Worn & Wound
Bell & Ross Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the BR-03 with New Skeleton Models
It’s a common refrain here at Worn & Wound: every year is an anniversary. Like death, taxes, and Photoshop renders of what collectors predict the new Rolex will look like, the celebration of anniversaries in the watch industry is a certainty. We’re not complaining. An anniversary of an important watch or collection is a great time to take stock, and there have certainly been plenty of desirable releases over the years centered around big anniversaries. This year, Bell & Ross is celebrating 20 years of the BR-03 collection, their iconic square watch that has become the “face” of the brand over the past two decades. The celebration begins with the new BR-03 Skeleton, a collection of three watches that capitalizes on a big trend across all sectors of watchmaking while removing the BR-03 from its aviation themed roots, at least a little bit. Bell & Ross has been making skeletonized watches for years (often as part of their Skull series), and these watches highlight their proficiency in that area, and also take advantage of their creativity with lume. The new BR-03 Skeleton is available in three variants: Black Ceramic, Grey Steel, and Lum Ceramic. All three feature 41mm cases and a new movement, the BR-CAL.328, designed specifically for these watches. While the specs of the caliber are in line with previous time only movements used in recent BR-03 releases (like those, it has a 54 hour power reserve) its architecture has been adjusted, highlighting an “X” motif...