The August issue of “ENGINE” features watches with the theme of “This is one of our recommendations in 2023!” The editorial department formed the Engine Watch Committee with trusted watch journalists and connoisseurs, returned to their origins as watch lovers, and shared their passion for the best watches of 2023.
This time, Bell & Ross introduces the BR 05 GMT SKY BLUE, a new BR series with its roots in aviation instruments.
A watch for travel
Tetsuo Shinoda (Watch Journalist)
When I couldn’t travel abroad, it was the live camera footage from around the world that soothed my heart. I was touring cities I had visited and cities I wanted to visit in the future, but my favorite was the sunset broadcast in Hawaii. When the time came, I would take a break from my hands even while I was at work and fall in love with it for a while. The GMT watch has a similar effect. If you adjust one GMT hand to the time zone of your choice, you can connect to a distant foreign country with just that needle. With its roots in aeronautical instruments, the BR series goes well with travel watches, and the BR 05 GMT dial resembles the blue sky seen from an airplane. The GMT mechanism is not only convenient. It allows your heart to travel anytime, anywhere.
Presence visible from a distance
Keiko Honma (Jewelry & Watch Journalist)
A long time ago, the status of this watch house exploded in me the moment I witnessed Karl Lagerfeld in the vantage of Colette in Paris with several bodyguards in his arms, rummaging through the watch department and picking up a Belle & Ross. I later learned that Chanel and Bell & Ross had a capital alliance. Even if you look at it from a distance, you can immediately recognize it as a Bell & Ross watch, which means wearing this model. It’s nothing more than a manifesto that says, “I’m interested in luxury watches, and I love fashion.” Since this is GMT, “Actually, it is international” is added to it. It is a talking clock.
Makes you want to travel tomorrow
Shigeru Sugawara (Watch Journalist)
As expected! I always make exclamation points. Above all, the taste is excellent and I admire the skillfully calculated design. The new travel watch combines an urban design with an integrated case and bracelet with GMT functionality, this time with a refreshing sky blue tint. The Japan limited edition model with the same design but amber dial was also good, but the new sky blue brought the watch’s travel theme even closer. When you see it, you want to wear it and go on an air trip, and you can fantasize about yourself as a traveler – isn’t it fun? It is a watch that seems to have seen through the travel spirit revived after corona, but I wonder if Bell & Ross is also the secret to seeing through people’s psychology and swaying their feelings.
Bell & Ross/
BR 05 GMT SKY BLUE
With a stylish square bezel with rounded corners that complements the round dial, the BR 05 is Bell&Ross’ signature piece of elegant and luxurious city watches. In the latest version, the dial with the GMT function that can display the second time zone is beautifully colored in a shiny sky blue, further enhancing its appeal as a travel watch. Self-winding. Stainless steel, case length 41× width 41mm, water resistance to 100m. JPY 715,000.
Inquiries = Bell & Ross Ginza Boutique Tel.03-6264-3989
Photo = Shoichi Kondo
(ENGINE, August 2023)
