Translucent Grandeur: Bell & Ross reinvigorates a transparent and modern timepiece with the BR 01 Cyber Skull Sapphire Ice Blue
By The Time Place Magazine
Looking back through the brand’s history, Bell & Ross has produced watches with skulls since 2009. Over the years, the brand has released various timepieces with this well-liked memento mori as its focal point. Although the idea of a skull on a watch is not necessarily new, the latest BR 01 Cyber Skull Sapphire Ice Blue is one of the more intriguing models in this category since it gives an entirely contemporary and aesthetic twist to an otherwise very recognisable design.
Speaking about design, as we all know by now, Bell & Ross watches are also made with every detail having a purpose and function, and they must adhere to four fundamental principles: legibility, functionality, precision and reliability. The brand’s exceptional products are centred around extremely intricate and precise mechanisms, complemented by clean aesthetic lines. This is the primary means with which the brand expresses its unique design philosophy.
That being said, this most recent model, which becomes the latest member of the BR 01 Cyber Skull collection of rare watches, reimagines this ultramodern form to produce a watch that presents a distinctive contrast between conventional technology and futuristic style.
For one, as its name implies, Bell & Ross has chosen the BR 01 Cyber Skull Sapphire Ice Blue to place the skull in a 45 mm sapphire case that is completely transparent, including the back, to express the fascinating power of the skull. If one can say, the sapphire gives the watch its uniqueness and beauty, as it lets us visualise its structure and assembly by allowing the eyes to gaze freely into the heart of the movement.
The best part is that, combined with its craftsmanship in complete transparency, the timepiece comes with a transparent soft silicone strap to make the overall look perfectly consistent on the wrist. With the audacious choice of the ice blue colour to adorn the central part of the dial, this limited edition timepiece of just 25 pieces unveils, before our very eyes, the secrets of time.
Perhaps Bruno Belamich, Creative Director and co-founder of Bell & Ross, explains this matter best. “The icy aspect of sky blue combines perfectly with the transparency of the sapphire of the case, like a faceted iceberg,” he said in a statement. On that note, the fresh ice blue tone in the dial is meticulously made in galvanised brass and blue PVD.
Crafted in sapphire, a high-tech composite material almost as hard and scratch-resistant as a diamond, its flawless transparency assumes no impurity, exposing the delicate details around it. This allows the wearer to see clearly through the watch in the spaces surrounding the skull, giving the sense that it is floating within the case.
Furthermore, the watch showcases another highlight beneath this fascinating composition within its translucent case. An automaton animation, which triggers the lower part of the skull’s jaw, breaks into a smile and seems to burst to life. This magical moment that sets the watch apart is thanks to the hand-wound mechanical calibre BR-CAL.209 movement.
Interestingly, most of the parts remain hidden under the skull because of how the movement is made. The beauty of the movement, with a 48-hour power reserve and a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour, alongside the numerous openworked or skeletonised components, will allow aesthetes to delve into the subject’s heart.
Ultimately, the skull trend in watchmaking has long been part of the brand’s special design vocabulary, and the skull collection has become one of Bell & Ross’ emblematic signatures. Within the Cyber Skull family renowned for its avant-garde design, the BR 01 Cyber Skull Sapphire Ice Blue stands out as a refreshing combination of watchmaking, design and technology. A bewitching and disruptive creation, this watch will captivate enthusiasts of timepieces with character and simultaneously appeal to the sentiments of Haute Horlogerie collectors.
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