BASELREVIEW2017
Sport/Adventure
BELL & ROSS
HOROGRAPH
& HOROLUM
BELL & ROSS DEBUTS two watches, the BR03-92 Horograph and BR03-92 Horolum. Both new watches
are ‘circle-within-a-square’ models in the aviation-instrument-style collectors know well from this
brand.
The first model, the BR03-92 Horograph (horo from the Latin ‘hora’ (hour), and graph (graphics),
is made to recall airport clocks with its clean black dial layout, baton-shaped hands and minute-only
baton-shaped markers. The contrasting white hands make them easy to read on the black dial, while
the red-tipped seconds hand and red ‘100M’ notice offers a bit of color accent to the otherwise austere
dial. And you won’t find a small date window on an airport clock.
The BR03-92 Horolum takes the airport theme out to the tarmac by mimicking runway lighting. Its
more familiar multi-layer 12, 3, 6 and 9 Bell & Ross dial utilizes long-lasting SuperLuminova C3 tinted
green to allow the dial to be read well into the night.
Unlike the Horograph’s contrasting black dial, this model features a dial made of micro-blasted
brass-rhodium to echo the look of the case.
Both cases feature bead-blasted steel 42mm cases with a matte finish that Bell & Ross makes by
spraying tiny glass beads onto the surface of the metal to roughen it and give it a uniform grey tone.
These two watches are the first for the brand to utilize this for one of its square steel cases. Inside
each watch is a Sellita-based automatic movement. While the Horograph is an ongoing model, the
Horolum will be made as a limited edition of 500. Price for both watches: $3,400.
ORIS
RETRO
HITS
ORIS DEBUTS A FULL NEW COLLECTION that ranks high on my best-value list for 2017. From the pre-
Basel release Artelier Caliber 113 ($5,900) to the 39mm 1970s-cool tonneau-shaped Chronoris Date
(starting at $1,750), this brand again demonstrates a keen ability to re-imagine classic designs and
make them affordable to a broad audience.
The latter watch keeps its price down by relying on a Sellita automatic movement inside, but still
manages to feature an inner rotating bezel and a selection of straps. For an extra $200 you can add a
steel bracelet that expertly mimics the original fifteen-link style.
Perhaps my favorite of Oris’s new models is the Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition, which revives the
brand’s first wristwatch from, you guessed it, 1917, which was essentially a brass-cased pocket watch
with wire loop lugs soldered to its case. Oris nicely translates that watch by using the same Arabic
numeral font and blue-steel hands (now illuminated with SuperLuminova) and retaining the same dial
color scheme and curved crystal shape.
The new 40mm Big Crown 1917 Limited Edition features a few more special touches. The case back
is embossed with the original ‘OWC’ trademark, which stood for ‘Oris Watch Company’ and was used
as a quality stamp on Oris’s gold pocket watches. Oris has of course modernized the movement, now a
Sellita-based version, and has created a practical time-adjustment lock/unlock pusher at 2 o’clock. The
$2,600 watch will be made in a limited edition of 1,917 pieces.
106 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SUMMER 2017