Q&ABell & Ross’s CEO And Co-Founder On Icons And Instruments

Could you start by talking about the 2023 novelties at Watches and Wonders and how they take the brand’s story forward?

We have two main pillars, which are the Instruments and the Urban lines. The Instruments—the BR 03—present the professional side of Bell & Ross, with watches that reflect aviation inspirations, but have also been adapted into diver’s watches and others. There is representation for sky, land and sea. This year, we are taking forward the line with a new GMT edition (seen above). On the Urban side—the BR 05, more inspired by the city—we have updates in gold, with a green dial and so on. These show an evolution of the 05 line. Then there’s the manufacture side. We have some very specific pieces this year, such as the Cyber Skull Bronze. And there’s also the BR-X5, which are the advanced time instruments, with manufacture movements made in collaboration with Kenissi.

How do you decide on new colour and material variations—the gaps in the collections that need to be filled and so on?

This is my partner’s department. He’s the designer. This is the talent of creation. He knows before anybody what the next step in the evolution or growth of a collection will be.

Which complication best represents Bell & Ross?

It would be a small complication—the chronograph. It represents speed, it’s for professionals. Personally, among the bigger complication, I like jumping hours and the power reserve indicator, because it’s very useful.

What is it like to be a French brand in an industry dominated by the Swiss?

We are lucky because we have dual nationality. We have French creations, with Swiss productions. I prefer this over the other way around.

“Then there’s the manufacture side. We have some very specific pieces this year, such as the Cyber Skull Bronze,” says Rosillo

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The Cyber Skull is not a new concept altogether, but it's new in bronze

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This watch presents sheer transparecy, with the movement mostly restricted within the silhouette of the skull motif

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In a world where gender labels are becoming irrelevant, can you imagine an industry where there’s no such thing as a men’s watches or women’s watches?

We don’t put any gender on our products. But personally, I am an old-style person. I believe that brands have a gender—masculine and feminine. If you name any brand, I can tell you the gender of the brand. I can tell you that Bell & Ross is a masculine brand. But sometimes, women like power, they like force, they like the powerful instruments like the ones we make. So this is why they can enjoy our products. I think it’s easier for a men’s brand to reach women than the other way around. It’s difficult for a feminine brand to reach a male audience. I don’t see men going for very girly watches. But I have seen many women taking their husbands’ or boyfriends’ watches.

“On the Urban side—the BR 05, more inspired by the city—we have updates in gold, with a green dial and so on. These show an evolution of the 05 line”

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This watch has also been released with a green strap in rubber in place of the gold bracelet

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It runs on the automatic BR-CAL.321 calibre, whch offers a power reserve of approximately 40 hours

₹33,87,000

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In the last two years, what are the greatest trends you’ve noticed in the industry?

The sophistication of technique is one, and the strengthening of the DNA is another. I believe that a brand that doesn’t have a specificity is going nowhere. Because today, products should be recognised at first glance. So it’s very useful to have iconic watches. And this is why we are very lucky to have two strong icons in our portfolio.