So, why do I like Bell & Ross watches?

They are a relatively recent company, a French manufacturer, based in Paris, with their manufacturing facility in Switzerland. They came into being in 1992, when they used the German manufacturer, Sinn (I liked their U1 1010 Diver (though big) and more recently the Sinn 105 St Sa UTC) for initial production, but in 2002 became their own man so to speak, when Bell & Ross really came into their own.

Their philosophy was and is simple and according to their own literature, their watches meet four basic principles: legibility, functionality, reliability and precision. They are also known for the BR series of models which were square cased. Mostly based on aircraft instrumentation for style and legibility, they soon became favourites with pilots, divers and other action occupations and of course extreme sports lovers.

But for me I like them for one main reason (amongst others) – because they manage to make what appears to be a large watch, with great clarity and readability – appear small.

And that’s no easy feat, especially with a square case format, but for myself with an average wrist size, it means a great deal. And most of their conventional round cased watches are a sensible size too.

They also use their own excellent Swiss automatic movements, such as the latest Br323 with an astonishing 70 hours power reserve and they use ground breaking luminous features, which have to be seen (in any light).

The what I personally call their basic signature model the BR 03 (in matte black) for example is just 41mm across, though at first glance appears much larger, due in some part to the wide rubber (part synthetic fabric) strap, which is illusionary in fact.
This model actually wears very well on a medium wrist. This is a Date watch (though perhaps a little small) @between 4 & 5, great clear reading dial with excellent contrast and it’s powered by the BR-CAL.302. Automatic mechanical movement with an excellent 54-hour power reserve.

It’s also just 10.6 mm thick and made from micro-blasted ceramic and the sapphire crystal is anti-reflective. This model is rated as 100m Water Resistant.

And there are more –

In the same range they also have a Quartz version, the BR S which is only 39mm across with the BR-CAL.102 Quartz movement with an almost identical dial, but with a small seconds @6, rather than the sweep centre one.

Perhaps for some folks, Bell & Ross may be a little expensive, but they are a high end Brand with much innovation. So what you get for your money in relative terms is certainly quality and of value. Couple that with such compact functionality and that large can be small concept, certainly a Brand to consider.

Part of the fun is to actually try one on the wrist – and once you do . . . . I warn you – you’ll probably get it.

Note – Obviously the Quartz BR S model is the most affordable compared to Automatics at around £2,200 in the UK.