The Vintage V1-92 Bellytanker is powered with the Bell & Ross grade BR-CAL.302, which is basically a Sellita SW300-1 (or ETA 2892-2). Having a 42-hour power reserve and beating at 4Hz, this really is competent, dependable modern motion found in more watches than I can list out here. I discussed this movement in the Tissot Heritage 1948 Hands-On post here, but it is a modular motion based on the ETA 2892-2. Bell & Ross has slightly altered it to remove the next sub-dial but mechanically it offers the same 42-hour power book and remains equally as dependable. The sapphire crystal of the display caseback is printed using a shape of the Bellytanker concept car. They are sized and made conservatively enough to be everyday wearers too. The Bell & Ross Vintage V1-92 Bellytanker ships on an aged brown leather strap for $2,300 and the Bell & Ross Vintage V2-94 Bellytanker is available for $4,400 to a brown calfskin strap or for $4,700 with a stainless steel bracelet. My personal preference would be the V2-94 on the bracelet.
Bell & Ross mentions two other materials on the back of the watch. While the text reminds me a bit of a shopping list, you will find ceramic and titanium on there – and although rubber has been unjustly excluded, it also found its way into the carbon-titanium-ceramic case’s construction. The forged carbon body is sealed by a black PVD case back in titanium, while its unique silhouette is made complete by ceramic and rubber additions on the side.
All four corners, as well as the lugs and the rocking pushers are crafted from ceramic, which is an excellent choice if you want to ensure that the sides of the watch – often exposed to bumps – remain scratch-free for – well, forever, basically. However, these parts are often subjected to bumps as one is reaching for something, and the sides, corners, and lugs are frequently bumped into things – and because ceramic tends to shatter upon a harder impact, one will want to be a bit more careful.
A really superior sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating can sometimes appear to even “sharpen” the dial elements, to my eyes. The Bell & Ross Watches Uk Replica BR 03-92 Diver has a 2.85mm-thick flat crystal with fantastic AR coating offering a clear view of the dial that is designed to be legible to start with. The applied hour mark, sloped chapter ring, and date window at 4:30 with a black date wheel to match the dial color all help lend a feeling of interest and depth that I always appreciate.Clearly, I am bullish on the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver. It had been one of the funnest recent watches I’ve had the chance to use for an elongated time period, and I can not actually say I could discover any actual complaints about it. There are a couple of things I can think of, but that Bell & Ross could do to further sweeten the offer. To begin with, ceramic bezel inserts are more scratch-resistant, and are becoming practically standard these days, which makes aluminum inserts begin to feel less premium. Second, it is likely to possess 300m water resistance on a watch with a screen caseback, which would increase the value, interest, and consumer experience for your Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver. The good caseback, however, is likely also valuable for protecting the motion from magnetic fields. Last, including something in the movement department, like COSC certification, for example, would further kick up it a notch. Every one of these things would likely also be grounds to improve the purchase price, of course.The Swiss automatic movement inside is the perfectly suitable, reliable, and typical Sellita SW300-1 (“BR-CAL.302”). Power reserve of 42 hours, operating at 4Hz… you know the specs. The screw-down crown has been coated with rubberized and easy to grip with a strong and smooth-as-butter twisting feel. I like the rubber on the crown, but I wonder how rubber elements like this on watches will hold up with time. The strap is also rubber, is soft and comfortable, and has a suitably giant steel buckle. I like rubber straps but wonder exactly what the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver would look like on a steel bracelet.
What I find to be the most striking visual element of the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Carbone Forgé – beyond the cool and random texture of the forged carbon case and bezel – are the protruding pieces on the four corners of the square shaped case. The 45mm-wide case not only appears to have a larger footprint because of them, but the otherwise quite basic square shape also looks a lot more complex, high-tech and modern. Bell & Ross went the extra mile and made the chronograph function’s ceramic and rubber start-stop and reset buttons in a way that they rock, fixed to the corners of the case. The action and feedback remain solid, and the case, symmetrical – a genuinely clever design solution.
Fitted to the case is a wide and thick rubber strap that, contradicting its shape and the first impression it makes, is remarkably soft and flexible – it’s about time all brands started supplying their watches with rubber straps that feel and wear good even on smaller wrists. The black PVD steel buckle is a great match in terms of color and overall aesthetics, but likely not the best choice in terms of durability – buckles tend to take a lot of abuse, as they get in contact with basically any and all surfaces you lay your hand on, and PVD is known to not handle scratches as well as DLC.
The see-through dial, and especially the skeletonized top plate of the movement underneath it, lend the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Carbone Forgé a highly technical appearance, one that matches the forged carbon case perfectly. Because the indices and hands are both wide and long enough – what a relief – legibility remains good, with the only problematic part being the running seconds at three that, with its thin hand and indices, does blend into the busy dial.
The movement inside is called the BR-CAL.313 – a sight those really eagle-eyed (or just helpless watchnuts) will surely recognize from something we covered a bit over a year ago. This unusual top plate is part of a Dubois Depraz chronograph (and date) module, that has been installed on an ETA base: with its visible gears and date disc, screws, and X-shaped skeletonized bridges, it really does make for a great, and of course busy-looking dial. It also goes to show the remarkable torque of base ETA movements: carrying those massive hands plus a chronograph minute counter that (although made from featherweight aluminum) is of considerable weight is no small feat!
The growing trend of vintage-inspired watches was noticed throughout the market, and one of the brands to react is Bell & Ross. The firm — which was set in 1992 and thus has no authentic classic watches of its own — has nonetheless always positioned its bits as militarily and historically motivated. The brand’s trademark square instances, seen on many of its watches, are themselves an homage to the dashboard instruments on military planes, and last year Bell & Ross introduced a wood-and-bronzed BR 01 motivated by classic marine clocks. This season the new took its inspirations to a different level with the release of the BR V1-92 Army, portion of its renewed “Vintage” collection, currently in its third generation (graphic below, courtesy of our friends at Monochrome Watches). The watch itself cites no specific era or reference number because of its inspiration, but it requires on design details from a number of different time intervals to make its distinguished look. Featuring characteristics from an array of styles from the 1930s through the 1950s, and obviously also with many contemporary flairs, the watch seems to get remixed many fan-favorite features seen in vintage military watches and put them in a simple, 38.5-mm satin-polished steel case.
Despite all the high-tech case materials and sophisticated movement inside, I found the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Carbone Forgé to really stand out because of the design’s fantastic proportions, the selection and combination of materials, and the overall impression it makes when seen live. Such complex and modern designs are certainly not for everyone – that is a given – but for those who like contemporary, rugged, and masculine watches, the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Carbone Forgé has a lot to offer. The attention to detail, mixture of forged carbon, titanium, ceramic, and rubber, and the fact that even upon closer inspection, no corners appear to have been cut anywhere, all come at a price, and in this “carbone forgé” instance that is $23,000. Steep, but not unusual for flagship products, something the Bell & Ross BR-X1 Carbone Forgé undoubtedly is. bellross.com