The Bell & Ross BR-X5 Racing illustrates an approach to watchmaking where technique and function have more than ever dictated the aesthetics.
The Spirit and Sensations of Motorsport
If a watch inspired by the world of motorsports aims to combine performance, robustness, readability, and lightness, it is through its design that it truly reaches the hearts of speed enthusiasts. Thanks to its eight years of experience in motor sport, Bell & Ross’s expertise in high-end watchmaking has enabled the creation of an unprecedented pilot’s watch that breathes the oxygen of competition. This new BR-X5 Racing, with a particularly powerful design faithful to the BR-X5 collection’s specificities, owes its strength and lightness to the use of high-tech materials, and its precision to an in-house automatic movement.
A Design Inspired by Motorsport
The dial’s design naturally draws inspiration from racing car dashboards. The central seconds hand features a “checkerboard” type graduation precise to a quarter of a second. Minutes are displayed on the inner bezel, outside the dial, while hours appear inside, inscribed on the dial’s glass. The numeral typography follows the codes of the Maison’s sports watches. For optimal readability, even in darkness, the hour numerals and the hour and minute hands are coated with white Super-LumiNova® X1 luminescent material with green emission. The tip of the seconds hand has a touch of red, enhancing readability and further accentuating the watch’s dynamic character.
High-Tech Materials Serving Functionality
In motor racing, as in any other motorsport category, weight is the enemy. However, the pursuit of lightness must preserve the rigidity and robustness of the vehicles. That’s why constructors use materials at the pinnacle of technology, often borrowed from the aeronautics or aerospace fields. To bestow its new BR-X5 Racing with all the necessary qualities in terms of both sturdiness and wearing comfort, Bell & Ross opted for a high-tech case, combining carbon and titanium, while the design and concept principles serve functionality. Seen from the side, the multi-component case architecture favors simplicity and radicality, lightness, and resistance.
Four micro-blasted titanium screws cross the case, securing the “sandwich” construction. Two grade 2 micro-blasted titanium plates encase a black PVD titanium monobloc container housing the movement and integrating the crown shoulders. On the watch’s top, the square-shaped bezel consists of two parts, with a woven carbon plate integrated into a titanium body. The strap, in either titanium or rubber, is attached to two independent plates from the case, with links offering perfect ergonomics.
A Certified Chronometer In-House Automatic Movement
Protected by a 41mm case, the in-house automatic movement guaranteed for five years offers precision and reliability to this timepiece. For visual delight, the BR-CAL.323 caliber, certified chronometer by COSC, is visible through a tinted glass in the center of the dial and at the back of the case thanks to a transparent sapphire crystal. The date, displayed prominently through a large window marks the identity of the in-house mechanism, as does the power reserve indicator (70 hours). The latter has been specially designed to enhance the sporty style of the BR-X5 Racing, its hexagonal shape subtly reference the design of the case.
The power reserve of this limited edition of 500 pieces also evokes the automotive world: like a fuel gauge with an “E” for “Empty” and an “F” for “Full,” it indicates the remaining power reserve (from 0 to 3 days).
The BR-X5 Racing illustrates an approach to watchmaking where technique and function have more than ever dictated the aesthetics. Inspired by the motor sport universe, particularly in the choice of materials and lines, Bell & Ross has instilled a spirit of competition essential for the most daring challenges in this new timepiece from the X5 line.
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