Anyone looking for a high-quality wristwatch these days simply cannot ignore the distinctive “square watches” of the Bell & Ross brand. Fifteen years ago, industrial designer Bruno Belamich and his childhood friend Carlos Rosillo started the company, whose very special watches have been an integral part of the industry since Baselworld 2005 at the latest. After their studies, the two founders had worked as experts for onboard instruments in the aircraft industry and had already gained experience in the field of watches. The inspiration for the unusual angular design of her wristwatches should come from this time. With its unconventional design, Bell & Ross caused a sensation among collectors in particular at an early stage and soon made a name for itself. Even if opinions on the daring design initially diverged greatly – the advertising drum was touched and the idea of watches inspired by aircraft instruments was well received!
Today Bell & Ross watches are undisputedly – the – luxury watch brands worldwide. As a relatively young company it wants to be able to keep up with the old, established luxury brands such as Rolex etc.. Today Belamich and Rosillo can look back on cooperations with well-known brands such as Ralph Lauren and Chanel, and the name Bell & Ross has long been on the agenda in the industry. The company is based in Paris, but has been manufacturing in the Swiss “watch city” La Chaux-de-Fonds since 1996. Bell & Ross now has as many as 500 sales outlets in 50 different nations and sells around 60,000 watches a year.
First-class functionality
Bell & Ross specialises in high-quality instrument watches for all those who come under extreme conditions. So not only design for real guys – behind the trendy exterior is maximum functionality and durability. So if you have to struggle with strong heat, cold, acceleration or heavy pressure, you can at least be sure to have the right watch by your side! In order to be able to offer its customers the best instrument watches on the entire market, Bell & Ross even analyses the individual possible extreme situations with those affected, as they are best acquainted with the exceptional circumstances in which the watches must exist. Astronauts, divers, pilots, fighter pilots, mine-clearers, elite units and other “extremists” thus participate in the development of the Bell & Ross models themselves.
In this way, customers can be sure that they can fully rely on their watches for their missions. In addition, Bell & Ross employs highly specialised specialists whose combined knowledge makes the timepieces so special: each step of development is subject to the principle of creating a watch that has everything that is important and does without the rest in favour of the fundamental. Thus, the characteristics that are important to the customers of their Bell & Ross watches are expressly emphasized. Unnecessary gimmicks are dispensed with. Every single detail of the watches convinces producer and wearer with its special benefits. Bell & Ross’ 4 guiding principles: functionality, durability, precision mechanics and good legibility. That’s what makes the fine Bell & Ross watches. Before the watches are sold over the counter or online, they undergo further strict quality and functionality checks.
Classic yet special
Bell & Ross is not satisfied with the impressive functionality and robustness of its watches alone. Setting new trends in the luxury watch sector is also close to the company’s heart. Each model is given a particularly attractive modern design in order to meet the visual requirements of the customer. Bell & Ross always pays attention to creating something individual and new without following transient hype. Here, the brand relies for the most part on the well-known clear lines in a square shape, but has finally also picked up fans of the current round design with its vintage collection, a tribute to pilot watches. In combination with a timeless design that never goes out of fashion, Bell & Ross keeps creating new classics. Instead of distracting from the striking shape of their watches with additional bells and whistles and design experiments, the rest is kept simple. In this way, the “trademark” of the timepieces is even more effective and the company has succeeded in establishing itself as a recognized trend brand. After all, elegant, simple classics are always in!
Creative minds full of ideas
Chief designer Bruno Belamich is always inspired by his collections and always creates something unique. The lovers of the brand will certainly not be bored! Bell & Ross creates new creative collections every time and does not follow any fixed rules. Detached from the mainstream trends of the moment, the brand does exactly what it should – its very own thing and stands out so strongly from its competitors. Bell & Ross divides its extravagant range into the sections sky, earth and sea. As the names suggest, the respective models were inspired by the natural elements. Some of them stand out due to a very unusual design: The models BR 01 Instrument and BR 03 Instrument from the category sky. The wristwatches in the usual angular design are particularly reminiscent of the on-board instruments of an aircraft and thus fit perfectly into the collection. Other models captivate primarily by remarkable functions: Here above all the BR 02 instrument from the category water, which remains watertight to a depth of 11,100 metres. Optically in the style of sporty diving watches, the watch can also be worn well over water.
Stylish eye-catchers also for women
Anyone who immediately thinks of watches for men interested in terms such as “striking” and “angular” will be surprised: Bell & Ross also carries timepieces for women in its range. The feminine editions combine the tried-and-tested hard square shape with classic muted colours or delicate shades in pastel and optionally discreet glitter, as in the BR S Novarosa model. By the numerous combination possibilities with bracelets in different designs and materials, like metal look, snake leather or ceramic optics, the lady can decide for her very own favorite piece. No wishes are left unfulfilled here. Bell & Ross also offers a number of exclusive luxury models in a wide variety of designs for the most discerning customer, whether man or woman: interesting here is the BR-X1 Tourbillon Sapphire model, whose case is made entirely of sapphires. Sapphires are the hardest material in the world after diamonds, making this transparent watch not only a real eye-catcher, but also particularly scratch-resistant. Due to the extremely complex processing, the watch is limited to only 5 (!) pieces worldwide, the price here is a proud € 450,000.
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