ell & Ross equals Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo. It’s also France and Switzerland, circle and square, the BR-03 and the BR-05, professional and urban, skull and skeleton. Duality is at the core of the brand. It’s not even sure whether it should be classed as one of the largest independents or one of the smaller majors. And so much the better, as the “creative label” that Belamich and Rosillo set up in 1994 doesn’t like to be pigeonholed. Bell & Ross is a rebel at heart.

“From the cockpit to the wrist. A simple, functional, uncompromising design” is how Carlos Rosillo describes the BR-01, introduced in 2005 and a gamechanger for the brand. The design, an impressive 46mm square with four exposed screws, took inspiration from flight instruments. Rapidly, Bell & Ross became known for tool watches that combine legibility with a distinctive design.

A shape that says it all

“The most important thing is to understand the brand’s strategy,” Carlos Rosillo tells us. “Twenty years ago we created a shape that no longer needs any explanation. It’s as though we’ve been working towards this moment, where we don’t even have to put a name on the dial to be recognised. In fact we’ve actually taken the name off the BR-03 Astro.”

Only by “taking a step back” from what a watch was could Bell & Ross imagine this design concept and adapt it to multiple interpretations. “We’ve gone from 46mm to 42mm, then 41mm and now 36mm, across 300-plus original models that include the Red Radar, the X1, high complications, the monopusher and the only square dive watch

Timeline of emblematic Bell & Ross watches

Indeed, just a year after launching the BR-01, in 2006 Bell & Ross introduced the BR-03. This more compact, 42mm version became a cornerstone of its collections, taking the brand to a wider audience. Another key development came three years later, with the release of the first BR-01 Skull, followed in 2020 by the futuristic Cyber Skull, a memento mori for the twenty-first century.

Bell & Ross co-founders Carlos Rosillo and Bruno Belamich

This string of innovative designs continued with the murdered-out BR-03 Phantom (2007), the BR 03-92 Heritage (2009), that revisits the patinated look of vintage watches, and the BR-01 Red Radar, inspired by military radars. The brand has also flexed its haute horlogerie muscles with the BR-X1 Chrono Tourbillon in 2015 and the BR-X2 Tourbillon in 2017.

References to aeronautics extend to avant-garde materials such as ceramic, bronze and carbon fibre, while pushing the limits of luminescence. From air-borne, Bell & Ross made a smooth transition to land, when in 2016 it launched the BR-03 94 AeroGT, based on Bruno Belamich’s design for a futuristic concept car, then sea, with the BR-03 92 Diver.

Two pillars

“The brand’s fundamentals are the art of watchmaking in a powerful design,” continues Carlos Rosillo. “Collections are clearly structured with increasingly sophisticated movements in each of the two main lines, which are the BR-03 (Professional) and the BR-05 with integrated bracelet (Urban) that we launched in 2019. Calibres range from automatic right up to haute horlogerie, via GMT, chronograph and skeleton models. This same pyramid structure applies to materials, from steel to ceramic, as well as luminescence. As for the X models, they have their own, avant-garde design.”

Bell & Ross imagines the planetary system in the 41mm case of the BR-03 Astro, with Earth at the centre, a satellite for the seconds, the Moon showing the minutes and the hours shown by Mars.

For its movements, Bell & Ross works with Sellita as well as Kenissi [Chanel has a stake in both Bell & Ross and Kenissi]. “We developed our first calibres with independents such as Vincent Calabrese and Pierre Favre, and we continue to co-develop our movements, whether it’s with Sellita or Kenissi,” Carlos Rosillo points out. Prices start at CHF 4,000 for the Diver.

The sporty and sophisticated BR-05 has been scaled down to 36mm (compared with 46mm for the BR-01 launched in 2005). This urban watch has a notably slim 8.5mm profile, with polished and satin-brushed surfaces.

“I think our success also comes from our coherent identity. We’ve always stayed within our perimeter of functionality. Plus squares are the ‘in’ shape right now! The new 36mm version of the BR-05 reflects increased interest in smaller, thinner dimensions, without losing any of its impactful design,” says Rosillo, who considers the brand’s Franco-Swiss identity — its manufacturing facilities are in La Chaux-de-Fonds — as yet another asset.

Innovation and skeletonisation

Alongside the astonishing BR-03 Astro and the compact BR-05, Bell & Ross is unveiling a new skeleton movement inside the BR-03 Skeleton. Offered in three versions — the BR-03 Skeleton Black Ceramic, BR-03 Skeleton Grey Steel and BR-03 Skeleton Lum Ceramic — it captures the brand’s expertise in design, finishing and materials.

Designed for the 20th anniversary of the first square Bell & Ross watch, the BR-03 Skeleton comes as three complementary versions - Black Ceramic, Lum Ceramic and Grey Steel - that showcase the brand’s expertise in skeletonisation and luminescence.

“We don’t set limits on conceptualisation. We’re as passionate about complex mechanisms as we are about high-end finishing on simpler designs,” says Carlos Rosillo. He believes competitive pricing constitutes another advantage for the brand, whose core range runs from CHF 5,000 to CHF 10,000. Sales are evenly spread between the US, Asian and European markets.

What next? Will Bell & Ross follow the example set by Richard Mille, another Franco-Swiss brand, which has seen a transition to the next generation with the two founders’ children taking key positions? (more here) Carlos Rosillo is giving nothing away, revealing only that “one of my kids is studying physics and engineering at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. And they all love Switzerland…”.