Bell & Ross Takes a Gamble for Monaco for the 2011 Only Watch Auction

Bell & Ross pays tribute to Monaco, the site of the Only Watch Auction held by Antiquorum once every two years in September at the Monaco Yacht Show to raise charity for medical research of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

34 major watch brands are participating in this worthy cause. In order for a watch to partake in this auction it must be either the first watch of a limited edition, or a completely unique model. Watch brands go to great lengths to stand out, and the result is pure salivating eye candy to watch aficionados.

Bell & Ross BR 01 Casino Watch is fashioned after a roulette wheel. The model for the Only Watch Auction is crafted in 18k pink gold with alternating bands of black PVD. The Roulette Wheel Dial is the perfect arena to apply Bell & Ross Radar watch display, which consists of three moving discs displaying the hours, minutes and seconds. The watch case is based on Bell & Ross' signature BR01 models.

Although the 18k pink gold and black PVD is Bell & Ross watch of choice for the Auction, I like its more similar rendition of the roulette table all decked out in the traditional red, green, white and black colorations. Now seeing that you may want this watch to display the time, rather than beat the odds, one must know how time is told on this roulette wheel. The "0" travels around the watch in an analogous manner displaying the time and the white ball displays the minutes. The seconds looking very much like a roulette wheel central brass are displayed in the middle of the dial. Although the Bell & Ross BR 01 Casino Watch in gold and PVD will be a only watch, the more colorful steel roulette table look alike will be available in exclusive casino venues starting this coming October.

Watch brands participating in this years Only Watch Auction commencing on September 22nd are:
Audemars Piguet, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Bovet, Breguet, Celsius X VI II, Chanel, Chaumet, Chopard, Corum, De Bethune, DeLaCour, DeWitt, Franck Muller, Frederique Constant, Girard-Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hermes, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, MB&F, Montblanc, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Romain Jerome, Tag Heuer, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vulcain, Zenith.

Bell & Ross and the skull!

BOO! I hope I scared you didn't I? I mean not many blogs begin with a Boo, but hey it goes with the watch. Corum usually does the skull thing, but "Bell & Ross" has achieved a powerful Talisman Watch. The Limited Edition BR 01 Airborne was unveiled in Basel World. The watch is undoubtedly Bell and Ross with its square design and prominent screws. The skull icon originated in World War II and is accompanied by US Airborne motto, "Death from Above". A reminder of the courageous military paratroopers who jumped into enemy territory. The skull symbolized their incredible bravery . The skull motif was used by the military on fighter jets and patches. It was a symbol of strength and defiance of defeat even in the face of death. Today the skull is a tribute to all those brave men and women in combat who serve to defend this country.

The BR 01 Airborne is limited to just 500 pieces. The Automatic Mechanical ETA 2892 movement is powered by the swinging motion of ones arm. The case is 46mm and extremely resilient. 316L glass bead blasted steel with black finishing type carbon powder coating. The skull and hands are photo luminescent providing an eery night time glow and readability. The watch dial is protected by anti-reflection sapphire crystal - a hard scratch resistant material. The watch is water resistance to 100 meters.

Bell and Ross Gets the Midas Touch.

As the legend has it, King Midus was granted his wish that everything he touched turned to gold. Bell and Ross seems to have gotten a bit of the Midas touch and has crafted a timepiece made out of 18k rose gold. The Bell & Ross BR01-92 Gold Ingot. The remarkable nature of this timepiece is that not only the 46mm wide case is made from gold, but the hour markers, hands and dial are made from gold too. The effect would have been quite bland , to much of a good thing; however, Bell and Ross has incorporated lovely pyramid texturing within the circle on the dial.
Typically the Bell and Ross screws are steel; however, on this model ,gold is the order of the day, and the 18k rose gold screws look wonderful.
The watch keeps perfect time with the aid of a Swiss ETA 2892A2 automatic mechanical movement. A gentle swing of ones hand will wind the watch.
I suppose it would have been a bit over the top to attach an 18k rose gold bracelet to the case, kind of like eating a whole box of chocolates at one sitting, and so I think the shiny black alligator strap works perfectly to enhance the watch cases bold gold look.
I am not sure where this Bell and Ross watch would look better, on my wrist or hung ,like a medal, around my neck.

Bell & Ross Craft Fighter Pilots Watch

On March 18th, 2009, Bell and Ross became the official supplier to the French Air Force. The French Air Force requested that Bell and Ross create a watch specifically designed to meet the timepiece requirements of fighter pilots - the BR 03 Type Aviation.

The dial of a Bell & Ross timepiece looks like the dials on the aircraft cockpit instrument panel, and within the watch, the movement tracks time with precision like that of a fighter pilot navigating the sky with startling speed. This watch is based on four fundamental principles: legibility, functionality, precision and reliability, which is the driving force behind the success of Bell & Ross.
With the Instrument BR Heritage, Bell & Ross draws inspiration from 1940's military aircraft instruments. Although, the BR Heritage is inspired by history, the craftsmanship of this watch has incorporated some of the most modern techniques in watch crafting. The sandy strap is stamped with the Bell & Ross logo. The sandy colored dipped hands and tawny indicators creates an image of war.

Bell & Ross' timepieces are becoming increasingly popular as the dial is simple yet at the same time stylish and appealing.

Watches worth a Dream!

To dream about owning a luxury watch or clock is not a new concept,although the reasons behind the wanting may have changed. In ancient times, the dream was to have an instrument that would keep track of time. Once that was done, the dream was to have a dependable precise infallible timepiece that would track time under harsh conditions. When that was achieved the dream was to have a personal timepiece that would portray ones sense of self. We have come a long way and its our wanting and our drive to create more beautiful and better time pieces. Every day another watch company unveils a heart stopping timepiece each a complete whole, each unique and each the stuff dreams are made of. Here are a few timepieces that have carved a spot in my memory to be willed to the forefront of my mind at any desired moment.

Roger Dubuis King Square Ladies' Tourbillon eludes to ballgowns and beautiful women. This watch has been awarded the ladies watch of the year by Salon Internacional Alta Relojera in Mexico. Although it has a definite whimsical nature to it, its clear bold shapes gives the sense that this women will not swoon at the slightest sign of trouble. This watch is in line with the large amount of Ladies Tourbillon watches that have been introduced into the market. With 13 rubies and 482 diamonds, this watch is a picture perfection creation. This watch reminds me of the movie, "The Matrix," and "Star Trek" all at the same time. It seems to resemble a futuristic spacecraft. The Hub Solo T Tourbillon and the Power reserve dial add to the look. Hublot however thinks it rather resembles cavier and has provided the watch with the title,"Black Cavier Bang." For One million Dollars it does not matter what it is called, it matters what it costs. Why so pricey? Well lets see. a) The hundreds of precision cut black diamonds totaling 34.5 total carats (322 on the case, 179 on the bezel, and 30 on the clasp). Now this is where the dreaming begins, this watch is limited to one piece. One will own the watch and all of us, well we will have to dream about it.
Bell & Ross BR01 Tourbillon Phantom with carbon fiber main plates and gold tourbillon carriage is a watch that may creep up in nightmares. The blackness of it is a bit terrifying, but awfully striking. Limited to 40 edition, keep dreaming.

Dreams do come true, you know. They did for the gentleman (in that old newspaper article above) who passed away before April 26, 1878 and they will work for you.