Watchmakers Bell & Ross have unveiled a new addition to their range in the form of the BR-X1 Tourbillon Sapphire Watch. Which is constructed from 9 blocks of sapphire used to create the middle piece, back, top, crystal and four bumpers, assembled with screws.
View the video embedded below to learn more about this unique watches construction and features. Unfortunately no information on pricing or worldwide availability has been released as yet by Bell & Ross, but as soon as information comes to light we will keep you updated as always.
Specifications of the new Bell & Ross BR-X1 Tourbillon Sapphire Watch include :
- Movement: calibre BR-CAL.285 Haute-Horlogerie complication movement. Flying tourbillon with carriage in the shape of the “&” from Bell & Ross.
- Chronograph. Mono-pusher control built into the crown. Start, Stop, Reset. Column wheel mechanism: “high-end” The column wheel is visible under the dial at 12 o’clock. The entire chronograph mechanism is visible on the dial side via the skeleton bridge.
Power reserve. Single barrel offering a power reserve of 100 hours +0 -3, i.e. 4 days minimum. - Skeleton main plate and bridges (of movement and chronograph), developed exclusively by Bell & Ross. Customised, skeleton movement bridge. Satin-finished, 12 – 6 o’clock, with polished bevelling. Customised, skeleton chronograph bridge in satin-finished steel, 12 – 6 o’clock, with polished bevelling. Circular satin-finished tourbillon carriage with polished bevelling
- Functions: Hours and minutes centred. Chronograph: 30-min timer at 11 o’clock, chronograph 60-sec timer at 1 o’clock. Power reserve indicator et 9 o’clock. Flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock
- Case: Cut from a single block of sapphire. Screw assembly Titanium crown incorporating pusher for chronograph functions. Finishes: Polished. Water-resistant to 3 ATM.
- Dial: Sapphire base. Minute and second counters: metallised under the crystal and circular satin-finished, rhodium-plated applique. Power reserve: rhodium-plated circular satin-finished applique. Skeleton metal applique indices filled with white SLN.
- Hands: Faceted skeleton hour and minute hands filled with Superluminova. White painted faceted skeleton power reserve. Polished and blasted finishes.
Constructed around the master grande complication Flying Tourbillon, we added a mono-pusher chronograph. It’s a unique and exclusive caliber, named BR CAL 285. This Haute Horlogerie Caliber is now built on a main plate, of which pillars are cut directly in the same block of metal as the plate.
On the front side, the chronograph complication is highly visible, with the column wheel, the instant jumping minute and the function whips. On the back side, many openings let see the power reserve differential as well as the barrel. The flying tourbillon cage is seeable from everywhere: top, side, back.
A “treasure chest” for a unique movement. Sapphire is a mineral whose scientific name is Corundum. Corundum is the second hardest material on earth, after diamonds. Almost impossible to scratch. Cutting a watch case from a solid block of sapphire is an extremely long and difficult process. It takes tens and tens of hours of machining, then polishing, to produce a single case. The complexity of the case construction is not only a technical mastership challenge but also a way to enhance the protection of the watch
Source: B&Ross