Bell & Ross BR 05 Chrono Grey Steel & Gold automatic ruthenium dial steel bracelet 42 mm

An urban instrument

A marriage of performance and elegance, the combination of gold and steel never ceases to seduce lovers of sophisticated timepieces. With its new BR 05 Chrono Grey Steel & Gold, bringing together ruthenium and rose gold, Bell & Ross offers a watchmaking jewel.
Launched in 2019 and true to the Maison's codes of legibility, functionality, reliability and precision, the BR 05 collection is resolutely urban in style and wear. The lines of its case combine the round and the square, fundamental geometric figures that sign the identity of the Bell & Ross brand. The construction of the BR 05 goes beyond the rigor of the square, transcending the perfection of the circle to define its own shape and singular character. Assertive in style and strong on the wrist, it catalyses the energy of the city, its rhythm, its richness. The BR 05 Chrono: the time-measuring instrument for urban life.

A two-material timepiece

Popular in the 70s, particularly in the USA, bi-material watches, combining gold and steel including for their metal bracelet, contributed to the lasting rise of sport-chic style. For Bell & Ross, the choice to offer its BR 05 urban sports watch in this way was a natural and obvious one. It's not the first time this line has featured a bi-material model. Collectors will remember the "BR 05 Chrono Edición Limitada" model, associated with the world of cigars, with its gold and steel case and bracelet, and its havana-colored dial, offered in 2022.

Guided by a strong stylistic identity, Bell & Ross has always wished to define its own style. The new BR 05 Grey Steel & Gold chrono perfectly assumes this singularity by combining several materials and colors. The 42 mm case, water-resistant to 100 m, is made of steel, with satin and polished finishes to highlight the architecture of its lines. The bezel, and the central links of the integrated bracelet, are in 18-carat pink gold. The graphic effect is reinforced by the galvanized dial in sunray grey ruthenium, with a counter at three o'clock indicating the chronograph minutes and another at nine o'clock displaying the small seconds. The date is displayed in a window between 4 and 5 o'clock.

White hands and hour markers, trimmed with luminescent material, further enhance the contrasts and play of light, while ensuring perfect legibility of the hour, minute, seconds, date and chronograph functions. The counter towers and the 12 and 6 markings in the Bell & Ross specific typography, affixed to the dial, are gilded.

Note that the winding crown shoulder and chronograph pushers are homogeneous and integrated into the case for added elegance. Abandoning the superfluous, the BR 05 Chrono goes straight to the essentials.

The power of design

The BR 05 Chrono Grey Steel & Gold adopts a highly contemporary watchmaking form: the integration of the steel bracelet with the case. "The case and bracelet are one. This type of design refers to a type of watch that appeared in the 1970s. Its transposition into the Bell & Ross identity achieves a result that is at once obvious, modern and graphic," emphasizes Bruno Belamich, Creative Director of Bell & Ross, evoking this watch designed to be versatile and legible.

The rose gold-steel bracelet merges with the case to form a coherent whole. It can be replaced by a black rubber strap that metamorphoses the watch and brings it even more sportiness.

The flexibility of a contemporary chronograph

At the heart of the BR 05 family, the new Grey Steel & Gold joins the chronograph range and embarks the BR-CAL.326 self-winding mechanical movement. Developed on a tried-and-tested basis, but reworked by Bell & Ross watchmakers, this robust caliber is highly reliable and efficient in all the circumstances of modern life. Oscillating at 28,800 movements per hour, it offers a 60-hour power reserve, a guarantee of stability and precision. Its rotor, visible through the glass caseback, is a finely skeletonized complete disc: a signature characteristic of Bell & Ross automatic movements.

Refined and sophisticated yet highly contemporary, this urban chronograph exudes exceptional graphic power.