Bell & Ross has partnered with the Renault F1® Team since 2016 and has been studying the world of Formula 1® ever since. This partnership solidifies the coming together of two French brands. In this fifth collection of R.S. watches has just been released and has the “Formula 1®of the future” theme. It is composed of four sports chronographs including an exceptional Haute Horlogerie tourbillon.
Press Release with commentary in italics.
It has been five years since the managers of the F1® Team contacted Bell & Ross. The watch brand jumped at the opportunity. A partnership was launched. This union lead to the yearly creation of a watch collection, with the search for the extreme serving as the driving force. Since 2016, four R.S. series inspired by this world have been created.
These families are characterised by their integrity and synergy. Bell & Ross is not satisfied by simply putting their partner’s logo on their dial. The brand goes further. These watches adopt the latest technological advances and state-of-the-art materials used in the world of racing.
“These R.S. models showcase our expertise, our DNA and are in harmony with the design scope of our partner, the Renault F1® Team”,
Bruno Belamich, Bell & Ross’s Creative Director.
The Bell & Ross R.S.20 Collection 4 high-tech chronographs
For watchmaking enthusiasts, Bell & Ross is a leading brand in regards to design. To create the R.S.20 collection, the design studio started by researching F1® to give form to their inspiration. This year, the collection drew its inspiration from different sources. These included the F1® car for the Renault 2020 team and the R.S.2027 concept car. The result is an outstandingly futuristic collection anchored in the present. Classic avant-garde watches.
The spirit of these watches is much more focussed on design and graphics than before. They maintain the brand’s main themes: Style, legibility, functionality. All are given a futuristic feel. They are thrust into an innovative, efficient and stripped-down world. Whilst the lines of these timepieces are purer, their mechanical elements connect them to watchmaking tradition.
1/4 BR V3-94 R.S.20
This is B&R’s round “tool watch”. This chronograph is designed in a limited edition of 999 pieces. Its large case is made from steel. It is equipped with a bidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute scale which can be used to measure short periods of time.
The dial houses the 12 numerals present on the dials of sports watches. The typography is the same as the one used by the Renault F1® Team. The minute track is split into small black and white chequered squares which symbolise the finish line flag used in motor racing. The yellow hands display the different functions of the chronograph. The back of this model is engraved with “Formula 1® Renault R.S.20”.
BR V3-94 R.S.20 Specifications
Movement: calibre BR-CAL.301. Automatic mechanical. Crystal: curved sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute timer at 9 o’clock, central chronograph seconds. Tachymeter scale on the flange.
Water-resistance: 100 metres.
Case: 43 mm in diameter. Satin-polished steel. Bi-directional rotating steel bezel with anodised black aluminium ring with countdown timer. Screw-down crown. Sapphire case-back.
Strap: black-yellow carbon-effect calfskin or satin-polished steel.
Dial: matt black. Applique Super-LumiNova®-filled numerals. Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Buckle: folding. Satin-polished steel.
2/4 BR 03-94 R.S.20
This is the brand’s most iconic square watch. This chronograph, produced in a limited edition of 999 pieces, features a matt black ceramic scratchproof case.
All information provided by the chronograph function is shown in yellow. The flange houses the tachymeter, divided into two zones, each with its own colour. The chronograph minute track sits on a rhodium-plated brass ring, for optimal legibility.
BR 03-94 R.S.20 Specifications
Movement: calibre BR-CAL.301. Automatic mechanical. Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, central chronograph seconds. Tachymeter scale on the flange.
Water-resistance: 100 metres.
Case: 42 mm in width. Matt black ceramic. Straps: perforated black rubber and ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.
Dial: matt black. Applique Super-LumiNova®-filled numerals. Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Buckle: pin. Black microblasted steel.
3/4 BR-x1 R.S.20
This model features the brand’s iconic “circle within a square” case. This highly worked skeletonised chronograph is available as a limited edition of 250 pieces. It is an extremely sophisticated experimental version of the BR 03-94.
Its case is made from a multi-material structure: PVD-coated titanium, ceramic and rubber. These materials are used in sports watchmaking, as well as in aeronautics and Formula 1®.
The two-material rocker pushers are reminiscent of the paddle shifters on the steering wheel. A PVD-coated steel ring turns around the bezel. The open-worked dial reveals a highly sophisticated skeletonised mechanism and its gears.
BR-x1 R.S.20 Specifications
Movement: calibre BR-CAL.313. Automatic mechanical. ‘X’-shaped upper bridge. 56 jewels, 28,800 vph. Skeleton chronograph.
Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o’clock. Skeletonised date at 6 o’clock. Chronograph: 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock, central seconds. Tachymeter scale on the flange.
Water-resistance: 100 metres.
Case: 45 mm in width. Satin-polished titanium and ceramic with rubber inserts. Bi-directional rotating PVD bezel ring with time marker. Rocker push-buttons. Case-back with opening in tinted sapphire crystal, centred on the balance wheel.
Strap: perforated black rubber.
Dial: skeleton. Applique Super-LumiNova®-filled numerals. Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Buckle: pin. Steel with black rubber overmoulding.
4/4 BR-x1 tourbillon R.S.20
Produced in a limited edition of just 20 pieces, it is the Haute Horlogerie offering within the range. A marvel of sophistication and subtlety.
Its case is cut from titanium, a lightweight and resistant material used in Formula 1®. Protected by ceramic elements, a high-density rubber insert improves handling. The fixed bezel houses the minute track, and the rotating ring features a “stop-start” indication.
Its large calibre is regulated by a flying tourbillon with a variable inertia balance. The barrel spring, with manual winding, provides it with a power reserve of 100 hours (hand indicator). The chronograph function, clearly visible on the dial side, is driven by a mono-pusher that activates a column wheel and the watch also features a 30-minute instantaneous counter.
BR-x1 tourbillon R.S.20 Specifications
Movement: calibre BR-CAL.283. Hand-wound flying tourbillon. Mono-pusher column wheel chronograph. 282 components, 35 jewels, 21,600 vph. 4-day power reserve.
Crystal: sapphire with anti-reflective coating.
Functions: hours and minutes. Chronograph: instant jump 30-minute counter at 11 o’clock, 60-second counter at 1 o’clock. Power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. Flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock.
Water-resistance: 100 metres.
Case: 45 mm in width. Satin-polished titanium and matt ceramic with rubber insert. Bi-directional rotating PVD bezel ring with time marker. Rocker mono-pusher. Sapphire case back with antireflective coating.
Strap: perforated black rubber.
Dial: skeleton. Metal applique Super-LumiNova®-filled indices. Metal skeletonized Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.
Buckle: pin. Steel with black rubber overmoulding.
