Last year, Bell & Ross released the second generation of its “Experimental” collection: the BR X2 model, where the case and movement form a single element. Keen, as ever, to push boundaries, and take the challenge of transparency to the extreme, this year the Brand is launching the BR-X2 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor Skeleton.
The concept behind the BR X2 is that the movement is worn directly on the wrist. The mechanism is brought to the forefront, while the case disappears. Bell & Ross designed and developed a square movement, the manufacture calibre BR-CAL.381, which adopts the brand’s iconic signature shape. It is set between two sapphire crystal plates, linked by a narrow band of steel machined as a single piece, to ensure unrestricted visibility.
This makes the case virtually invisible, and the dial does the same to showcase the skeleton movement, allowing all elements of the mechanism to be admired. For a skeleton movement, the challenge is to remove as much material as possible whilst ensuring the model’s mechanical constraints are respected. From the micro-components to the finished watch, every detail is important. For this model, Bruno Belamich, the brand’s Creative Director, came up with a utopian idea: “Fusing the case and movement into a single component to make the case disappear, leaving just the movement visible.” To highlight this inherent aesthetic purity and technical expertise, the designer opted for both simplicity and performance. A true fusion between tradition and the avant-garde.
This two-hand watch displays the hours and minutes with optimal precision thanks to a flying tourbillon that compensates for the gravitational pull of the earth. Simplicity, yes; but also elegance and restraint, thanks to its understated dimensions (42.5 mm square) and delicacy, made possible by the extra-thin movement — just 4.05 mm — with automatic winding provided by a micro- rotor. This miniaturisation process allowed the thickness of the movement to be reduced, yet with an equivalent power reserve.
Inspired by modern architecture, this model will be available in a limited edition of 50 pieces.
