French luxury watch manufacturer Bell & Ross has unveiled extraordinary new timepieces, showcasing bold innovation, modern aesthetics and exceptional materials, at Watches and Wonders Geneva 2025.
The BR-03 Skeleton
A concept watch with a powerful design and subtle details, the new BR-03 Skeleton comes in three complementary versions, showcasing Bell & Ross’ expertise in skeletonisation and luminescence.
Available in Black Ceramic, Lum Ceramic, or Grey Steel, the BR-03 Skeleton features a new, specially developed movement, produced exclusively for Bell & Ross. With a 41 mm case, these timepieces reveal their skeletonised movement through smoked or translucent sapphire crystal, offering a breathtaking view of the watch’s intricate mechanics.
Three Powerful Interpretations
The three versions of the new BR-03 Skeleton, introduced simultaneously by Bell & Ross, go beyond a mere design exercise or dial animation. This watchmaking trilogy explores three complementary creative directions with the first focused on transparency, the second transforming the professional watch into a bold jewel, and the third emphasising luminescence. The three variations showcase Bell & Ross’ skill in material craftsmanship and creative watch design.
BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic: An aeronautical DNA
The BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic brings together the concepts of skeletonisation and transparency. The dial and movement form a cohesive whole.
Heavily inspired by the technical purity and functionality of aviation, this iconic Bell & Ross model – a flagship in the black ceramic version—has been reinvented with skeletonisation, a hallmark of modern fine watchmaking.
Black, a colour deeply familiar to aviation and aerospace enthusiasts due to its presence in cockpit instruments and stealth aircraft fuselages, is also closely linked to the world of design. The 41mm black ceramic case of the BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic acts as a modernist frame for a contemporary masterpiece.
Constructed from smoked sapphire crystal, the dial features applied black baignoire style applique indexes filled with green-emitting white Super-LumiNova (SLN), fully revealing the X-shaped skeletonised movement.
Legibility remains a priority for Bell & Ross, a brand known for designing professional instruments. This is ensured through instrument-style hands: the hour and minute hands are skeletonised and filled with green emitting white SLN, while the seconds hand is black with a white tip for enhanced visibility. For technical and aesthetic consistency, the Black Ceramic version comes with a black rubber strap secured by a micro-blasted black PVD-coated steel pin buckle, as well as an additional aviation-inspired black Velcro strap.
BR-03 Skeleton Grey Steel: A Metallic and Mechanical Jewel
With the steel version of the BR-03 Skeleton, Bell & Ross envisions a sports watch transforming into a contemporary jewel. This instrument reveals its inherent sophistication by exposing the automatic skeletonised BR CAL.328 movement through its open-worked dial. The dial and movement form a cohesive whole.
“The BR-03 Skeleton Grey Steel is a high-tech jewel,” said Bruno Belamich, Creative Director and co-founder of Bell & Ross.
“This horological machine is presented as a sculpture in steel. It proudly displays its precious and sophisticated nature, as evidenced by numerous details: the polished and satin-finished case, the faceted indexes – everything is designed to capture and reflect light. The reflections have been carefully studied.
“The finely cut patterns on the open-worked dial are faceted and treated with ruthenium for extra brilliance. The faceting of the skeletonised dial also echoes that of a stealth aircraft, the ultimate reference in uncompromising avant-garde design. Entirely metallic, this watch is both a horological sculpture and a brutalist machine with a disruptive design.”
This more luxurious version of the BR-03 Skeleton is limited to 250 pieces. It also comes with two interchangeable straps: a black rubber strap with a polished and satin-finished steel pin buckle and a black Velcro strap.
BR-03 Skeleton Lum Ceramic: The Surprises of Luminescence
Even bolder, the BR-03 Skeleton Lum Ceramic embraces a dual identity and conveys a strong visual narrative. A sophisticated futuristic watch by day with its black ceramic case, it transforms into an extraordinary horological piece at night, revealing its luminescent properties.
In many ways, it could belong in a sci-fi film. Green luminescence, a key readability feature, is also one of Bell & Ross’ signature design elements. This visual design hallmark has been pushed to the extreme, giving birth to the most daring and futuristic of the three BR-03 Skeleton models.
For this, the open-worked black dial is highlighted with luminescent SLN C3 on its edges and placed on a translucent smoked plate that tints the movement.
“The neon-like photoluminescent effect allows us to X-ray the skeletonisation, giving it a modernised aesthetic dimension,” Bruno explained.
