Bell & Ross Celebrates 20 Years of the BR-01 with Carlos Rosillo
This year represents an important anniversary for quite a few brands. However, where most are celebrating a milestone year since the founding, Bell & Ross, on the other hand, is celebrating the momentous birthday of a new collection. This year marks the 20th year since the very first BR-01, but the brand might as well be celebrating the 20th birthday of Bell & Ross itself because it was the BR-01 that arguably set the DNA for the brand moving forward. This iconic circle within a square design, inspired by the cockpit gauges of an aircraft, is the legendary impetus that set Bell & Ross on the path to the success it enjoys today.
I remember when Bell & Ross celebrated the 10th anniversary of the BR-01 and unveiled a couple of special editions for that collection, inspired no doubt by the original timepiece. This year, 10 years since that celebration, the iconic design remains, but there is no special BR-01 in sight. Instead, what is being celebrated are the watches that were inspired by the BR-01.
The evolution of this genesis collection, so to speak. At Watches & Wonders Geneva earlier this year, we saw the BR-03, which is a smaller version of the BR-01 offer a new skeletonised movement, custom made in collaboration with Sellita and then the BR-05, which takes the base design of the BR-01 and introduced more sophistication for the more urbane watch enthusiasts, was also served in a smaller, thinner case.
To better understand where Bell & Ross stands today, and what plans might be for the next decade, we managed to snag one of the co-founders of the brand, Carlos Rosillo, while in Geneva, to sit down and have a quick chat with us.
First of all, congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the BR-01. I remember fondly the 10th anniversary of the collection, and here we are, a decade later, and you are celebrating, yet again, the collection that arguably defined the Bell & Ross signature. Maybe we can start by going back to 1992 when the brand was founded, before the BR-01 and how it has evolved since?
When we started Bell & Ross, we were already inspired by aviation. And at the time, we were not the only brand inspired by aviation. But then suddenly, we got into the cockpit and discovered the soul of an aircraft. That soul is its dashboard, and all the instruments that fill that space. We saw the clock, and it was a round clock in a square case, with four screws on the sides.
We were immediately inspired by this design, and with this, we not only found a deeper connection with aviation but also, in the process, developed an icon. This is the identity that came with the BR-01, and it is the Bell & Ross signature that you identify today – the round in a square with four screws. Whether we make the design more professional like the BR-03 or more urban like the BR-05, you still recognise the shape of a Bell & Ross even without the logo.
From there, since we have established a well-defined design language, we can start climbing the steps of sophistication or technicity. Within the BR-03, this year we are introducing skeletonised manufacture movements, for example. Or we can also introduce sophistication with materials like forged carbon, titanium, or fully luminescent ones, like with our recent LM3D.
When the BR-01 was launched, it was unapologetically utilitarian. Would you say Bell & Ross as a brand has evolved over the years, and today you target a different type of clientele?
Yes, but we also maintain the equipping of professionals, like with our past collaborations with the Rafale and Patrouille de France. We are also able to connect with the more urban consumers, the guys who appreciate the functional design but live in the city. We want to inspire our consumers with a heroic mental image, regardless of whether you are more urban or professional.
True, but with this year’s new BR-05 in a 36mm case, you must have also expanded the target audience for Bell & Ross?
The original BR-05 was 40mm, 41mm for the version with the GMT and 42mm for the version with the chronograph (Rosillo proceeds to ask me to put one of the 36mm watches on my wrist). Now, we have a 36mm with an integrated bracelet. How do we know it is the right size, complementary to the 40mm? By intuition, because Bruno (Belamich, the other co-founder of the brand) has an immense sense of creativity, which is huge. And if you look at other brands in the segment, there is always a smaller size.
36mm is a universal size. Additionally, we listened to our clients, and what we found was that a lot of women loved what we were doing with the BR-05, but the 40mm still wore a little big and bold. So, with the 36mm version, we solved the problem.
The BR-S was also created with the same philosophy, if I am not wrong. So now with the smaller BR-05, will the BR-S also make a reappearance?
No. We have no new plans for that collection at the moment.
Since we are speaking on the matter of case size, this year is the 20th anniversary of the BR-01, but there are no new or limited-edition BR-01 watches launched. Is this because the 46mm size of the BR-01 is too big for modern tastes, and the BR-03’s 41 mm specification is more suitable for the contemporary market?
A 46mm case is a little bold, yes. But I think more than size, having a signature icon is more important because it is a consistent platform on which we can build all our collections. After establishing something like this you can have the case size and material change, you can change the colours of the watch; you can change the sophistication in terms of the mechanical aspect, but what stays the same is the iconic shape and when you see it you can immediately recognize it as a Bell & Ross.
With the launch of the BR-X5, you have added a level of sophistication by giving the collection a choice of manufacture movements by working with Kenissi. When making the skeletonised movement for the recently launched BR-03, was there ever a consideration to work with Kenissi rather than modifying a Sellita movement, which was the route that Bell & Ross ultimately chose?
Yes, we explored that option, but with Sellita we managed to achieve a thinner movement, which is more important for the overall design of the BR-03 skeleton, so we chose to go with Sellita instead. And they fully customised this movement exclusively for us.
Circling back a bit to Kenissi, do you find it is difficult to convince your customers to pay extra for a manufacture movement, like moving from the BR-05 to the BR-X5?
No, I find it very natural because there are some people out there who only want the best. To pay for all the options. <He proceeds to show me a slide of the BR-05 and BR-X5 movements side by side> You can see it is not the same level of sophistication. It is like the car industry, when you can see the levels of sophistication, there will be customers who say I am going to pay the premium for the sophistication.
Anniversaries are always a great catalyst for one to look back and take stock of what has been achieved over the years. With that being said, I remember a time when Bell & Ross made great round watches as well, with the BR-V1 or BR-V2 collection. Any plans to bring back these collections?
We have made many round watches over the years, but it is not distinctive enough. They are very beautiful; I love the vintage look of those watches. But look around us, at this fair, how many round watches are there? There are so many. With these, on the other hand <Rosillo proceeds to point at the BR-03 and BR-05 watches displayed on the table>, you see this shape and you immediately recognise it as a Bell & Ross.
With another 10 years done and dusted, what is the plan for the next decade?
We will continue our role. Continue being faithful to who we are. Be more international, more successful and make the next generation enjoy Bell & Ross. We are happy that a lot of young people appreciate that we have a sense of modernity while being able to keep the tradition. The young people appreciate us because we are creative. Very creative.
Within Watches & Wonders, we really see the effect that Formula 1 is having on the industry this year. There was a time when Bell & Ross also had a piece of this pie. Any plans to go back?
We sell watches, not cars. And now there is a lot of competition with other brands that have a lot of money. We had our run with Formula 1. But now, I don’t see a lot of brands associated with planes, and the Rafale is the best plane. When you see a Rafale moving, this is very impressive. And all the engineering from Formula 1 comes from aviation, because it is all aerodynamics. Even material engineering is related to aviation.
So that’s where the focus for Bell & Ross is?
Since day one.
This story was first seen as part of the WOW #79 Summer 2025 Issue
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