Bell & Ross: Playing with circles and squares

Inspired by the dashboard of racing cars and cockpits of jet planes, the oeuvre of Bell & Ross is marked by the distinctive combination of circles and squares in its design. Bell & Ross has made rapid strides in the world of high watchmaking in the recent years and is now a well-known name among watch aficionados. We sit down with Carlos A Rosillo, CEO and Co-Founder, to discuss the marque and its collections on the side lines of Dubai Watch Week

How has the feedback been after Bell & Ross participated for the first time in Watches and Wonders 2023 edition? And how do you feel about participating in Dubai Watch Week?
The feedback for Watches & Wonders has been excellent, and this is the reason why we are here today. Both these fairs are different and cater to different groups. While Watches & Wonders is more for professionals such as retailers, end users, collectors and press, Dubai Watch Week is a mixed audience but it is a moment when you can show at the end of the year all the novelties that has been launched to everybody.

The Seddiqi family has put a lot of their soul and mind into creating an event that is professional yet informal and have developed an ambience that is very intriguing. This is the reason why every edition of Dubai Watch Week has been so successful. There is a unique mix of the professional, congenial, and passionate aspects of watchmaking under the warm sun of Dubai – the epicentre of luxury. This is the reason why Dubai Watch Week has been so successful, why exhibitors feel so comfortable, brands are relaxed and there are good vibes all around.

Dubai Watch Week has been increasing in size every edition, mainly because it is an important event for watch lovers and it is totally different from other watch events like Watches & Wonders. Here, at Dubai Watch Week, brands share much more with collectors, end users, and people who love watches.

Can you tell us briefly about the four pillars of Bell & Ross – Pilot, Diver, Urban, and Racer collections?
All human beings traverse the three elements – sky, land, and sea; our target customer is the professional who travel these elements. We started with pilots and for diving we have the world record for water-resistance at 11,100 metres, at the deepest place in the world. As for the Racer, we have the iconic shape from the cockpit of circles and squares. When you see these shapes, it is easy to recognise a Bell & Ross. Connecting all of these is the Urban. You can go from the professional aspect to the city; you can go from a Pilot to an Urban.

Last year, we moved to a new manufacture and we have developed some very high-end sapphire timepieces such as full sapphire, full tourbillon, and so on – all super expensive. We are surrounded by good vibes and friends; one such is Chanel. Chanel has close ties with Rolex and together they have developed the Kenissi Manufacture, which makes movements. We had a good design, but we needed more. We – Bell & Ross – are designers, engineers, watchmakers, professional users; Kenissi knows how to make good movements. We asked them if they could do something specific for Bell & Ross, and they said, yes, they could. So, in the BR-X5, we could combine the very edgy Bell & Ross design with the technological know-how of Kenissi. They offered a long power reserve of 70 hours; we were happy but we wanted a power reserve indicator on the dial. We have the big date on one side and the power reserve indicator on the other.

Now if the 70 hours of power reserve is a little low, I then have the option of controlling it similar as to how in the dashboard of a car I control the instrument. We were able to get a power indicator, with a 70-hour power reserve. Add to that the COSC certification they were able to give us, and the five years warranty, and a super reliable movement. So having this super solid manufacturing movement made especially for Bell and Ross, we developed the BR-X5. Compared to the to the O5, the X5 has a special kind of design – more edgy, more sophisticated, more technical.

Last year, we developed the Black, with rubber and steel, we then brought out the Blue and then the Carbon Orange. But we said let’s move ahead, could we have something more technical but very light? But Bell & Ross is about legibility. We have developed a special watch; something that has never been done before. The case is X5 manufacture movement, but it is something special and we will unveil it at Dubai Watch Week.

Will all Bell & Ross watches feature that in-house movement or is it going to be only for select models? Because when you have an in-house movement, the cost of the watch actually goes up.
We need both the in-house movement and the Sellita ones. We’re doing a very good job with Sellita. Sellita also is doing very well; they are very reliable, have a large quantity, and are not too expensive. Sometimes they do something specifically for us – skeleton movements. These are great movements and affordable. Nobody else has the skeleton that we have. We have all of these with Sellita and then we have Kenissi; different price points, of course. 70 hours power reserve is something that we don’t have in the Sellita. Now, we have had an upgrade from 42 to 52 hours of power reserve, which is good. It’s good but it is not 70 hours and some people want the higher power reserve.

We wanted to offer something very special. This is the X5, but with Super-Luminova. And we are revealing this officially here with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. This is the world premiere because while the professionals know this from Watches & Wonders, the public don’t know this. The watch is something truly special. This is the way we work, combining forces to create something wonderful.

The brand has grown tremendously in the past five years; why do you think the brand has reached this level of success?
That is because we are different, and because we are consistent. When you see our watches, it looks very distinct. When you are wearing a Bell & Ross watch, I don’t have to see the logo to know who made it and where it comes from. It is different and it’s very distinct. Our watches are round in a square; who else is making watches that are round in a square? Nobody. Round in the square with four screws; we are unique, and we are consistent. Today, I think the brand equity depends on that – and it is not just for us, it is for everybody. Are you consistent and true to who you are? This matters.

Do you think the BR-05 was the catalyst for the success of the brand?
No, it began in 2005 when we introduced the BR-O1 and BR-O3. That was the instrument, the big one and the catalyst for the brand. A catalyst is something that has the balance, the power, and the strength. For Bell & Ross, BR-O1 is the catalyst; the BR-O5 came later. It is unique, but it has the same flavour. If I am going to the desert, I will definitely wear the BR-O3; If I am going to Financial Centre or to Dubai Watch Week, I want to wear the BR-X5. The brand is modern, yet horological; at the same time, it is kind of playful.