Close Up: the BR 01 and BR 03 Watches Inspired by Bell & Ross’ B-Rocket Harley-Davidson

Close Up: the BR 01 and BR 03 Watches Inspired by Bell & Ross’ B-Rocket Harley-Davidson

Adrienne Faurote
By Adrienne Faurote April 10, 2014
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The BR 03 B-Rocket and the BR 01 B-Rocket

Aviation is the primary inspiration for Bell & Ross, but at Baselworld 2014 the watchmaker hit the road. During the fair, Bell & Ross unveiled the B-Rocket, a high-speed Harley-Davidson, and the BR 01 B-Rocket and BR 03 B-Rocket watches inspired by this unique motorcycle.

According to Bruno Belamich, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Bell & Ross, the design of the watches actually began with the bike. The manufacture teamed up with a Harley-Davidson customization specialist to build a one-of-a-kind Bell & Ross motorcycle, and of course they brought their love of aviation to the process.

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The custom Harley-Davidson Bell & Ross B-Rocket

“For the motorcycle, we got inspiration from this mythical era of aviation of the 60’s and the US experimental aviation of the time,” Belamich said. The B-Rocket, which Belamich calls “the plane motorcycle”, was the result. As a watch designer, Belamich was inspired, saying, “I had the ideal object to translate into a watch.”

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The BR 01 B-Rocket
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BR 01

Direct offshoots of the B-Rocket, the BR 01 and BR 03 are the ultimate drivers’ watches. Both pieces feature a large minutes counter, a tachymetric scale on the outer edge of the dial, a 60-second counter, a 30-minute counter and a 12-hour counter. The chronograph is triggered by the highway push-piece. The more elaborate BR 03 features two additional complications as well: the date and a power-reserve indicator styled to look like a fuel gage.

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The BR 03 B-Rocket

The spirit of the motorcycle can be seen in the satin-brushed steel cases, the padded leather of the straps and the red triangle marks at 12 o’clock, which echo the triangle visible on the B-Rocket’s tachometer and turbines.

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The custom Bell & Ross rev counter on the B-Rocket

“We have two watches that are sisters, but complimentary in terms of function and size, that go perfectly for the crazy pilot that will dare to ride this plane/motorcycle,” Belamich concluded with a laugh.

Photo credit: Haute Time. Additional photos courtesy Bell & Ross.