracelet or rubber strap equipped with the Oris-patented extendable security folding clasp.
Oris has launched an impressive selection of colorful watches in recent years, especially within its Big Crown series. Even the watchmaker’s ProPilot collection now includes hues unexpected within such a technical series.
The new Oris Aquis Small Second Date 45.5mm revels in its ocean-colored dial, bezel insert and rubber strap. (See below for detailed specifications).
Bell & Ross
Inspired by summer skies, Bell & Ross finishes its latest BR 05 GMT with a sky blue sun-ray pattern dial. Earlier BR 05 GMT models have only been available with a black dial or a white dial.
The new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue.
Framed by the Bell & Ross’s own circled-in-a-square case shape, the dial allows the wearer to determine time in a second time zone thanks to the blue-tinted GMT hand. With its easy-to-read large white arrow-shaped tip, the hand allows means wearer can quickly determine the hour in any of 24 timezones emblazoned along the graduated inner bezel.
Bell & Ross enhances this flange with a sky blue and silver color treatment. The colors allow the wearer to further differentiate whether the second time zone hour is in the daytime (silver) or nighttime (blue). Bell & Ross coats the hands and the rhodium-plated baton-shaped indexes with a healthy amount of SuperLuminova.
Inside Bell & Ross fits its bedrock BR-CAL.325 movement, a Sellita-based automatic caliber. And, for all-weather wear, Bell & Ross supplies a screw-in crown to guarantee water resistance to 100 meters. (See below for detailed specifications.)
Bell & Ross offers two types of attachment for the BR 05 GMT Sky Blue. The first is a stainless-steel bracelet and second is a blue rubber strap tinted to match the dial color.
Price: $5,000 (rubber strap) and $5,500 (steel bracelet).
Specifications: Oris Aquis Small Second Date 45.5 mm
(Ref. 0174377334155–0742469EB)
Case: 45.5 multi-piece stainless steel with ceramic bezel insert, sapphire domed crystal, anti- reflective coating inside, screwed steel back with special engravings, stainless steel screw-in security crown, water resistance to 500 meters. Movement: Oris 743, Sellita-based automatic with center hands for hours, minutes and seconds, date, Oris fine timing device and stop-second. Power reserve is41 hours.
Dial: Ocean Blue with SuperLumiNova applied indices.
Bracelet/strap: Multi-piece stainless steel metal bracelet with folding clasp with extension. Also available on a blue rubber strap with stainless steel security folding clasp with extension.
Functions: hours, minutes, central seconds, date and second 24-hour time zone. Quick setting of the GMT hand, independently of the hour hand.
Case: 41 mm wide. Satin-polished steel. Satin-finished rhodium-plated and blue two-color flange, with 24-hour scale. Screw-down crown. Crown guard. Sapphire case-back with 360° oscillating weight. Crystal is sapphire with anti-reflective coating. Water-resistance to 100 meters.
Dial: Blue sun-ray finish with numerals and indices coated in white SuperLumiNova,, metal skeletonized SuperLumiNova-filled hour and minute hands.
Strap: Blue rubber or satin-polished steel with satin-polished steel folding buckle.
Price: $5,000 (rubber strap) and $5,500 (steel bracelet).
Bell & Ross launches the BR 03-92 Patrouille De France 70th Anniversary watch to celebrate the seventh decade of the namesake French aerobatics team.
The new Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Patrouille De France 70th Anniversary watch.
Built using a high-tech, blackened ceramic 42mm by 42mm case, the new limited edition watch (999 pieces) features a sharp-looking dial matching the blue hue used by the Alpha Jet of the Patrouille de France.
To underscore the team’s blue identity, Bell & Ross opts to connect the case to the wrist with a matching blue calfskin and black synthetic canvas fabric strap.
To further enhance the partnership of the two French organizations, Bell & Ross also places the insignia of the team and the specific logo of its 70thanniversary directly on the Bell & Ross circle-in-a square dial. The logo is encircled with the colors of the French flag.
On the back of the watch, Bell & Ross engraves the silhouettes of the five aircraft that have flown since the creation of the Patrouille de France in 1953. The design reflects the wishes of the team’s pilots, according to Bruno Belamich, Creative Director and co-founder of Bell & Ross.
“Pilots are always consulted for the creation of watches: the primary goal of the (Bell & Ross) house is to meet the needs of these men and provide them with a tool to serve their mission,” he adds.
Inside you’ll find the Bell & Ross Sellita-based automatic movement BR-CAL 302, which powers the dial’s hours, minutes, seconds and date displays.
Bell & Ross pairs a brilliant sun-ray-finished green dial with its third all-gold BR 05 model. The watch joins two equally colorful Bell & Ross debuts during Watches and Wonders 2023.
The new Bell & Ross BR 05 Green Gold.
Green Gold
While gold cases are still a rarity within the Bell & Ross BR 05 series, this debut makes it clear that the BR 05’s sophisticated rounded-square case and integrated bracelet works just as well in this luxurious guise as it does in its original steel dress.
The dressier satin-brushed 40mm gold case and bracelet plays well with the deep green sunray dial as light reflects from each element to influence the other. Thus we see hints of green along the inner bezel ring and on the gold-coated markers and hands. Bell & Ross applied numerous layers of tinted green vanish atop a sun ray-finished dial plate to obtain the dial’s glimmering effect, which can seem to change hue whenever the light changes.
Bell & Ross coats all the hands (except for the seconds-hands), numerals and indices in C3 SuperLuminova and also polishes the edges around what is largely a satin-finished case. Via the sapphire crystal caseback the wearer can eye the automatic Sellita-based BR-CAL.321 movement sporting a gilded oscillating weight.
As a BR 05 model, the new Green Gold edition highlights it integrated bracelet, who here is satin-brushed gold with polished small links. Still, buyers can opt for an alligator-leather strap—a first for the BR 05 series.
Price: $22,600 on the alligator strap and $34,000 on the gold bracelet.
GMT Blue
Debuting at Watches and Wonders 2023 alongside the BR 05 Green Gold is this BR 03-93 GMT, now adorned with contemporary blue and grey coloring.
On the dial the blue displays daytime hours and grey indicates night-time hours. Bell & Ross pairs the BR 03-93 GMT Blue with a dressy blue Nappa Soft calf leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching. The watch’s blue steel bezel echoes its glimmering blue sunburst dial. Price: $4,200.
Bronze Diver in White
Bell & Ross expanded its ongoing bronze collection with the new BR 03-92 Diver White Bronze. The ISO-certified diver series, which currently includes a brown-dialed, bronze model, now adds this brighter edition.
The new Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver White Bronze.
The watch’s opaline silver dial contrasts nicely with the bronze case, especially alongside the red-tinted bronze shades. The unidirectional rotating bezel is also finished with polished bronze and fitted with a brown aluminum ring. A soft iron cage protects against magnetism.
Bell & Ross builds a 42mm case, water-resistant to 300 meters, protected by a screw-down crown and powered by an Sellita-based BR-CAL.302 movement. Available in a limited edition of 999 pieces, the watch is priced at $4,700.
Bell & Ross fits an eye-catching automotive-inspired 360-degree rotor to the movement, which is visible through a sapphire caseback.
