Bell&Ross: BR 01 Burning Skull

Faithful to the spirit of the 1944 parachutists and their emblem, which resembled the pirate flags of the past, the new Bell&Ross BR 01 BURNING SKULL displays the skull and crossbones, perfectly placed within the lines of the iconic square case of the Bell&Ross brand.

Sporting the colour of steel with a black background serving as a showcase, the relief dial features hour and minute hands that reveal other traditional motifs from the military world: the dagger and the sword.

Despite its provocative aspect, the skull is not the only unusual decoration on the watch. The entire case surrounding the dial is fully engraved and decorated in the style of a tattoo. Turn the watch over, and even the visible inscriptions on the case-back seem to be taken from a real tattoo, with the curved letters appearing to follow the contours of an arm. Its bold, edgy graphics recall the mythical fires of hell, and include numerous motifs symbolising destiny and mortality: a heart, a rose, a scythe and an hourglass, lurking within the decoration.

To create this effect, each line engraved into the steel is filled manually, using a stylus, with a black ink/varnish, just like a tattoo artist decorating the skin. During the process, the piece is red several times in an oven to x the lacquer. It is a long and painstaking job, and it takes the engraver/ lacquerer several hours to finish each case. Once these stages are complete, the black lacquer underscores the watch’s graphic identity through the interplay of balance and contrast between light and dark tones.

The realism of the skull in the centre of the «tattoo» is reinforced by the design of the dial on two levels, which brings a depth to the visual effect. The skull is created from stamped metal, a process traditionally used for producing coins and medals, and which creates a true relief

The BR 01 BURNING SKULL will be available in a limited series of 500 pieces.