2008 was the year Bell & Ross became the official supplier to The French Air Force. At the request of the General Staff, the brand created a symbolic, utilitarian watch, meeting the specific requirements of fighter pilots: the Instrument BR 03 Type Aviation.
To achieve this challenge, the brand returned to the origins of the BR, to its raison d’Être: watches designed with professionals in mind. Taking its inspiration directly from aircraft cockpit instrument panels, the Instrument Collection responds to four basic principles: legibility, functionality, precision and reliability.




INSTRUMENT BR 01-92 HERITAGE - Cockpit 1940



The BR Collection
The developments of the Instrument collection parallel the in-depth technological developments within aeronautical instrumentation: The Instrument BR 01 is directly inspired by aircraft cockpit on-board instruments from the 1970s; The Instrument BR 03 Type aviation, with its multi-function movement, benefits from technological advances in watchmaking, as do the aircraft cockpits of the 2000s.
With the Instrument BR Heritage, Bell & Ross revives the authentic spirit of a collection watch, this time taking its inspiration from military aircraft instruments from the 1940s. However, although inspired by history the watch incorpor-ates the most modern techniques and offers a unique combination of details from its vintage style hands and numerals to the sand-coloured indices and stamped natural leather strap.




INSTRUMENT BR 01-92 - Cockpit 1970


With a distinctive 1940s appearance, the Instrument BR Heritage is equipped with an automatic mechanical ETA 2892 movement. The carbon powder coated stainless steel case gives the watch it’s blackened appearance. The BR 01, with hours, minutes and seconds functions, is 46 mm in diameter; the BR 03, with hours, minutes, seconds and date functions is 42 mm in diameter. The sand-coloured numerals, indices and hands have a photoluminescent coating for night reading and there is an anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
The watch is water-resistant to 100 metres and the strap comes in either a printed natural leather or a heavy-duty synthetic fabric.




INSTRUMENT BR 03 TYPE AVIATION - Cockpit 2000


Source: Europa Star April-May 2009 Magazine Issue