Horologii

Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White Watch Review

The legendary “circle-within-a-square” watch manufacturer returns to its urban-inspired BR 05 collection to bring us a second GMT instrument. This time, the red second time zone hand is placed upon a crisp white dial dressed in matching white numerals and hands. Here’s everything you need to know about the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch…

With the launch of the Bell & Ross BR 05 watch collection in 2019, the Swiss watch manufacturer stepped into the popular genre of luxury sports watches with integrated lugs and bracelets. The collection began as a simple series of time and date models before eventually expanding to include a selection of chronographs and some limited edition skeletonised pieces. Then last year, Bell & Ross greeted us to one of the most exciting BR 05 additions yet, the BR 05 GMT Black watch. Adding a second time zone complication to the BR 05 made perfect sense, not only because the style of the watch was already inclined to the wrists of globetrotters but Bell & Ross are no strangers to the complication, having added it to series like the BR 03 and BR V2. Now offering us a second choice of dial colour is the Bell & Ross BR 5 GMT White watch.

“The GMT is a common complication in watchmaking. It is one of the most useful functions that provide real practical information. It allows the display of the time of two time zones. In this sense, it fulfils the needs of air travellers”, recalls Bruno Belamich, Artistic Director of Bell & Ross. “It gives them the advantage of having the time of their places of departure and arrival simultaneously.”

Starting off with its novelty, the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch boasts a stunning new white opaline dial set with the large arrow-tipped, red-coloured GMT hand at the centre. The second time zone function works just like a normal hour hand, traversing the circumference in 24 hours and marking its position using the 24-hour scale printed on the silver flange ring. The latter is painted in two different colours, a lighter shade of grey between 6am and 6pm for the daytime and a darker grey between 6pm and 6am for night-time. The dial of the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch maintains the large Arabic numerals, baton indexes and baton hour and minute hands, all of which come coated in Superluminova.

“After testing quite a few different shades, we chose the most precious white”, Bruno Belamich, Artistic Director of Bell & Ross adds. “The choice fell on a metallic white, galvanised with a particular texture. This type of white is more valuable than painted whites. The tint has silver reflections, very slightly pearly. Its matt finish is both subtle and sophisticated”.

For the rest of the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch, you’ll find all the same specs as those seen on the BR 05 GMT Black from last year. The satin-finished and polished stainless steel case measures to 41mm in diameter and 11.07mm height with a screw down crown with crown guards, sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating and the statement four screw bezel. Turning the watch around reveals a sapphire crystal case back for admiring the automatic winding movement within. The Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch is completed by an integrated satin-finished and polished stainless steel bracelet closed by a folding buckle or you can elect a sporty black rubber strap adorned with horizontal grooving and a matching folding clasp.

The beating heart within the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch is also the same BR-CAL.325 automatic winding calibre. It supplies the timepiece with a 42-hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour. As for the finishing, things are kept pretty basic other than the oscillating rotor which is beautifully skeletonised with an intricate lattice decoration. The Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch is a permanent piece within the BR 05 collection and retails at £4,200 on the rubber strap and £4,700 on the bracelet.

If you’d like to learn more about the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT White watch and shop the design 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 sales@cwsellors.com.

Specifications:

  • Case Size: 41mm
  • Case Material: Stainless steel
  • Bezel: Fixed
  • Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
  • Crown: Screw down
  • Case Back: Exhibition
  • Water Resistance: 100 metres
  • Movement: BR-CAL.325 automatic
  • Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, GMT, date
  • Power Reserve: 42 hours
  • Jewels: 25
  • Frequency: 28,800vph
  • Dial: White opaline with Superluminova hands, numerals and indexes. Inner flange with two-toned 24 hour scale, red GMT hand
  • Strap: Integrated steel bracelet or black rubber
  • RRP: £4,200 (Rubber), £4,700 (Bracelet)