The Trilogy of Bell & Ross BR 05 Black Ceramic Models

Five years ago, Bell & Ross altered its flight path to include a luxury sports watch in its fleet of instrument watches. Transitioning from the more tool-watch looks of the brand’s flagship references, the BR 05 softened the edges, rounded the angles and introduced an integrated bracelet for a sleeker, more streamlined look. Earlier this year, Bell & Ross treated its BR 05 to an all-black ceramic makeover.

In 2019, the BR 05 took to the already congested skies of luxury sports watches. To compete in this incredibly competitive arena, Bell & Ross had to style up the strong instrument soul of its foundational BR 01 and BR 03 models. By softening the case corners, integrating the bracelet and improving the finishings, the BR 05 exudes a higher-end appeal.

Black ceramic winged its way into the BR 05 family in 2024. In addition to its resilience to scratches and lightweight properties, high-tech black ceramic is a material directly associated with the aeronautical industry and makes sense in Bell & Ross’s aviation-obsessed world.

Apart from its superlative properties, black ceramic endows the BR 05 with a darker, sleeker and stealthier image. As everybody knows, black is slimming and when used in watchmaking, visually attenuates bulk. However, to maintain the watch’s proportions, creative director Bruno Belamich decided to increase the diameter of the black ceramic BR 05 models from 40mm to 41mm. Coupled with a thickness of 11.2mm, the slight increase in diameter and thickness is practically imperceptible. When viewed from the side, you can appreciate the flat, stacked architecture of the watch with its iconic square base and round opening.

BR 05 Black Ceramic & BR 05 Skeleton Black Ceramic

The BR 05 Black Ceramic with a closed dial and a date window at 3 o’clock and the BR 05 Skeleton Black Ceramic share the same case finishings. The surface of the case and rounded square bezel feature a strong vertical brushed decoration, extending all the way to the links of the bracelet. Even the crown guards are vertically brushed. In contrast, the bevels of the case and bezel are polished, matching the polished central link of the bracelet and the four aligned screws in the bezel. Although polished ceramic will never produce the vivid reflections of polished steel, its glossy surface does interact with ambience light, producing interesting plays of shadow and light.

While these two models share identical cases, the skeleton version has a more technical vibe, with parts of the automatic movement revealed beneath the black-tinted dial and openworked bridges. To allow for the best possible view, the indices are inserted into the brushed flange and hover over the movement. Sporting white Super-LumiNova, the central hour and minute hands and indices emit a green glow in the dark.

The closed, glossy black sunburst dial of the BR 05 has a more classic Bell & Ross face. The brand’s signature Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock are complemented by markers and a date window at 3 o’clock. It’s worth noting that these two references are available with an integrated black ceramic bracelet or a black rubber strap.

BR 05 Skeleton Black Lum

The boldest, stealthiest and coolest BR 05 is the Skeleton Black Lum limited edition of 500 pieces. Although it shares case dimensions and the same movement as the skeletonised BR 05 Black Ceramic, the mood is very different. Employing a matte sandblasted finish throughout, the black ceramic case and bracelet look even flatter and thinner than the other models, closer in spirit to stealth fighter jets whose shapes deflect and whose materials absorb radar signals.  A black smoked sapphire dial and openworked bridges reveal components of the automatic movement, and the indices and hands are filled with C5 Super-LumiNova for a longer-lasting green glow.

Sellita-based automatics

Movement-wise, all three models rely on base Sellita SW300 modified automatic movements with rhodium-plated components, an increased power reserve of 54 hours and an openworked circular rotor.

Availability & Price

The BR 05 Black Ceramic time-and-date retails for EUR 7,600 on a ceramic bracelet and EUR 6,700 on a rubber strap. The BR 05 Skeleton Black Ceramic retails for EUR 9,800 on a ceramic bracelet and EUR 8,900 on the black rubber strap. The 500-piece limited edition BR 05 Skeleton Black Lum is only available on an integrated black ceramic bracelet and retails for EUR 9,500.

For more information, please consult bellross.com.