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Bell & Ross Takes its Urban Explorer Collection Global with BR 05 GMT

For the second time this year, French-founded watchmaker Bell & Ross is introducing a new GMT watch, and

The new BR 05 GMT comes on the heels of the BR 03-93 GMT, which debuted earlier this year as the brand’s first square-cased watch with an outer rotating bezel alongside a GMT mechanism (The BR V2-93 GMT 24H model of a few years ago included a rotating bezel but opted for a round case.)

In context, the new BR 05 GMT showcases Bell & Ross’ sustained interest in growing its “urban explorer” sport-luxury BR 05 collection, here adding the family’s first GMT in the more familiar square-cased, stationary-bezel style. (Bell & Ross, by the way, will be exhibiting at the upcoming WatchTime New York 2021 event, so if you’re interested in seeing this watch among many others, be sure to register and secure your tickets, today!

The 41-mm square case of the BR 05 GMT is integrated into either a matching steel bracelet or a stylised rubber strap. It uses a flattened, stepped bezel, secured via four screws at each of its corners and includes a distinctive set of guards surrounding its signed crown. The 100-meter water resistant case has a primarily brushed finishing throughout, with a touch of polishing, smartly applied to elevate the overall luxuriousness of the timepiece.

The black sunray dial under the sapphire crystal is configured in a style not unlike those of previous BR 05 models, which themselves draw heavily from previous Bell & Ross designs. As such, it features white accents contrasting against a dark background, specifically featuring quarter-hour Arabic markers, a 3 o’clock date window, and a pair of elongated hands matching the non-Arabic hour indices. Most distinguishing for the model is, of course, its outer 24-hour ring used to track a second time zone, which is split into lighter and darker sections for night and day. A red-tipped arrow pointer counts the passing hours and minutes, its colour matching the small “GMT” script toward the bottom of the dial.

Inside the watch is Bell & Ross’s BR-CAL. 325, a new movement used by the brand that replaces the BR-CAL.303 used in its previous GMT watches. Like the Caliber 303, the 325 uses a Sellita SW330-1 as its base (formerly the ETA 2893-2). But while the 303 used the more standard “elaboré” version of that movement, the 325 uses an upgraded premium version, with an improved balance wheel constructed of Glucydur and higher-grade finishing inclusive of rhodium-plating and brushing. The 325 features a frequency of 28,800 vph, a power reserve of 42 hours, and an accuracy of +/- 10 seconds per day.

The Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT is available now, priced at INR 3.67 lakh (approx.) on a rubber strap and INR 4.04 lakh (approx.) on a steel bracelet.

To learn more, visit Bell & Ross, here.

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