Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The New Bell & Ross BR-03 GMT Compass
A practical GMT watch for globetrotters with an in-built compass for navigation.
Bell & Ross has gotten a lot of mileage from its distinctive cockpit instrument-inspired watches with round dials in square cases and four exposed screws in the corners. Fusing these traits, the first BR-01 of 2005 with its whopping 46mm diameter squarely put the French brand on the horological radar. A year later, Bell & Ross released a smaller version in a 41mm case known as the BR-03. Now a well-populated and successful family, the BR-03 welcomes a practical, good-looking cockpit companion for pilots and globetrotters with a compass for navigation and a GMT function to keep track of two time zones.
Based on the B3-03 GMT of 2021, the new watch shares the same square 42mm stainless steel case with four screws in the corners and a solid 100m water-resistance rating. Slightly thicker at 12.3mm, the square case hosts a raised bidirectional rotating bezel with a blue and black anodised aluminium ring with a 24-hour scale and a luminous pip at noon. The blue section corresponds to daytime hours and the black to nighttime. Well-finished, the square case has brushed surfaces with a wide polished bevel. If you look closely, you will see how the notched bezel is reflected in the case’s flat surfaces, producing a series of grooves.
Given the quantity of hands on the dial, a quick recap might come in handy. The hour hand is black with a solid white arrow-shaped tip matching the thin baton minute hand, both treated with green-emission Super-LumiNova. The central seconds hand is black and blue (quite hard to discern the black counterweight against the black dial), and the openworked diamond-shaped GMT hand is red and white, indicating night and day on the 24-hour scale.
As an office or desk GMT and not a more sophisticated traveller’s GMT, the GMT or second time zone hand is adjusted in one-hour increments in either direction via the crown. The date window, a useful feature in a GMT watch, is positioned at 4:30 and has a black background. At night, the hour, minute, and GMT hands glow green, along with the pip on the bezel.
The dial flange features a white compass scale with the four cardinal points at 6, 12, 18, and 24 hours. The same hand used for the GMT complication doubles as the compass hand. To ascertain your direction using the position of the Sun, lay the watch flat and parallel to the ground. Next, set the GMT hand to solar time, then point the red hand towards the Sun; the direction is indicated on the graduated scale.
Powered by the BR-CAL.303, which is based on a Sellita SW-330-2, this automatic movement beats at 4Hz and delivers a 42h power reserve. It is hidden beneath the sealed caseback.
The BR-03 GMT Compass comes with a black rubber strap and a pin buckle, as well as an additional black synthetic fabric strap. It is a limited edition of 500 pieces and retails for EUR 4,900. More information at bellross.com.
