Being a brand specialized in aeronautical instruments and pilot’s watches, Bell & Ross somehow needs to have GMT models in its collection, being probably the most useful complication for aircraft pilots… and frequent travellers. And, without surprise, this complication was already found onboard the BR instrument collection as well as in the Vintage line. Today, the Paris-based brand is updating its square traveller’s watch, with a new version of the BR 03-93 GMT. Redesigned, more modern, more functional, more readable… Let’s have a look at this new edition.
So what you see above is the version of the BR 03-93 GMT that you could get until now, and the one that’s being replaced by the watch we’ll discover below. What we have here is a 42mm x 42mm stainless steel watch, with a matte black dial, orange accents on the central GMT hand and a fixed, engraved stainless steel 24h scale. But GMT watches at Bell & Ross have recently evolved to offer more functionality and better legibility. For instance, the BR V2-93 GMT from the Vintage collection is equipped with an identical central GMT hand, but also benefits from a third time zone display with a rotating, bi-directional bezel. And that’s what comes now on the updated BR 03-93 GMT.
Being part of the instrument collection, you won’t be surprised to find back the emblematic square case of the brand, which is still measuring 42mm across. If the overall shape hasn’t changed much with the update, the case appears slightly more refined in its execution. The case is circular brushed on top with its 4 aligned and functional screws being polished. The sides of the case have a large polished bevel to add dynamism. The central case is vertically brushed. Identical in proportions to the previous iteration, the new BR 03-93 GMT remains also identical for its specifications, with a 100m water-resistance, a solid steel caseback and a push-in crown.
The most important difference in this update, you’ve probably guessed, is the presence of a bi-directional rotating bezel. Allowing to display a third time zone, it is made of stainless steel with 24 clicks, and the insert is anodized aluminium with a two-tone red and black colour scheme. Thus, it means that in addition to the central hand that displays a second time zone, the bezel enables reading a third time zone. Rotating it clockwise subtracts hours and anti-clockwise adds hours.
The dial has also been refreshed. It now comes with a sunray-brushed pattern. The Arabic numerals are applied and vertically brushed and the hour markers are now filled with Super-LumiNova. Classic B&R luminous hands are still used for the hours (local time) and minutes, and the additional hour hand (home time) is now painted red to match the bezel. The date is displayed at 4h30, in a circular tone-on-tone window.
Inside the case of this updated Bell & Ross BR 03-93 GMT no evolutions, as it is still powered by the well-known and robust BR-CAL.303 – which is based on a Sellita SW-330. This automatic movement, with 4Hz frequency and 42h power reserve, is what we typically call a desk GMT, as the crown independently sets the GMT hand by one-hour increments, and not the local time hand (as in a Rolex GMT for instance).
Strap & price
The Bell & Ross BR 03-93 GMT is delivered on a matte black calfskin leather strap with a steel pin buckle. An additional ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric strap is also included. The watch will be priced at EUR 3,800.
More details and orders at www.bellross.com.