The History of Bell & Ross Watches

A group of designers and specialist of aircraft and space controls met to discuss the possibility of the creation of watches for professional use. They intended to take part of the great Swiss watchmaking tradition and at the same time take the demands of people facing difficult and extreme situations into account.
Used as tools on their missions, Bell & Ross watches are worn by astronaut’s pilots and bomb disposal experts.
The extreme situations that pilots, divers, astronauts and bomb disposal experts have to face, for instance, violent accelerations, exceptional temperatures and dangerous pressures, are examined and studied by Bell & Ross.

In order to guarantee that the customer’s needs are covered, Bell & Ross hires professionals who know how. Its unique aim is to design a utilitarian watch. Due to this, great watchmakers, engineers, designers and professional users work together in the same direction, holding the same belief. The vital is never compromised by the shallow.
Bell & Ross watches are led by four basic principles: trustworthiness, performance, and precision and water resistance. Therefore, every single detail has a purpose and a function. The latest adjustments of watches in Switzerland, in the production unit of La Chaux-de-Fonds, are developed, assembled and performed by Bell & Ross watchmakers.
In 1993, Bruno Belamich and Carlos A. Rosillo, two friends from childhood, decided to take awesome adventures in the watchmaking of the 20th century.

The brand Bell & Ross brand could be just defined by the concepts of efficiency, reliability and legibility.

Sinn, a manufacture who specialized in the production of dashboard meters, was joined by these two smart inventors who decided to collaborate with him. Due to this collaboration, Space One and Hydro were born.

The second idea was to help the brand gain a strong identity as a perfect chronometer so as to meet the wishes of the demanding users.

Not only was Bell and Ross adopted by NATO and the Air Force, but also by the French security service’s bomb disposal squad.

In order to highlight, they designed and created Hydromax, an impressive watch able to resist deep underwater work to 11,000 meters.

The also had the ability to restore with a huge success the taste for pilot watches, which was starting to be forgotten.

It was in 1994 when the first automatic chronometer meant to be used in the space was re issued. It was the Bell & Ross Space 1. In 1983, this watch was worn by the German astronaut Reinhart Furrer, a German astronaut on the Spacelab mission.

In 1996, the Bell & Ross Bomb Disposal Type was created.

It was designed to be worn by the bomb disposal unit of the French Security Services. The watch featured an anti-magnetic, A-magnetic case, and the legibility, trustworthiness and exactitude to address the particular needs of bomb disposal operations.
In 1997, Bell & Ross was awarded for the Hydro Challenger, a watch which keeps a record in the Guinness Book of records for a world water resistance (11,000 meters).
In 1998 the Space 3 chronograph was born, proving Bell & Ross’ know how. It has a screwed down, T-Crown system, a telescopic retractable winding crown, which allows the winding crown which can fit the depth of the case.

In 2000 there was a second increase in the Chanel stake. However, Bell & Ross preserved a majority holding.
Bell & Ross made public the modern multifunction men’s watch Function in 2001. It brought together the classic style with the modern movement’s digital display and analog.
Due to Bell and Rose collaboration with the genius watchcraftman Vincent Calabrese, the Vintage 123 Heure Sautante was born in 2002. It is the first hour hand watch with power reserve indicator and with an automatic movement. It was the end of the cooperation with Sinn and the production at Chatelain in Chaux des Fonds.

As a render to women, Bell & Ross created the Mystery Diamond in 2003. It absolutely hid the top secret mystery of its lightness, which was due to a floating diamond that turns between the crystal and the dial to show the time.

In 2005 the BR 01 Instrument was presented. This wristwatch was born of an airplane clock.