As the Bell & Ross design studio unveils the BR-Bird, a flying machine that features spectacular lines, two new Racing Bird watches inspired by this aircraft have become the symbols of the brand’s passion for aviation and creativity.

The Bell & Ross adventure started in a cockpit with watch designs that were directly inspired by flight instruments and the golden age of aviation. This journey continues to this day on the wrist, naturally, but now it also returns to the skies on the wings of the BR-Bird. While the on-board instruments set the standard for legibility, precision and reliability, the entire history of aviation serves as a powerful inspiration for Bell & Ross.

This area of research has helped the brand create incredible machines rooted in the quest for speed and performance.

In 2014, Bell & Ross expressed its inventiveness through the B-Rocket, a motorcycle with a name paying tribute to the prototypes of the 1950s designed to break the most staggering land speed records on two or four wheels.

This same quest for the ultimate aerodynamics and extreme sportsmanship saw the 2016 launch of the Aero GT, a supercar with the sci-fi silhouette of the Rafale.

In 2017, it was time for a new and exceptional racing car to take to the stage. With a tapered shape reminiscent of the drop tanks used by the fighter jets of the 1940s and four narrow wheels, the Bellytanker returned once more to the world of wheeled machines fighting to break land speed records at the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

With machinery both technically and stylistically inspired by the world of aeronautics, bringing together pioneers both past and future, the B-Rocket, Aero GT, and Bellytanker have been the source of inspiration of exceptional limited edition watches. Today, it is the BR-Bird‘s turn to take to the skies for a new adventure in aviation and watchmaking.

After designing racing cars inspired by aeronautical shapes, Bell & Ross has now designed a plane of its own! It should come as no surprise that it is a high-speed plane capable of competing in the Reno Air Races in record-breaking style.

Every year in Reno, Nevada, at the edge of the American desert, the scene is set for the most extreme speed competition in the aviation world. Created in 1924, this event brings together aircrafts flying at full speed and at very low altitude, on a closed circuit delineated by 10-metre-high pylons.

To have a chance of prevailing in this competition, considered to be the most beautiful air racecourse in the world and of achieving phenomenal public success, the pilots need to be as daring as they are dexterous. And they need a machine with exceptional power, aero dynamism and maneuverability.

The BR-Bird, brainchild of Bruno Belamich, Bell & Ross’s co- founder and creative director, fits the bill. An ultramodern single-seat, propeller-engine aircraft, built entirely of high-tech material (graphite, fiberglass, titanium and aluminum alloy), the BR-Bird is powered by a V12 Rolls Royce Falcon developed on a Merlin base (names that have legendary status in aviation, particularly thanks to the legendary English Spitfire).

While its cockpit is placed as far back as possible, evoking the high speed of dragsters, its short but broad wings, placed very far forward, hark back to the Comet DH.88, Hughes H-1 and the Bugatti-DeMonge 100P of the 1930s, but also the famed P51 Mustang of the 1940s. Its Y-shaped empennage ensures maneuverability, while making it immediately recognizable.

With its meticulously designed shape and its powerful aesthetic, the BR-Bird belongs to the world of speed, forging a bond between aviation history and future technology.

ENGINE	:	RR FALCO V12-60NG (Based on Rolls-Royce Merlin)
POWER	:	4300 ch
PERFORMANCE
MAXIMUM SPEED	:	909 km/h (Mach 0.73)
SIZE
LENGHT	:	9.5 m
WINGSPAN	:	10.31 m
HEIGHT	:	1.66 m
WEIGHT	:	2080 kg (without pilot and liquids)
MAIN MATERIALS	:	48% COMPOSITE (carbon and fiberglass) 24% ALUMINIUM 24% TITANIUM 4% OTHERS

This identity of speed and performance is evident in the design of the three-hand and chronograph Racing Bird watches. These timepieces share their aesthetic choices with the racing aircraft designed by the Bell & Ross studio, particularly the color code:

• The dial is white, like the fuselage of the plane.
  
  
• The numerals, bezel, chronograph counter and strap are blue, like the empennage and decorative elements tracing the aerodynamic lines of the BR-Bird.
  
  
• The central second hand, details on the dial and lining of the leather strap are orange, like the color highlighting the most important information on the flight instruments.
  
  
• The timer is grey, reminiscent of the chequered flag used in speed competitions, like the Bell & Ross logo on the wings and flanks of the aircraft.

On the dial, the numerals use the same typography as the on- board counters, and the date window shows three numerals –a direct reference to flight instrumentation. The final touch is the silhouette of the aircraft on the case back and at the base of the second hand (on the three-hand version) and the second timer (on the chronograph version).

With a 38.5 mm steel case for the BRV1-92 and a 41 mm for the BRV2-94, both versions are powered by a self-winding mechanical movement.

With their graphic design and style, these limited edition BRV1 and BRV2 Racing Bird watches are starting a new chapter in a saga that weaves together Bell & Ross and aviation history, performance, extreme professionals... and passion.

Movement	:	Calibre BR-CAL.302 Automatic mechanical
Functions	:	Hours, minutes, central seconds and date at 3 o'clock
Case	:	Satin-polished steel
Diameter	:	38,5 mm
Dial	:	White Blue painted numerals Metal skeleton Superluminova®-filled hour and minute hands
Crystal	:	Ultra-curved sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Water-resistance	:	100 metres
Bracelet	:	Blue calfskin with orange lining
Buckle	:	Pin. Steel

Movement	:	Calibre BR-CAL.301 Automatic mechanical
Functions	:	Hours, minutes, central seconds and date at 3 o'clock
Chronograph	:	30-min timer at 9 o’clock Central chronograph seconds
Case	:	Satin-polished steel
Diameter	:	38,5 mm
Bezel	:	Steel with anodised blue aluminium ring and tachymeter scale
crown and push-buttons	:	Screw-down
Case-back	:	Sapphire
Dial	:	White Blue painted numerals Metal skeleton Superluminova®-filled hour and minute hands
Crystal	:	Ultra-curved sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Water-resistance	:	100 metres
Bracelet	:	Satin-polished steel or blue calfskin with orange lining
Buckle	:	Folding. Satin-polished steel