Bell & Ross draw their inspiration from aviation history and its associated military applications. The three domains of the armed forces – land, sea and air – are the elements that have fed the development of Bell & Ross’s collections from the start.
To celebrate WorldTempus’s 16th anniversary, the French watchmaker has customised its vintage blue-and-gold-toned model inspired by naval officers’ uniforms, the BR 126 Aéronavale. The exclusive detail that makes this watch unique is the figure 16 between two stars – an additional nod to Bell & Ross’s military inspiration – on the bezel at 4 o’clock.
The Vintage BR 126 Aéronavale comes in the round 43 mm polished steel case typical of older watches. The gold-plated hands indicate the hours and minutes, and the chapter ring with its applied gilt baton indices and Arabic numerals stands out clearly against the sunray-finished ultramarine blue dial. The watch is functional as well as elegant, with a small seconds counter at 3 o’clock and chronograph minutes at 9 o’clock, azuré guillochage detailing, and a graduated 60-minute bezel in blue anodised aluminium. Bell & Ross plays the vintage card wisely, protecting the chronograph’s dial with a deep domed sapphire glass recalling the Plexiglas crystals of yesteryear. The sapphire caseback of the Vintage BR 126 reveals an ultra-reliable self-winding mechanical movement manufactured in Switzerland, with a 42-hour power reserve. The watch comes with a polished steel bracelet.
Anyone interested in purchasing this unique watch should send an email to WorldTempus’s director, Brice Lechevalier (brice.lechevalier@worldtempus.com), co-creator of this one-of-a-kind model and your personal contact for all requests.
