Mario Canonizado 
Combining practicality and the desire to show off their watchmaking expertise, the craftsmen at Bell & Ross have introduced yet another addition to their iconic BR03 lineup.
Watch types are fairly cut-and-dried. You’ve got dive watches, with their mighty water resistance rating and robust frame; Dress watches, with an elegant flair and minimalist aesthetics; and sport watches, which are a bit of a mix of both. Point being, you can usually tell the difference between these three just by identifying a few key characteristics.
The pilot’s watch, on the other hand, is a little different. The pilot’s watch bears neither the elegant minimalism of the dress watch nor the same robustness as a diver, but instead focuses on two things: heritage and legibility. More often than not, pilot’s watches struggle to stand out from one another, with their aesthetics are so deeply rooted within tradition. Even one slight bend in the rules could be the difference between being a certified pilot’s watch or just another confused sports piece.
This is an issue that Parisian brand Bell & Ross is all too familiar with. However, Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo still sought to make their brand as distinguishable as possible whilst still creating timepieces dedicated to the pilot. So, what do they do? They take it literally — designing and producing timepieces that look as if they were ripped straight out of an aircraft console. Even better is that it worked, with Bell & Ross carving out a unique and relatively uncontested spot for themselves in the marketplace. Initially debuting in 2006, the BR-03 collection became the embodiment of this singular design philosophy, with its recognisable yet surprisingly wearable silhouette compared to earlier models from the brand.
For Watches and Wonders 2025, Bell & Ross has sought to continue the 19-year legacy of the BR-03 with a new model in black ceramic. While it keeps with the standard design DNA of the original BR03 as it was introduced, there are several interesting changes that have been added to keep the model design fresh without compromising the brand’s identity. Like its siblings within the BR-03 lineup, the new BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic sports a square 41mm case diameter, accompanied by a 51mm lug-to-lug and a slim 10.6mm thickness. While the lug-to-lug dimensions might alarm you — they certainly alarmed me, as a smaller-wristed individual — the relatively flat nature of the watch allows it to wear significantly smaller than the on-paper dimensions suggest. However, the square shape will not dissuade you from thinking that it is a large watch, wearing closer to Panerai-like dimensions compared to similarly sized round watches.
Encased in black ceramic, alongside a matching black rubber strap and pin buckle, there’s no mistake that this watch is built to be a professional instrument of time-telling. Ceramic offers both a high level of scratch resistance and lightness, and the matte finish only further enhances the no-nonsense look of the watch. Dial-side, however, is where things begin to get particularly interesting.
As stated before, pilot’s watches prioritise legibility above all else, and the BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic is not out to disappoint. The sword-style hands have been coated in a healthy amount of lume, compounded by even more lume present in both the stick indexes and large Arabic numerals for each quarter. In the daytime, though, this new timepiece is not averse to a bit of creative flair, sporting an open-worked dial beneath a tinted layer of sapphire crystal. This dark tint not only allows for an understated, dare I say elegant, view of the inner workings of this BR-03, but also contrasts with the hands, indexes, and numerals to ensure maximum readability in all environments.
Going further under the hood you’ll find that open-worked movement, the BR-CAL.328, beating at the luxury 4Hz (28,800VpH) standard atop a 54-hour power reserve. Interestingly, according to the brand, this marks the rare occurrence of a fully proprietary movement within the BR-03 collection, sporting an interesting movement architecture that can only be viewed through the front of the watch. There, you’ll find that the construction of the movement has resulted in an X-shaped bridge, which may have been a deliberate touch of detailing by the Bell & Ross crew to pay homage to some of their other haute horlogerie pieces.
My Thoughts
The modern pilot’s watch is a funny thing. Many brands like Stowa, Laco, and even IWC can often feel beholden to the signature aesthetic of the times. Don’t get me wrong, they still excel in terms of their watchmaking quality, but I suppose that it must be challenging to innovate within a field that is so entrenched within its horological roots.
Bell & Ross seems to be one of the very few brands in this space that have managed to break the mould — even when there is none to break. Their unique approach to the pilot’s timepiece, complete with a blocky silhouette and stealthy appeal, has been able to breathe fresh life into the pilot’s watch without coming off as having reinvented the wheel. The BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic is a testament to that achievement, combining the practical and legible nature of the pilot’s watch with the avant-garde styling of skeletonisation. After all, it wouldn’t be a true pilot’s watch if it wasn’t made with pilots in mind — and what better way to craft a flight instrument for the wrist than by doing it with style?
References: BR03A-BL-SKCE/SRB
Specifications:
- Dimensions: 41mm case diameter x 51mm lug-to-lug x 10.6mm thickness
- Case Material: Black ceramic
- Dial: Skeletonised with tinted sapphire panel
- Movement: Automatic BR-CAL.328 with custom X-shaped bridges
- Power Reserve: 54h
- Water Resistance: 100m (10bar)
- Strap: Black rubber with black PVD steel buckle
