The latest from Bell & Ross is a new entry in their ongoing partnership and collaboration with the Patrouille de France, an aerobatic display team that’s part of the French Air and Space Force. The team was founded in 1953, making this year their 70th in operation, which naturally calls for a special limited edition watch. We’ve brought you news of Bell & Ross releases that highlight their relationship with the Patrouille de France in each of the last two years, and the new watch is very much in the same vein as the previous efforts, drawing inspiration from the bright blue planes the team is known for flying. Where previous limited editions were based on watches with a somewhat niche appeal (a chronograph and an ana-digi piece) the new watch is built on BR 03-92 platform, the signature, and simplest, Bell & Ross pilot’s watch, which displays just the time and date in the brand’s signature square case.
The BR 03-92 Patrouille de France 70th Anniversary limited edition is, above all, a tribute to the actual planes used by the flight team over the years. We’ll get to the dial momentarily, but what makes this limited edition special is what’s on the caseback. Flip the watch over and you’ll find a detailed engraving of the five aircraft that have been flown by the Patrouille de France since 1953: the Thunderjet, the Alphajet, the Ouragan, the Mystère IV, and the Fouga Magister. The engraving is actually quite detailed and full of information. It shows an image of each plan in silhouette, along with the year the aircraft first entered service, plus the usual specifications about the watch itself that you’d normally find on a Bell & Ross caseback. For aviation enthusiasts, there’s an awful lot to like about the respect being paid to the actual aircraft the Patrouille de France has flown – this feels more substantial than some dial text.
For its part, the dial is rendered in bright blue, a different shade than previous Patrouille de France watches, said to be based specifically on the color of the Alphajets that the team began flying in 1981. The dial features the team’s insignia at 9:00, and a special logo indicating the commemoration of their 70th anniversary between 3:00 and 4:00. As is typical for BR 03-92 watches, the 4:30 date is about is out of the way as it can possibly be for a date window in this position, reduced to a small, color matched circle that is frankly tough to be too mad at. The Arabic numerals, minute track, and hands are all accented in bright white for maximum contrast.
The BR 03-92 case is a 42mm wide square, crafted in micro blasted black ceramic. That’s large for a square case, but the watch is only 10.4mm thick, helping it wear a bit easier on smaller wrists. The movement is the BR-CAL.302, a rebadged Sellita SW300 which winds automatically and has roughly 38 hours of power reserve. Water resistance is rated to 100 meters, and the watch comes mounted to a matching blue leather strap, with a black canvas strap also included.
The BR 03-92 Patrouille de France 70th Anniversary edition is limited to 999 pieces. The retail price is $4,100, and it’s available for pre-order now with delivery expected in July. Bell & Ross
