TALES FROM THE OCEAN
Two new diving watches reveal the underwater prowess of Bell & Ross
BELL & ROSS has been scouring the seabed for a long time. A few years after it was founded in 1994, the watchmaker took the plunge and has since acquired true underwater expertise. In 1997, the brand launched the HYDROMAX with its rounded case. Their first diving watch made history with a record waterproofness of up to 11,100m. In 2007, a new diving watch appeared, this time housed in the barrelshaped BR 02 case. In 2017, the original Diver was launched with its squared case. This is a family that would go on to see great success, welcoming several new releases each year, the latest include a version in steel featuring a white dial, and another in bronze featuring a brown dial.
BR 03-92 DIVER WHITE
Divers are fascinated by icy seas, polar oceans and frozen lakes, and some bold adventurers set out to explore these mysterious, cold expanses. For the intrepid few, Bell & Ross has developed the BR 03-92 Diver White, inspired by frozen watery worlds. Its dial is adorned in white, a rare shade from Bell & Ross. This immaculate colourway evokes ice floes, the cold, and purity.
“Our dials are usually quite dark,” concedes Bruno Belamich, creative director and cofounder of Bell & Ross. The exact colour is an opalescent silver in subtle tones, and the dial’s matte surface has been metallised, creating iridescent reflections across the piece. “The refined finish gives the watch a sense of nobility. It reflects our top-of-therange quality and finesse of the work,” says Bruno with pride.
The BR 03-92 Diver White was born from the combined expertise of watchmakers and divers. These specialists joined forces to meet the requirements of professional divers who venture under ice fields. In this icy underwater world that’s as dangerous as it is fascinating, time becomes a vital dimension. The mechanical diving watch is therefore also a safety tool. In the event of failure, it takes over from today’s electronic tools, which do not bear the cold well.
Waterproof and robust, the BR 03-92 Diver White meets the high demands of deep diving. The case is waterproof to depths of 300m; the unidirectional rotating bezel, used to calculate decompression stops, is graduated over 60 minutes with a luminescent dot at 12 o’clock; the metal hands and indices are coated in photoluminescent Super-LumiNova, emitting a bright green colour in the dark.
The BR 03-92 Diver White crown is screwed down to withstand the pressure of deep seas, and has a rubber insert for better sealing. A crown protector prevents accidental manipulations. The anti-reflective sapphire crystal on this diving watch is very thick, and the back is reinforced for extra protection.
The watch comes with a black rubber strap, which is suitable for underwater use and is delivered in the brand’s famous indestructible waterproof Pelican Box.
BR 03-92 DIVER BROWN BRONZE
The Bell & Ross Diver series was originally launched in steel. Now, bronze joins the family, with the BR 03-92 Diver Brown Bronze cased in the traditional material. Its copper hue case goes perfectly with the warm colour of the dial and bezel, bronze proving itself a harmonious match for brown. This classic, historic material has always had links with the sea, making it an instinctive choice for a diving watch.
Bronze is a key material in maritime design: portholes, propellers, pendulums, sextants, compasses, and old ships all make use of the metal. Its use in the BR 03-92 Diver gives the timepiece a hint of retro. It is also the material used by the Nautilus of Captain Nemo, the hero in Jules Vernes’ novels. Bronze surfs the vintage wave.
But for all that, bronze is not nostalgic by nature. It is used by great architects on the facades of the most avant-garde buildings, creating undulating plates where light rebounds in a thousand scattered bursts.
The BR 03-92 Diver Brown Bronze is at once vintage and decidedly modern. It accompanies the elegantly dressed to dinner just as well as it does swimmers beneath the ocean waves.
As bronze acquires a patina over time, it is therefore a living material that evolves and corrodes. The process is different each time, and causes the metal to be fixed, solidified, strengthened. Historically, sailors allowed bronze to evolve naturally: once oxidised, it was protected from external factors. Admirers of bronze appreciate its colour, which is reminiscent of gold.
The alloy used for the BR 03-92 Diver
Brown Bronze is composed of 92% copper and 8% tin, giving it a rose hue. Over time, the evolution of the case will make each of the
999 models unique in appearance. With the exception of the hypoallergenic stainless-steel back and anodised aluminium bezel, the entire case is adorned with bronze.
The back is stamped with a diver’s helmet, a historical symbol of scuba diving. The watch comes with two straps. The matt brown leather strap with beige topstitching has a strong neo-retro feel that reinforces the BR 03-92 Diver Brown Bronze’s vintage, authentic spirit. A second black braided rubber strap is also available, perfect for underwater use.
Like the White Diver, it is reinforced to resist the pressure of the deep sea and offer a maximum waterproofness of up to 300m and is delivered in Bell & Ross’ robust waterproof Pelican Box.