DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
Two months ago at Baselworld 2017, we quipped about how it felt like year 1957 instead, with most of the brands tapping onto their popular vintages to offer re-issues. In the case of Bell & Ross, apart from reviving their third generation of the vintage series, the brand took a bold step forward by breaking new grounds on their quintessential BR03-94 chronograph.
The Bell & Ross BR 03-94 RS17. Limited edition to 500 pieces.
Just last year in February 2016, the brand made their debut into racing by joining the world of Formula 1 and becoming the official watch partner of Renault Sport F1 Team. With the clever use of contrasting primary colours inspired by the steering wheel of the new Renault RS17 F1 car, Bell & Ross introduced the new BR03-94 RS17 as part of a trilogy to celebrate this inaugural sponsorship.
The RS17 trilogy.From left: the BR03-94 RS17 Chronograph that is reviewed in this article, the BRX1 RS17 Skeleton Chronograph (limited to 250 pieces) and the BRX1 Tourbillon RS17 (limited to 20 pieces).
The vivid hues on the steering wheel of the Renault F1 single-seater.
Bell & Ross BR03-94 RS17
The minimalist Bauhaus-inspired design of the “circle within a square” watch case has always been iconic to Bell & Ross, resembling clocks in aircraft cockpits. These instrumental watches have been helping fighter pilots keep time since the brand’s inception in 1994. The right angles, clean lines and minimal ornamentation translate to immediate legibility in the timepiece. Hence the marrying of aviation and motorsport racing would not have come as a surprise even to the biggest Bell & Ross fans as extreme performance, speed and mechanical accuracy is of greatest importance in both fields.
We thought that the designers did well by presenting the square design in an adventurous and invigorating way this time for all the three watches in the trilogy. We had the BR03-94 RS17 Chronograph for a week and we put this watch through both the formal weekdays and the casual weekends to bring you this review as well as a pictorial treat on our Instagram page.
The sporty carbon-fiber dial mimics the surface of the steering wheel.
The case, dial and hands
The case of the watch is made from a special ceramic composite (Zirconium Oxide ZrO2 and Yttrium Oxide Y2O3) and the advantage is in its durability and toughness. Generally, there will be lesser scratches and minimal signs of wear and tear even from daily use over a long period of time on these ceramic cases.
The advantage of the ceramic case is in its durability and toughness.
The most interesting feature of the BR03-94 RS17 would be the sporty carbon-fiber dial as it clearly mimics the surface of the steering wheel. Even with a patterned dial, legibility is not compromised, thanks to the brilliantly raised metal indices filled with white Superluminova.
The dial flange on this piece features the “Renault” shade of yellow on the tachymeter from the 12 to 4 o’clock position. The same shade can be seen highlighting the […]
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Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Chelsey Chen
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