Editor’s Note: Watches & Wonders (formerly SIHH) and Baselworld 2020 are canceled but that hasn’t stopped watch brands large and small from debuting their new wares. To stay on top of this year’s best new watch releases, visit our tag page.
There’s more to the French brand Bell & Ross than its famous square pilot watches based on cockpit gauges. Take the newest BR V3-94 Chronograph models: for starters, they’re motorsport-inspired and feature traditional round cases. What they have in common with so many other Bell & Ross watches, however, is refined details and a remarkably balanced design.
The new models offer an aesthetic update to the existing BR V3-94 watches, and the result is something quite different. Whereas previous versions had a strong racing theme with plenty of bright yellow and sporty Arabic numerals, the new models have gone monochrome. The numerals are replaced (mostly) with stick markers and the handset has been switched up too, so what you’ve got is considerably more traditional and handsome. Of course, it also has a distinctly retro feel (but, thankfully, without the all-too-common “aged lume” effect).
Other basic elements remain consistent with the collection, including its 43mm-wide steel case and unidirectional rotating bezel with an aluminum insert. Like other chronographs in Bell & Ross’s collections, the BR V3-94 is powered by an ETA 2894-2 automatic movement. It’s available on a leather strap for $4,300 or steel bracelet for $4,600 directly from the brand.
