Bell&Ross: BR 01 Laughing Skull
1 June 2018The Bell&Ross skull family widens and evolves in functions… The new BR 01 Laughing Skulls is the first watch of the collection equipped with an automaton movement. The mandible moves and the skull grins back at you.
The skull symbol has been used for centuries, particularly by pirates. They consider it a talisman that brings them courage and frightens off their enemies. It is also used by the military, as a constant reminder of their own vulnerability. These professionals often face death in the line of duty and this image appears on their uniforms and aircrafts. This watch pays tribute to them all.
With its new BR 01 Laughing Skull watch, Bell&Ross is venturing into the field of automata for the first time. These autonomous mechanisms, which feature an animated display, appeared in Europe in the 14th century at the same time as mechanical clocks. They often take the form of a Jaquemart, an animated mechanized figure of a person, fitted to a church clock tower to strike the hours on a bell. The original Laughing Skull concept is therefore a kind of direct descendant of these elegant animation systems.
The new watch conceals a powerful character. The skull’s mandible is animated during winding. To create it, the brand developed the BR-CAL.206: a caliber entirely produced by the manufacture that is also skull-shaped, so that the mechanism fits the case perfectly. In the extension of the 4 bones, the 4 bridges secure the main plate to the case and come together to form a single assembly floating in the center of the watch.
The 46 mm case is made from microblasted steel and decorated with a “Clous de Paris” finish. This type of guilloché pattern requires special machining.
Naturally, the skull on the dial is the key feature of this watch. It has been made from metal appliqué, which has been embossed to create a relief pattern. This process is usually used to mint coins or make medals. As an added bonus, the skeleton work gives the impression that the skull is floating weightless in the center of the case. The sword-shaped hands are similar to those on the earlier Skull collections, but on this model they are skeletonized and coated in SuperLuminova.
The new Bell&Ross BR 01 Laughing Skull is produced in a limited edition of 500 pieces and is available in three different versions: Steel €.8.900, Light Diamond €.15.000 and Full Diamond €.25.000.
