Bell & Ross BR-X5 Racing: Velocity Converges with Accuracy

The Bell & Ross BR-X5 Racing, influenced by racing, merges robustness, lightweight construction, and legibility in a design that connects pilot and motorsport timepieces.

Bell & Ross BR-X5 Racing

Bell & Ross attributes the design of the new BR-X5 Racing to motorsports, although we admit the name indicated this prior to reviewing the press release. The visual data indicates that the essential factors are performance, durability, readability, and lightweight. The brand explicitly employed these words, and it can be asserted that the BR-X5 may serve as a unifying code for all four terms. The Racing watch ingeniously combines elements of a racer’s watch with those of a pilot’s watch, thereby integrating two of Bell & Ross' inspirations. This is a rapid timepiece designed for speed, and it appears equipped to accomplish liftoff from your wrist. Disregarding the lyrical aspects, let us focus on the fundamental details – similar to the BR-X5 introduced a few years prior, this is a time-only watch including a date and battery reserve indicator.

Bell & Ross BR-X5 Racing

The distinctions between the basic model and the Racing variant are evident, primarily in materials and typography. Arabic numerals predominate on the dial, with the hours encroaching deeper into the center. Initial impressions may raise concerns regarding legibility; however, Bell & Ross addresses this with its dashboard-inspired dial. The brand effectively utilizes forms and colors to articulate functions clearly, while also revealing the motionworks with a material referred to as “glass,” while the specific type remains ambiguous. The hour markers and hands are covered with white Super-LumiNova® X1 material for improved visibility in low light, emitting a green luminescence.

Bell & Ross BR-X5 Racing

This transitions quickly into a discourse on materials, which for the X5 Racing is predominantly titanium. The carbon fiber component that will undoubtedly have attracted your notice is a plate of woven carbon incorporated into the casing. The watch exudes a sense of both lightness and strength, which is fitting considering the emphasis on motorsports. The design prioritizes functionality while emphasizing "simplicity, radicality, lightness, and resilience." The lateral view of the multi-component case design reveals additional complexity.

Four micro-blasted titanium screws secure the case's "sandwich" structure. Two grade 2 micro-blasted titanium plates encase a black PVD titanium monobloc that contains the mechanism and incorporates the chronograph-style crown guards. The strap, composed of titanium or rubber, features an integrated design and attaches to the case by components referred to by the brand as "plates." The ergonomics are purportedly enhanced, although we have yet to observe the watch in person to verify this claim. It is unequivocal that the movement in question is the Kenissi-manufactured BR-CAL.323, despite the power reserve's appearance perhaps causing some hesitation (as it did for us). The BR-X5 is restricted to 500 units globally.

Movement: Automatic BR-CAL.323 including a date and power reserve indicator; about 70-hour power reserve.

Case: 41mm titanium; water-resistant to 100 meters

Strap: Bracelet or rubber

Cost: Starting at SGD 15,100