The Falsely Shattered Bell & Ross BR-05 Skeleton Arctic Blue

Let’s talk about one of the worst nightmares of a watch enthusiast… Knocking the watch on a door handle or the corner of a counter and shattering the sapphire crystal into dozens of pieces. We’ve all seen such images on social media, and it scares us to the bones. Unfortunately, it can happen. To avoid this issue and the stress that goes with it, Bell & Ross has come up with the ideal solution with an already shattered crystal on its new BR-05 Skeleton Arctic Blue. So now, you don’t have to worry anymore; the worst part is over!

Right… Let’s stop with this (rather lame, I admit) joke. The new BR-05 Skeleton Arctic Blue doesn’t come with a cracked sapphire. It features a new openworked dial covered by a tinted sapphire that’s been customized to mimic the look of cracks on frozen, arctic waters. But nothing prevents you from pulling a prank on your friends. The latest creation of the brand, more familiar with aviation-themed watches and military-issued pieces, is inspired by frozen waters and ice found in arctic lands. Hence its name, hence its ice-blue colour, hence the rather unusual effect on the dial.

What matters most here isn’t the main sapphire crystal, which is as conventional as they come, but the intermediate sapphire plate that serves as a dial and protects the openworked movement underneath. The main specificity of this BR-05 Skeleton Arctic Blue lies in the work done on its surface, as it’s been customized to look like cracked ice over a frozen Arctic lake. It’s made using several techniques, such as laser-engraving above and below its surface, reproducing the depth of cracks in frozen waters, while a white decal has been added by pad printing like frost marking the path of cracks. To even reinforce this effect, the sapphire dial is tinted in light blue and matched with a metallic ice-blue inner flange. All of which create a shattering trompe-l’oeil effect that feels like a broken sapphire.

For the rest, this new edition of the BR-05 Skeleton retains most technical attributes of previous versions – such as the Skeleton Golden, the Skeleton Green, the Skeleton NightLum and more like the black ceramic openworked. Thus, we have the classic take on the luxury sports watch concept with an integrated design and a bracelet following the lines of the case, mixed with emblematic B&R elements such as the square-ish bezel and 4 screws. The case is 40mm in width with a reasonable thickness of 10.3mm. It features a well-guarded screw-in crown, a sapphire back and a comfortable 100m water-resistance.

Inside the case and visible through the cracked ice dial is the calibre BR-CAL.322-1. Based on a Sellita SW300, it runs at 4Hz frequency and now stores a more generous power reserve of 54 hours – like most recently updated B&R watches, like the new BR-03 collection. The movement is finished with matte sandblasted surfaces and a full rotor.

Available on a steel bracelet or a white rubber strap, the Bell & Ross BR-05 Skeleton Arctic Blue is a boutique and e-boutique exclusive limited to 250 pieces. It will be priced at EUR 7,800 on a rubber strap and EUR 8,300 on a steel bracelet. For more details, please visit BellRoss.com.