Why a bronze diver makes sense - Bell and Ross BR-03 92 Bronze Diver Limited Edition

Not sure what trigger the thought in my mind that a diver should be made of bronze, maybe is that memory of

me playing with those scuba diving action figures, those ones who had the old helmet always bronze colour? Or perhaps is just aggressive marketing from the watch brands? Whatever it is I cannot get out of my head how good this category of watches looks with that warm orange patinated case, it just works. In the case of the Bell and Ross Diver Bronze Limited Edition they decided to add a red dial and bezel making it look even nicer, richer and unique to anything that is out there. I was lucky enough to test this square tool beauty for more than a week, it really fits any watch collection because is so different and I mean that in a good way, these days every watch enthusiast complaints about the originality (or lack of it) of every piece, with the Bell and Ross diver there is none of that which is very refreshing, below are my impressions.

Specifications

The Bell and Ross BR 03 92 Bronze Diver Limited Edition has that familiar case shape from the BR 03 92 family which is 42mm by 42mm, it's a perfect square shape watch

and even if the dimension sound small the watch has some wrist presence, that said, there is nothing to be afraid as on my 6.25 inch wrist the watch fits perfectly, it looks like it supposed to. The bronze case is one of the highlights of this piece, it looks so industrial but at the same time so elegant that is hard to argue that can be worn with jeans and t shirt or a more formal attire, still the watch is 300 Mt water resistance which makes it an accomplished tool piece. The bezel has an aluminium insert in a beautiful crimson red which continues on the dial, and what a dial. The lume plots are fill with LumiNova® and surrounded by rose gold, same treatment that the skeletonized hands receive, all of this makes a perfect harmony between the case the red accents, it is very hard to stop staring at.

The watch is power by calibre BR-CAL.302 which is reliable and accurate, it really allows the watch to be thin and be wearable every day. The watch comes on a leather brown coloured calfskin leather and woven black rubber which looks incredible with the case, I will still suggest to pick up a rubber strap directly from Bell and Ross so you can take full advantage of the diving capabilities of the watch.

On the wrist

It is always very hard to judge a square watch, but the fact that this case design has almost no lugs, makes it fit almost any wrist circumference, yes the watch is big but it is supposed to look like this and, once you get pass the idea of a vintage 36mm watch, then the Bell and Ross diver wears very well. The case is flat and very thin, so with a width of 24mm the strap really hugs your wrist, it feels more like an integrated bracelet than a strap. The contrast on the dial makes this watch very legible too, and to be honest never thought that this palette would work well on a watch but it does, check out the photos and you'll understand where I am coming from. The BR 03 92 has also a stainless steel back so the bronze of the watch does not stain your wrist and, coming back to that point, the watch is already showing some degree of wear, it is really becoming its own thing and no 2 would age alike, then add the fact that this watch is a limited edition, the bronze diver has its own aura of uniqueness that cannot be found with many brands.

Conclusion

As you can see I was taken by not only the details nor the exclusivity of the Bell and Ross Bronze Diver Limited Edition, it was the quality as well, everything was so well made, no foreign materials under macro, perfect lume application and a well machined case. I was really happy when I saw the watch for the first time and that is what it was meant to do, put a smile on your face. It might be the case that a big bronze/red watch is not for everyone but I think once you put it on the wrist and start enjoying the ageing process you will be hard press to let it go, just like a had to.

For more information please visit www.bellross.com

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