Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Grey Lum Hands-on Review

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Today, the French brand released a new timepiece from the LUM instruments series – the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Grey Lum. I was one of the lucky people to get early access to the new watch. So instead of only publishing the press release, I will be presenting you the watch in a full hands-on review. And if you are asking, yes, I have spent some good time with the new Lum on the wrist.

Review Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Grey Lum

BR 03-92 Grey Lum is the fourth piece in the LUM series. First launched in 2017, as BR 03-92 HOROLUM, the watches presented exceptional low light capabilities. The second model, the BR 03-92 NIGHTLUM offers the well-known Bell & Ross aviation instruments style. Last year, the brand launched the BR 03-92 FULL LUM – an extremely bright version where the dial itself is full Super-LumiNova® C3 decorated and the numbers and hands are black. A real spectacle, especially taking into consideration the luminescent green rubber strap.

This year, Bell & Ross adopts a more classic approach. The BR 03-92 Grey Lum comes with with micro-blasted steel case, anthracite grey colour and sunray pattern on the dial and the recognisable style.

Quadratisch, praktisch, gut

The “Square, practical, good” is the commercial for the Ritter Sport chocolate. But it fits perfectly for the Bell & Ross square watches.

BR 03-92 Grey Lum evokes the look of the aeronautical and aviation instrument panels. The signature round bezel, “circle in a square”, is inspired by the cockpit clocks and instruments.

The 42mm steel case is decorated with a nice brushing obtain by a process of micro-blasting. The case and the bezel present a polished straight chamfering (acting like a mirror for all the surroundings).

The crown follows strictly the brand’s DNA: good grip, even with gloves, Bell & Ross logo decoration.

The watch has straight, inward bent lugs, familiar from the BR 03 family. The brand decided for a grey-green calfskin strap. Soft and comfortable but durable due to its ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric insert.

The BR 03-92 Grey Lum is fitted with a closed stainless steel case back. This one bears all the information: reference number, water-resistance and so on.

Day and night visible

The most important characteristic of the new Lum is the exceptional legibility in any given light. I could not test the lume brightness as Bell & Ross did but I did not have a problem whatsoever with the time reading regardless of a sunny day or dark environment. Even more, the low light view got the interest from some surrounding people.

I love the dial. The grey sunray pattern looks great in heavy light. The large numerals make a good contrast with the metallic background. The bold lettering offers great legibility.

The date window, a small round aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock, is surprisingly easy to read. The midnight change is instantaneous. The date behaviour can be easily observed in the hands-on video from the beginning of the article.

Mechanical automatic

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Grey Lum is powered by the calibre BR-CAL.302. The Swiss automatic movement is based most probable (not confirmed by Bell & Ross) on the Sellita SW300-1. The movement is modified by the brand.

Other than the cosmetic modifications, I am not aware of the exact changes the French brand brings to the base calibre. The movement has a 28.800 vph heart and a power reserve of approx. 40 hours.

Final notes

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Grey Lum reminded me once again why I like Bell & Ross and what caught my attention years ago when I first get acquainted with the brand. First of all, the today reviewed piece has the signature quadratic case with big numerals. The unpretending simplicity hides modern manufacturing techniques and years of experience (research and development).

The watch feels great on the wrist. So great that I had to split my wrist time with Diana (my wife). The great legibility and the grey theme catch her attention. Bold but not too intrusive. Large but not uncomfortable. It has an easy way of setting and winding, completely effortless. I can understand perfectly why ladies collector tend to add Bell & Ross to the wish list or on the daily wear list.

And if you are asking how cool the Super-LumiNova® C3 is on the dial of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Grey Lum I will just tell you this: I was at the Imax 3D last Sunday. I was waiting to start the Hubble documentary and it was relative dark (not pitch black) and I had a quick look to see if it is late. Besides the bright numerals and hands, the guy behind me leaned over and I could hear: “Oh! Woah”.