Bell & Ross Presents New BR-X5 Watch

When a luxury watch brand punches out something new, it’s a very special thing. It shows the manufacturer still wants to better itself. Still wants to take risks. Still wants to be wanted. For Bell & Ross, it comes in the form of the all-new BR-X5 design – the offspring of the BR 05 watch collection. The whole focus on the letter X originates from the idea of mystery, secrecy, and experimentation. Meet the new Bell & Ross BR-X5 watches.

The new Bell & Ross BR-X5 is a link between the past and the present. Who knows whether there will be another future addition to the BR 05 series? The company hints that the BR-X5 watch completes the collection “on a high”. Only time will tell. But uniting the skills of the company’s elite team of designers and combining these skills with the values of the company, the new Bell & Ross BR-X5 watch for 2022 has a newly developed internal mechanism to power the hands across an optimised dial and features a case that is under warranty for 5 years. Offered in a Black Steel or Ice Blue Steel model, these 41mm models are set to magnify the beauty of the “round within a square” design and both come with sporty integrated stainless steel bracelets or rubber band options.

The new movement

When in 2010 Tudor embarked on a new quest to increase the industrial production capacity for mechanical movements, it produced its own calibre and presented it at the 2015 Baselworld showcase. A year later it created the Kenissi company. Not only was the plan to oversee the production and development of Tudor’s own movements but also to offer its technical expertise to third parties. Breitling and Chanel are just two watchmakers that have sought these highly robust movements, developed entirely in Switzerland and modified from original Tudor calibres. The need for a new movement to power the BR-X5 watch was very much in need but, to live up to the expectations of the BR-X5 watch, had to be without compromise or risk, as Bell & Ross Creative Director, Bruno Belamich explains:  “While daring was the guiding principle throughout the creative stages, the notion of risk was banished from our vocabulary when it came to reliability and precision. With the BR‑X5, we wanted to push back the technical and aesthetic limits”.

Thus came the birth of the BR-CAL.323. Some of the key features of the new CAL.323 have taken several years of planning and designing. These include its uniquely personalised oscillating weight, which can be admired through the back of the case. In addition to this, the new BR-CAL.323 features a variable inertia balance wheel. Bell & Ross describes the new automatic movement as “weekend-proof” meaning you can put this watch down on a Friday evening and come back to it on the Monday morning to find it has kept perfect time whilst off the wrist. Quite frankly, I’m not sure you’d want to put this watch down, but if you’re a fan of Bell & Ross watches, there’s a good chance you have a few to be alternating it with.

The BR-CAL.323 operates at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers an impressive power reserve of 70 hours. It also features a rapid date correction device allowing for the date to be set with a quick pulling out of the crown into its position without having to wind the hands a full turn around the dial. To capture the best side of the COSC-certified movement, a sapphire crystal glass exhibition feature is secured to the back of the case where its personalised weight, designed like a sports car rim, can be appreciated. The movement is guaranteed for 5 years, superseding the two-year warranty that many luxury watch brands offer with their timepieces. 

The new case design

Both the Bell & Ross BR-X5 Black Steel and Ice Blue Steel models measure a diameter of 41mm and sit on the wrist at a height of 12.80mm. To infiltrate the steel sports watch industry, dominated by some big names, Bell & Ross launched the release of the BR 05 around 4 years ago, equipping it with an integrated steel bracelet, an automatic movement and clear, legible dial elements. As the collection grew, it welcomed skeletonised versions and GMT iterations to its line. The new Bell & Ross BR-X5 watch is fitted once more with a stainless steel integrated bracelet, exuding the same familiar sporting aesthetic. Beautifully articulated, the links of the metal bracelet are ergonomically formed to promise comfort on the wrist day in, day out.

Whilst the watch may be described as “weekend-proof” in the sense that you don’t necessarily have to have the watch strapped to your wrist to enjoy its precision, its tough exterior and bracelet make for a watch that is simultaneously resistant to daring pursuits of the great outdoors and the harsher environments that one may incur during a weekend. Alternatively, you can choose the watch on a rubber strap in a matching ice blue or black colour. This open-worked rubber band secures with a Bell & Ross engraved stainless steel folding clasp.

The case of the new Bell & Ross BR-X5 watch has a square bezel which sits atop a multi-layer case. The middle case is hollowed out to reveal its clever construction, optimised for a lightweight and highly resistant feel on the wrist. The crown itself is protected by a crown guard that is machined from the same block of stainless steel used for the container and is built, as is the rest of the case, around a watertight container – the core of the design and the housing for the new movement. The sapphire glass front and back are both connected to the two steel plates that form the front and back of the case. These new Black Steel and Ice Blue Steel versions of the BR-X5 watches are also 100-meter water resistant and the watertight housing is made possible thanks to a set of four screws that penetrate the thickness of the case in four columns, reinforcing its strength and solidity.

The new dial

The satin-brushed, polished and micro-blasted finishes on the surface of the new Bell & Ross BR-X5 watch complement the shimmering blue and classic black dial colour options. The dials are marked by elongated pill-shaped hour indexes with a rhodium-plated outline and a grade X1 Super-LumiNova-filled centre. The hands mirror this same style, framed by a minute track around the flange in black or white details. Additional functions are displayed clearly on the dial, such as the power reserve indicator located at 9 o’clock, split into thirds for easily tracking the autonomy of the movement. At the opposite side of the dial is the date aperture, dressed in a matching colour to the dial.

If you’d like more details on the new BR-X5 models from Bell & Ross’ BR 05 collection, you can check them out here, or call and speak to a member of our sales team at Jura Watches today on 01335 453453