Haute Horlogerie & Formule 1: Since it was founded, Bell & Ross has been passionate about the world of aviation. Over the years, the watch brand has become a leading benchmark in the instrument watch field. Constantly seeking for new universes to explore, the brand made its first foray onto the tracks in 2016 becoming an official partner of the Formula 1®, Renault F1® Team. The R.S. family of watches is inspired by yellow and black single-seaters. The brand has just released its fifth collection.
Used to the tarmac, Bell & Ross has been providing drivers with the time since 1994. The watches created by the watch brand are inspired by instrument panels found on aircraft. To ensure the brand renews itself, Bruno Belamich, Bell & Ross’s co-founder and creative director, is keen to explore different worlds.
The watch brand has partnered with the Renault F1® Team since 2016 and has been studying the world of Formula 1® ever since. This partnership solidifies the coming together of two French brands, united by their shared values of high performance and high tech. The fifth collection of R.S. watches has just been released and has the “Formula 1® of the future” theme.
It is composed of four sports chronographs including an exceptional Haute Horlogerie tourbillon.
Know-how, the extreme as the driving force
It has been five years since the managers of the F1® Team contacted Bell & Ross. The watch brand jumped at the opportunity. A partnership was launched. This union lead to the yearly creation of a watch collection, with the search for the extreme serving as the driving force. Since 2016, four R.S. series inspired by this world have been created.
These families are characterised by their integrity and synergy. Bell & Ross is not satisfied by simply putting their partner’s logo on their dial. The brand goes further. These watches adopt the latest technological advances and state-of-the-art materials used in the world of racing.
“These R.S. models showcase our expertise, our DNA and are in harmony with the design scope of our partner, the Renault F1® Team”, explains Bruno Belamich, Bell & Ross’s Creative Director.
Tools for pilots
At the heart of these collections, it is the chronograph that prevails. This complication measures short times and therefore the performance of racing cars.
This sports feature is taken directly from the world of Formula 1®. It completes a driver’s kit and responds to their needs.
“It seemed obvious to create a watch that drivers in the Renault F1® Team would find useful”, states Bruno Belamich. “Historically, the chronograph has been linked to motorsports”.
The R.S.20 Collection: 4 high-tech chronographs
For watchmaking enthusiasts, Bell & Ross is a leading brand in regards to design. To create the R.S.20 collection, the design studio started by researching the “topic” to give form to their inspiration.
This year, the collection drew its inspiration from different sources. These included the F1® car for the Renault 2020 team and the R.S.2027 concept car. The result is an outstandingly futuristic collection anchored in the present. Classic avant-garde watches.
The spirit of these watches is much more focussed on design and graphics than before. They maintain the brand’s main themes: Style, legibility, functionality. All are given a futuristic feel. They are thrust into an innovative, efficient and stripped-down world. Whilst the lines of these timepieces are purer, their mechanical elements connect them to watchmaking tradition.
Bell & Ross BR V3-94 R.S.20
This is B&R’s round “tool watch”. This chronograph is designed in a limited edition of 999 pieces. Its large case is made from steel. It is equipped with a bidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute scale which can be used to measure short periods of time.
The dial houses the 12 numerals present on the dials of sports watches. The typography is the same as the one used by the Renault F1® Team. The minute track is split into small black and white chequered squares which symbolise the finish line flag used in motor racing. The yellow hands display the different functions of the chronograph.
The back of this model is engraved with “Formula 1® Renault R.S.20”.
Bell & Ross BR 03-94 R.S.20
This is the brand’s most iconic square watch. This chronograph, produced in a limited edition of 999 pieces, features a matt black ceramic scratchproof case.
All information provided by the chronograph function is shown in yellow. The flange houses the tachymeter, divided into two zones, each with its own colour. The chronograph minute track sits on a rhodium-plated brass ring, for optimal legibility.
Bell & Ross BR-x1 R.S.20
This model features the brand’s iconic “circle within a square” case. This highly worked skeletonised chronograph is available as a limited edition of 250 pieces. It is an extremely sophisticated experimental version of the BR 03-94.
Its case is made from a multi-material structure: PVD-coated titanium, ceramic and rubber. These materials are used in sports watchmaking, as well as in aeronautics and Formula 1®.
The two-material rocker pushers are reminiscent of the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. A PVD-coated steel ring turns around the bezel. The open-worked dial reveals a highly sophisticated skeletonised mechanism and its gears.
Bell & Ross BR-X1 Tourbillon R.S.20
Produced in a limited edition of just 20 pieces, it is the Haute Horlogerie offering within the range. A marvel of sophistication and subtlety.
