Swiss watch manufacturer Bell & Ross pays tribute to air radionavigation instruments with their latest release, the Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass watch. Limited to 999 pieces, the design reproduces the display of the eponymous tool with a trio of brightly coloured hands for the hours, minutes and seconds.
Since 1994, Bell & Ross have engineered aeronautical and military instruments for those brave enough to explore our skies. Their incredible collections of luxury watches often take inspiration from the aviation field whether it’s from the flight jackets worn by aeronautical personnel, drop tanks or the dashboard counters found within the cockpit. Bringing to life much of the latter is the Bell & Ross Flight Instruments collection which was first released in 2010, starting with the famous Bell & Ross BR 01 Radar watch characterised by its rotating disc display. Other designs in the series include the BR 03 92 Red Radar and the BR 03 92 HUD. Joining these models, and likely to become another best-selling piece, is the new Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass Limited Edition which this time draws its inspiration from air radionavigation instruments.
The Dial
Found within a select few plane cockpits, the Radio Compass is an on-board radio receiver which identifies the position and direction of an aircraft via beacons on the ground. It can be a life-saving tool for navigation, especially in low visibility like the dark, fog or rain. In honour of the device, Bell & Ross have launched the Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass watch which beautifully reinterprets the hands and graduations for equal readability in any circumstance. The cockpit-based tool uses graphic hands to display positioning and in the same way, Bell & Ross opt for bold orange, yellow and green hands to show the time.
At first glance, the Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass Limited Edition appears to have a total of five central hands, but in fact the display tells the standard hours, minutes and seconds. The largest hand, painted in orange and set with a H, is for the hours. Despite its two branches, the hand points to the hour with the arrow end. Similarly, the minute hand protrudes on both sides, this time painted in yellow and adorned with an M. Lastly, a regular styled seconds hand adds another pop of colour in green. The trio of colours are easily discernible against the matte black dial in the light, and then in the dark, the minutes hand stands out in green lume while the hour hand glows yellow.
Another cool novelty of the Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass watch is the numerals. While traditional watches position the numerals towards the wearer, for this limited edition the numbers are angled towards the centre just like that of the navigation instrument. The typeface chosen is also familiar to the aviation industry and thanks to Superluminova inserts, they emit a blue hue at night. The dial also features a matching black flange for the seconds numerals and a date window between the 4 and 5 o’clock position.
Additional Features
The rest of the Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass Limited Edition is in keeping with previous BR 03 models offering a durable and technical-looking square-shaped case. This time, the case is engineered from matte black ceramic and sits on the wrist at 42mm in diameter and 10.4mm in height. We’re also welcomed to a 100 metre water resistant rating, sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective treatment and a screw down case back.
Hidden behind the case back of the Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass watch is the well-known BR-CAL.302 automatic winding movement which takes its base from the Sellita SW300-1. Alongside 25 jewels, we’re promised a standard 38 hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. Lastly, the limited edition of 999 pieces comes equipped with a black rubber strap alongside an ultra-resilient black synthetic strap option. Closing the straps is a classic pin buckle engineered from stainless steel and coated in black PVD to blend in with the black ceramic case.
If you’d like to learn more about the new Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Radiocompass watch and shop the model for yourself, head over to the Jura Watches website here. Alternatively, get in touch with the team by calling 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
