The Closest You’ll Come to a Cockpit
Fine watchmaker Bell & Ross unveiled a watch that takes the term “aviation watches” quite literally. The Instrument BR 01-92 RADAR is inspired by aircraft cockpits. More specifically, its inspiration is the circular radar screen that we’re all used to seeing. Bell & Ross cited this device for its excellence in terms of legibility, reliability, and performance, as well as its ability to render a complex situation in very simple and accurate terms.
One look at the Instrument BR 01-92 RADAR and you’ll know that you’ve never seen anything like it before in a watch. The display is the true masterpiece. It’s extremely unconventional; three differently coloured line segments appear on the lone dial. However, unlike conventional dials, these segments are not attached to a common centre point. Instead, three concentric circles radiate out from the centre. Each circle is devoted to a different unit of time: seconds, minutes, and hours as one’s eye moves out toward the edge. Red indicates the hours, yellow the minutes, and green the seconds.
Such a different design required Bell & Ross engineers to overcome a number of technical hurdles. For example, each disk weighs many times more than a standard watch hand. Thus, ultra-light disks had to be created in order to maintain the watch’s power supply. Additionally, there was a need to minimize the internal friction of the device.
The complex piece thus combines the dial and the hands on just one plane. Though the face resembles a radar screen, it also doubles as what could only be described as a targeting reticule. This attractive aesthetic detail is complimented by the jet black rubber watch strap. The final result is a watch that would look right at home in a fighter jet cockpit, keeping an eye out for incoming MiGs.