Its case is cut from titanium, a lightweight and resistant material used in Formula 1®. Protected by ceramic elements, a high-density rubber insert improves handling. The fixed bezel houses the minute track, and the rotating ring features a “stop-start” indication.
Its large calibre is regulated by a flying tourbillon with a variable inertia balance. The barrel spring, with manual winding, provides it with a power reserve of 100 hours (hand indicator). The chronograph function, clearly visible on the dial side, is driven by a mono-pusher that activates a column wheel and the watch also features a 30-minute instantaneous counter.
Bell & Ross & Renault F1® Team
This partnership with the Renault F1® Team has been effective for five years. It is a source of stimulation for the design and technical teams at Bell & Ross.
The four new sports chronographs from the BR R.S.20 series, including the Haute Horlogerie tourbillon, are inspired by this extreme, high-tech world. The watches integrate the best of Formula 1®: Technical performance and materials that are both lightweight and resistant.
This series is also purer in its design. The simplest lines that make up these timepieces go back to basics. Ultimately, these instrument watches, with their sporty character, have achieved a quintessentially elegant form.
Bell & Ross R.S.20 Collection technical Specifications
Bell & Ross BR V3-94 R.S.20 REF. BRV394-RS20
Movement:
- calibre BR-CAL.301.
- Automatic mechanical.
Functions:
- hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock and date.
- Chronograph: 30-minute timer at 9 o’clock, central chronograph seconds.
- Tachymeter scale on the flange.
Case:
- 43 mm in diameter.
- Satin-polished steel.
- Bi-directional rotating steel bezel with anodised black aluminium ring with a countdown timer.
- Screw-down crown.
- Sapphire case-back.
Dial:
- matt black.
- Applique Super-LumiNova®-filled numerals.
- Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Crystal:
- curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Water-resistance:
- 100 metres.
Strap:
- black-yellow carbon-effect calfskin or satin-polished steel.
Buckle:
- folding.
- Satin-polished steel.
Bell & Ross BR 03-94 R.S.20 REF. BR0394-RS20/SRB
Movement:
- calibre BR-CAL.301.
- Automatic mechanical.
Functions:
- hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock and date.
- Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, central chronograph seconds.
- Tachymeter scale on the flange.
Case:
- 42 mm in width.
- Matt black ceramic.
Dial:
- matt black.
- Applique Super-LumiNova®-filled numerals.
- Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Crystal:
- sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Water-resistance:
- 100 metres.
Straps:
- perforated black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.
Buckle:
- pin.
- Black microblasted steel.
Bell & Ross BR-x1 R.S.20 REF. BRX1-RS20/SRB
Movement:
- calibre BR-CAL.313.
- Automatic mechanical.
- ‘X’-shaped upper bridge.
- 56 jewels,
- 28,800 vph.
- Skeleton chronograph.
Functions:
- hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock.
- Skeletonised date at 6 o’clock.
- Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, central seconds.
- Tachymeter scale on the flange.
Case:
- 45 mm in width.
- Satin-polished titanium and ceramic with rubber inserts.
- Bi-directional rotating PVD bezel ring with time marker.
- Rocker push-buttons.
- Case-back with an opening in tinted sapphire crystal, centred on the balance wheel.
Dial:
- skeleton.
- Applique Super-LumiNova®-filled numerals.
- Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Crystal:
- sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Water-resistance:
- 100 metres.
Strap:
- perforated black rubber.
Buckle:
- pin.
- Steel with black rubber over-moulding.
Bell & Ross BR-X1 Tourbillon R.S.20 REF. BRX1-CHTB-RS20/SRB
Movement:
- calibre BR-CAL.283.
- Hand-wound flying tourbillon.
- Mono-pusher column wheel chronograph.
- 282 components,
- 35 jewels,
- 21,600 vph.
- 4-day power reserve.
Functions:
- hours and minutes.
- Chronograph: instant jump 30-minute counter at 11 o’clock, 60-second counter at 1 o’clock.
- Power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock.
- Flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock.
Case:
- 45 mm in width.
- Satin-polished titanium and matt ceramic with rubber insert.
- Bi-directional rotating PVD bezel ring with time marker.
- Rocker mono-pusher.
- Sapphire case back with antireflective coating.
Dial:
- skeleton.
- Metal applique Super-LumiNova®-filled indices.
- Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Crystal:
- sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Water-resistance:
- 100 metres.
Strap:
- perforated black rubber.
Buckle:
- pin.
- Steel with black rubber over-moulding.
