BOUTIQUE
BELL & ROSS
The clear-cased BR-X1 Chronograph Tourbillon
Sapphire that Bell & Ross debuted early last year
succeeded as both an attention magnet as well
as a sales piece. Bell & Ross says it sold all five of
the pricey pieces (each was priced at about half-
a-million dollars).
That success may be one reason Bell &
Ross this year has created a second sapphire-
cased limited edition, the new BR-X1 Skeleton
Tourbillon Sapphire. Well positioned within the
firm’s Experimental collection, this new model is
less complex than that earlier piece, but is more
contemporary in its design.
Instead of the monopusher chronograph
(and all its familiar subdials) found in that earlier
model, here we have a flying tourbillon appar-
ently hanging alone in space, suspended from
a horizontal, skeletonized base plate. The open
hour counter is set at the top of the dial just
above the large barrel, which remains fully visi-
ble beneath the hour and minute hands.
The BR-X1 Sapphire Tourbillon case is pains-
takingly cut from five blocks of sapphire: middle
piece, back, top, crystal and four bumpers, all
assembled with the four familiar Bell & Ross
corner screws. To match the case’s transpar-
ency, Bell & Ross has attached a translucent
rubber strap, enhancing the ‘floating’ nature of
the entire piece as seen on your wrist.
This new watch was launched as a limited
edition of eight pieces. Each is priced at
$385,000.
IW RATING
Design: 8 (out of 10)
Custom engineered movement maximizes
transparency effect of stepped case.
Innovation: 7
Few brands can offer a sapphire case of this
complexity.
Finissage: 7
Excellent finishes with a clean modern effect
and nowhere to hide.
Legibility: 7
Beefy hands make up for the smaller sub dial
display.
Rarity: 9
Only eight will be made.
Value: 9
Demand is likely to exceed supply based on
previous iteration in a sapphire case.
Overall iW rating: 47 (out of 60)
38 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2018