BY HARLAN CHAPMAN-GREEN
Bell & Ross’ BR-05 is their most versatile watch collection by far. It offers good looks, a ‘cosmopolitan’ design and yet still the rugged dependability of the militaristic watches this French brand is known for. Back in April at Watches & Wonders in Geneva, Bell & Ross showcased a set of smaller BR-05 watches, designed with the apparent intention of capturing a slice of the market that prefers 36mm timepieces. Four different dials were initially offered for these new pieces, and I had to go with the most unique of them all.
It’s no surprise that Bell & Ross ended up making a smaller BR-05 watch, in fact, I’m surprised they haven’t done it until now. Most of the biggest watch brands are moving their product catalogues away from making separate male and female watches, instead preferring to present the same watches in various sizes. Cartier is a perfect example of this model, you choose which design you like and then hunt to find the size that fits you best. If that is a 36mm watch with a mother-of-pearl dial, like the watch on test here, then you found your ‘Goldilocks’ watch. You’ll hopefully have spotted from the photos that I photographed this watch on both a male and female wrist, to show you that it does indeed wear nicely within a wide range of wrist sizes.
You won’t be surprised to learn that, in terms of wearability, arguably the most important aspect, the 36mm BR-05 excels. Although I love the chunkier designs Bell & Ross makes, I know that they’re just too much for a lot of people to comfortably wear. The larger BR-05 models, one of which I was able to obtain to compare, are weighty and chunky, and they don’t disappear when worn on the wrist. The smaller BR-05, however, does. At 36mm x 36mm x 8.5mm and measuring 113 grams on our VSS (Very Scientific (Kitchen) Scales), the new size can slide under shirt cuffs easily.
Comparison: 36mm (left) vs. 40mm (right)
For reference, the 40mm version on the bracelet weighs 153 grams. I would say that the flat case and wide bracelet links mean it wears more like a 38mm watch to my eye, but that’s subjective and something you’ll need to try for yourself. What’s in no doubt is that, thanks to 100m of water resistance, it’s still a practical daily watch.
As I mentioned earlier, the primary draw for these new BR-05s, apart from their sizing, is the range of dials available from the outset. If you want Bell & Ross’ classic black dial for the most vivid contrast there’s a version of that, as well as a cool ice blue model and an industrial grey. The version I had on test was the mother-of-pearl dial watch, which I admit is probably not going to be the best-selling model. It is, however, the most eye-catching.
It’s also legible as one would expect a Bell & Ross watch to be, the hands do a good job standing out over the dial and there is lume for night reading too.
Mother-of-pearl isn’t a new material for Bell & Ross, I remember some of their BR-03 watches being a bit more jewellery-like back in the day, I think they were called the BR-03 92 if my memory serves me correctly. Either way, mother-of-pearl is a unique material used in watchmaking. Its actual name is nacre, and it forms inside the shells of molluscs which gives them such a pretty interior to their shells when cut in half after the animal’s died, of course. When used in watchmaking, nacre shimmers under lights thanks to its surface, which isn’t flat despite appearing so.
It also has a silvery tone most of the time you’re looking at it, but you will see from the pictures that it’s really dependent on the light source as under some it looks all wavy and silvery and under other lighting it can look like a flat beige dial. It’s really neat. They could have added diamonds to this version of the 36mm BR-05, but I’m glad they didn’t; I think it might have been too much for the eye.
Inside this new watch, and indeed in all of the new 36mm BR-05s, is the self-winding BR-CAL.329. I don’t have the exact origins of this movement available to me, but if it’s anything like the other BR-CAL movements in the watches I’ve previously reviewed, it’ll be based on a Sellita ebauche and then worked on until it meets Bell & Ross’ standards. What I can tell you is that it has a power reserve of 54 hours, and it’s obscured behind a closed caseback, unlike the larger models. I’m not sure why they decided to do this, it’s nice to see the mechanics at work inside our watches.
That aside, I’ve only one actual criticism of this watch, and if you’ve read my reviews of the other BR-05 models from the past, you’ll likely be tired of seeing this one. The crown is too fiddly on the BR-05. On the larger models, I found it sometimes almost painful on my fingers to get it to work, and on this smaller variant, it’s worse. With that said I must add in that you shouldn’t let this be a deal breaker.
Throughout photographing the watch, I have to unscrew the crown, set the time and then screw it back in to keep the hands in roughly the same position for the photos as the watch is a live sample that’s got some power in it. As an owner, you probably won’t need to use the crown anywhere as much, provided you keep the BR-05 running.
So, the 36mm BR-05 is a worthy addition to the range. It features quirky and unique design details coupled with robust quality. The mother-of-pearl dial, along with the brushed and polished case and bracelet, adds a touch of ‘industrial-chic’ glamour. It’s suitable for anyone who wants to wear it and will do just about anything with ease, and for most buyers I think that’ll be what seals the deal for them. For this model, the price is $4,300.
