bell and ross military type 126

Bell&Ross slightly modifies their signature design watches and unveils the BR 03 Instrument Type Aviation. The BR 03 Instrument Type Aviation has two LCD displays, one of them shows in letters the current selected function.The new Bell&Ross features a quartz movement with analogue and digital display, ref. ETA 988.333. 32,768 HZ. 7 rubies.The battery is a Silver oxide, high-drain battery 1.55 V.The inhibition period issixty seconds. Theoretical running time of this BR 03 is 35 months (depending on how often the alarm and chronograph are used). The end of battery life indicated by digital display blinking. Casein satin-polished stainless steel or glass pearl blasted stainless steel with black carbonfi nish. Diameter 42 mm. Water-resistant crown with push-piece function. Unidirectional,revolving inside bezel, toothed and graduated to 60 minutes. The triangular mark (O or60') is marked by a luminescent dot in the dark. Black dial. Figures, index and handscoated with highly luminescent paint to optimise night reading. Anti-refl ective coatedsapphire glass. Water-resistance: 100 metres. Satin-polished stainless steel or rubberstrap.Via the Bell and Ross site.

Bell & Ross Vintage Original BR 126 ChronographThe Swiss watch maker has updated its Vintage BR 126 line of aviator’s watches with this new Bell & Ross Vintage Original BR 126 Chronograph timepiece that now comes in a round stainless steel case.Like Rolex and Omega are mostly associated with all sorts of divers, Bell & Ross specializes in pilot’s and other military watches. In the beginning of the year the Swiss brand has introduced its new Vintage BR 123 Carbon and BR 126 Carbon models, where “carbon” in B&R’s newspeak meant normal stainless steel with matte black PVD coating.Although definitely not as hi-tech as Panerai Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT Ceramica (PAM335) model that was also presented at the same industry event in Basel, the watch sported undeniable presence and, what is even more important, was offered at a fraction of the price. Also, the collection’s standard ETA 2895 and ETA 2894 calibers are hugely popular among watch brands and therefore much easier to service (even if you live in Des Moines, Iowa) compared to Panerai’s in-house P.2003 powerplant.The new Bell & Ross Vintage Original BR 126 Chronograph watch is equipped with the aforementioned standard-issue Swiss ETA 2894 movement. Although the caliber offers usual tri-compass chronograph functionality and is capable of counting seconds, minutes and up to twelve hours, the watch features a bi-compass dial layout with a 30-minute chronograph totalizer at 9 o’clock and a small seconds hand at 3 o’clock.The 12-hour sub-dial, which is usually located at 12 o’clock, was for some reason removed. Perhaps, somebody at B&R decided that this kind of trick will make the watch look even more vintage than it actually is, maybe even resembling the new ultra-luxury Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle chronograph.As usual, the watch also features a round small date window between 4 and 5 o’clock.The major difference between the Vintage Original and the, err, original Vintage BR 126 is that the watch comes in a normal stainless steel case.The 41 mm body comes with satin finish and may look somewhat dull to those more used to dressier watches. However a certain amount of dullness is something that you should expect from just about any military device. I mean, you certainly do not want to find yourself on the receiving end of a shot from a sniper rifle just because you were betrayed by a blink of light reflected from a piece of polished steel on your wrist.Unfortunately, the convex sapphire crystal stays completely unprotected from occasional bumps and it is only a matter of time before its anti-glare coating will be covered with small but visible scratches.Although the version with a black dial sports high-contrast and, hence, more legible layout, I would surely prefer the beige one. Its off-white dial provides the BR 126 Chronograph with that lovely vintage look of the models from the 1940s. If you will manage to find a worn look brown leather strap (probably, something like Hirsch Leonardo Medici) similar to that pictured on the promo photos, it will look absolutely stunning.