Worn & Wound
Bell & Ross Introduces the BR-05 36MM Blue Diamond Eagle Diamond
Lately, no matter where I turn, I feel that I’m confronted with small watches, with exotic dials, and, with increasing frequency, set with diamonds or precious stones of some kind. It’s a well established trend at this point across both very high end luxury brands and more accessible fare, so it should never really be a surprise when a watchmaker takes a stab at something small and blingy. What is sometimes interesting to clock, however, is how a brand positions a watch like this, because there are multiple clear strategies and I think it’s interesting to consider what it says about the brand depending on the route they take. Watches in this category, or watches that bump against this category, tend to be watches that can traditionally be marketed toward women exclusively. If they’re relatively small and set with diamonds, they can be seen as inherently feminine, almost across the board. Some brands, however, lean into the current moment that is seeing men and women appreciate watches in this category. Bell & Ross, who have just released the BR–05 36MM Blue Diamond Eagle Diamond (yes, that’s the actual name of the watch) have taken the former approach. The watch “asserts a femininity that is both timeless and contemporary,” according to their press release. The Blue Diamond Eagle Diamond (let’s go with BDED from here on out, an acronym that will almost certainly never be repeated in these pages) is a new take on the just released (in March) BR-05 36 mm ...
