PREMIER
iW Interview: Carlos Rosillo, CEO and co-founder of Bell & Ross
WHY CREATE THE ENTIRELY NEW COLLECTION BR 05?
WHAT WAS YOUR GOAL?
The goal was to develop an intermediate model between the square
- our utilitarian icon - and the round – which is universal and generic.
With this new line in mind, we did not want to create a city watch, but
a Bell & Ross watch made for the city. The BR05 is the subtly square
watch for the city.
IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE BR 05 DESIGN FIT IN WITH
THE BELL & ROSS APPROACH TO WATCHMAKING?
The inspiration comes from our iconic model, the BR03, which takes
its essence from aeronautical cockpits. As a complementary collection
and thus still very Bell & Ross, we are keeping our core codes that
are the iconic case with a circle in a square, the iconic graphics on the
dial with its 12-6-9 figures and the four screws. It is what I consider an
evolution of this icon. In the BR05 DNA, there is a piece of dashboard.
WHO ARE YOU APPEALING TO WITH THE NEW DESIGN?
It is a modern watch. So we can easily imagine a young urban man
who works in a suit and rides a bike appreciating items with a singular
design. It is the ideal timepiece for the man-about-town eager to face
the challenges of modern life and in control of time and his destiny.
76 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | FALL 2019
WHAT WERE THE PRIMARY CHALLENGES YOU
FOUND WHEN CREATING THE COLLECTION?
The main challenge is to maintain the brand’s fundamentals while
innovating constantly. We are evolving in a market where novelty
is necessary. The difficulty lay in respecting the proportions and
volumes: to design a 40mm case with a mechanical movement and
open the dial to emphasize readability.
WHY SUCH A DISTINCTIVE STRAP?
The new BR05 is a perfect blend between our iconic square model
and a type of watch in which the case merges with the bracelet to
create a compact and harmonious whole. The arc of the curve
allow the components to be perfectly aligned and ensures the
bracelet can adapt seamlessly to any wrist. All of this makes the
BR05 a jewel.
WILL BR 05 REPLACE ANY EXISTING COLLECTION?
No, it is indeed the missing link between our two existing collections
and case shapes. The round shape is inspired by the history of
aviation and the past, and the square for its radical form and for
professional use.
We wanted to create a watch with the iconic Bell & Ross case and
to merge it with a steel bracelet. The idea was to move from the
professional world of the extreme to the urban landscape, a transition
from the off-road to the on-road.