ReviewPrecision With Purpose: The BR 03-92 Diver Tara By Bell & Ross And Tara Océan Foundation
Parisian watchmakers Bell & Ross have partnered with Tara Océan Foundation to create a serious time instrument capable of withstanding the forces of nature while delivering excellent precision. This is the BR 03-92 Diver Tara
May We Recommend
In a world chasing the newest complication in horology, finding new ground when it comes to aesthetics, and reimagining the very premise of a watch, it’s easy to forget what a timepiece practically is: a time instrument. Bell & Ross’s partnership with the Tara Océan Foundation is a refreshing take on what a timepiece primarily should be—all with a noble purpose. In fact, the brand state in their literature that ‘there is no room for the superfluous; functionality is prioritised’. But of course, just because it’s a time instrument doesn’t mean it ignores other aspects, like the design. Expecting anything less from the Parisian brand would be criminal. Let’s dive deeper into what makes the Diver Tara so special.
Bell & Ross X Tara Océan Leading Up To The Diver Tara
Right from their inception, Parisian brand Bell & Ross have been all about creating functional timepieces—be it their watches made for the French Air Force or a watch with a staggering water resistance of 11,000m. Sure, they’ve dabbled in avant-garde designs, such as the Cyber Skull, but anyone who knows a thing or two about the brand knows what sets them apart: their commitment to creating timepieces for professional use. Their tagline literally is ‘From the cockpit to the wrist’.
This time, they set out to create a watch suitable for sailors and scientists who are regularly confronted with perilous conditions aboard the schooner Tara. The task at hand for the Tara Océan Foundation—the first public interest foundation in France dedicated to the ocean—is to explore the ocean to better understand it, and to share scientific knowledge about the ocean to raise awareness.
The crew aboard the sail ship regularly push the limits to the extreme, and to cope with the magnitude of the task, they need to count on precise, reliable tools under all circumstances. Enter stage: the BR 03-92 Diver Tara watch.
A Kraken From Bell & Ross X Tara Océan: The Diver Tara
The timepiece itself is a part of the BR 03 Diver line of professional dive watches by Bell & Ross, and is a limited edition of 999 pieces. The 42mm matt blue ceramic case houses the reliable and efficient BR-CAL 302 self-winding movement, which displays the hours, minutes, seconds and date.
The Diver Tara is water-resistant to 300m, and is equipped with a unidirectional-rotating ceramic bezel in blue and orange, graduated to 60 minutes as required by professional divers. Though excellent functional performance was the benchmark, the matt blue hues, along with the orange on the dive-timer bezel and the seconds hand, makes for a fantastic sight.
The date display between four and five is as practical as it needs to be, without attracting unwarranted attention or disrupting the aesthetics of the timepiece. The deep blue metal dial of the watch features applique indexes and white graduation, with optimal luminescence in the dark.
Every model from the new BR 03-92 takes part in the commitment to Tara Océan’s research. For every watch sold, part of the profits will be donated to the Foundation.
Playing with Tara Océan’s signature blue and orange hues gave the Parisian brand an opportunity to distinguish the Diver Tara from the previous versions in their dive watch collection. The ceramic itself helps establish the matt blue hue, and the blue rubber strap to match ties together the look.