“The skeletonised dial is cut following the contours of the movement’s bridges, exposing blackened gears through the tinted sapphire crystal. A green Super-LumiNova outline traces the cutouts, reminiscent of the illuminated grille of a car.
“Here, luminescent material is used not just for optimal readability – something we usually focus on for professional watches – but as a decorative and horological finishing element.”
This highly exclusive watch is limited to just 250 pieces, available only at Bell & Ross boutiques and via the official website. Like the other versions, it comes with two interchangeable straps: with a black rubber strap secured by a micro-blasted black PVD-coated steel pin buckle and a black Velcro strap.
Reinvented: The BR-05 36mm
The iconic BR-05 is reinvented with a 36mm diameter, appealing to both men and women who appreciate elegant timepieces. This new, more compact and refined version retains the brand’s urban DNA while ensuring optimal comfort with its 8.5mm-thick case. Its sleek dial and luminescent hands, combined with an automatic movement offering a 54-hour power reserve, make it a timepiece that is both functional and stylish, perfectly suited to any style.
A Matter of Size
Bell & Ross instrument watches are renowned for their precision. By redesigning the BR-05 with a more compact 36mm case, and a significant thinness of 8.5mm, the independent watchmaker has taken on a different kind of precision challenge.
“Every millimetre counts, every millimetre is noticeable,” said Bruno.
Is it new? Absolutely. To offer a smaller version of the BR-05, every element of this sophisticatedly constructed watch had to be redesigned and resized. The BR-05 line features a complex assembly, with an upper section attached to the case and sealed hermetically by four distinctive screws. Designing a smaller case in 36mm required a complete rethinking of the watch to ensure that the BR-05 36mm would be neither entirely different nor entirely the same as its larger siblings – a true mark of distinction.
A Matter of Choice
Why revisit the proportions of the BR-05 now, when the line is already well-established in Bell & Ross’s collections? To respond to new aspirations.
“First and foremost, it’s important to note that the BR-05 collection has offered various dimensions for several years,” Bruno explained.
“Launched in 40mm in 2019, the watch has always evolved, adopting larger sizes for complications: 41mm for GMTs and 42mm for chronographs. Design isn’t just about ideas; it’s about choices. Today, we are clearly choosing to rethink this line to bring it into another dimension.
“The BR-05’s personality, which we aim to make urban-friendly, versatile, and elegant, is designed to meet the expectations of everyday sport-chic watch users. We have reworked its proportion on the wrist, so the bracelet fits more closely to any wearer’s morphology. Another key motivation was to make this collection more accessible to women.”
A Matter of Personality
Legibility of the dial is a constant priority for Bell & Ross’s development teams. The same attention to detail has inspired the design of the dials of the new BR-05 36mm. Refined hands, bold numerals, and applied, highly visible indexes filled with white luminescent SLN enhance the collection’s cohesive identity.
With colours ranging from black to grey, including ice blue and mother-of-pearl, the lacquered sunray-finished dials give the same watch a variety of distinct personalities. After all, the dial is the face of the watch.
This character extends to the finishes of the angular case. Satin-brushed surfaces are perfectly flat, and polished bevels highlight and enhance the overlapping volumes. This polished-satin interplay also features on the steel bracelet, whose remarkable suppleness ensures it adapts comfortably to all wrist types.
A Matter of Function
To fulfil its purpose, the BR-05 36mm focuses on essentials: the precise and readable display of hours, minutes, and seconds. These three carefully designed hands contribute to a clear vision of what a daily watch should be.
The hour and minute hands, skeletonised and filled with white SLN, are polished and rhodium-plated. The seconds hand, also rhodium-plated, adds a subtle contrast. A new movement powers the BR-05 36mm: a mechanical self-winding calibre with a 54-hour power reserve. This reliable movement allows the BR-05 36 mm to remain relatively slim.
“We designed the BR-05 36mm as a dual iteration of the BR-05,” said Bruno.
“It’s not just a focus on the core functions of a watch but also an evolution in proportions, all while staying true to our guiding principles of reliability, precision, and comfort.”
A Matter of Times
One of the pillars of Bell & Ross’s collections, the BR-05 line, launched in 2019, offers a contemporary vision of the urban watch. Both elegant and sporty, it fits seamlessly into all aspects of modern life. The new BR-05 36mm, designed as a gender-neutral piece, embraces inclusivity by offering models that appeal equally to women and men. Staying true to its core principles, Bell & Ross reinterprets its iconic ‘round within a square’ design, directly inspired by the functionalism of aviation instruments, in a smaller version of the BR-05.