When launched in 2019, the Bell & Ross BR 05 collection was, without a doubt, the most important release of the brand since the presentation of the emblematic BR 01 – the watch that defined the brand’s style, the circle within a square. While most of the previous collections were focused on military and aviation inspirations, the BR 05 steered the brand into luxury sports watch territories with a far more urban vocation. Since then, we’ve seen multiple iterations with a chronograph, a GMT or a bolder experimental style. A recurring theme of the BR 05 collection has been the skeleton watch, which today comes in a new colour with a steel case and a golden dial.

The Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton has now become a classic within the collection, with several takes on the same concept. Following the inaugural model of 2019, with a grey dial, the brand brought limited editions in blue, in black with lume contrast, in a high-end full gold edition, and in 2022 in green. Without changing the concept, it is now back in a new tone, a gold-coloured dial contrasting with a steel case.

The recipe is the same as before. The BR 05 Skeleton shares its case with the classic time-and-date version of this rather unique luxury sports watch, meaning a rounded square case with a multi-step dsign and a raised bezel featuring the brand’s four signature screws. Brushed on most surfaces, with nicely executed polished bevels for a dynamic look, the case measures 40mm across and has a reasonable height of 10mm. The skeleton movement doesn’t alter other elements, and the crown still screws down, is inserted between lateral guards and guarantees a water-resistance of 100m.

What’s new this year is the colour scheme of the dial. While gold has been used in the past in this reference, this was in a solid gold model with a dial and a movement tinted in gold. The style is a bit different here. First, the gold colour contrasts with the cold steel case. Only the flange, hands and markers are coated in gold. However, the movement underneath is still rhodium-plated, but the sapphire dial is tinted in a translucent gold colour. The rest remains identical to other editions of the BR 05 Skeleton, with a dynamic and modern take on the skeleton movement.

Talking about mechanics, this new BR 05 Skeleton Golden relies on the calibre BR-CAL.322, a movement specific to Bell & Ross that is based on the architecture of the Sellita SW300. The back shows a 360° rotor and a matte decoration. The movement beats at 4Hz and stores about 40 hours of power reserve.

The new Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Golden is released as a limited edition of 500 pieces, available either with an integrated stainless steel bracelet, with a folding clasp or a striped brown rubber strap, also with a folding clasp. Available now for pre-order with deliveries in March 2023