Whether it is beach or pool, one of the great things about summer is the water; the relaxed and carefree days where the timed routine and the drudgery of the office commute become a distant memory. Dive watches have, to some extent, become an essential summer wrist accessory. Not that we will all be likely to be diving to any great extent, but most of us will certainly go for the much-needed plunge to cool down.
However, that does not prevent the performance requirements of the dive watch to be anything other than professional. Your dive watch should be able to cope with the abrasive nature of the summer scene, from sand and suntan lotion to seawater and “sundowners” at the local watering hole. Just in time for the height of summer, Bell & Ross have released a couple of limited-edition diver watches.
Bell & Ross timepieces are distinctive and discernible in their design while losing nothing in terms of technical standards. In keeping with the mantra: “professional instruments for extreme professions,” Bell & Ross are perfectly suited for underwater exploration, effectively assisting divers in the deepest waters. The watches are always designed for purpose: highly legible and can be read in all conditions; beautifully manufactured so irrespective of the conditions, the watch has that rugged dependability that will endure and continue to work as required.
The new BR03-92 Diver Ceramic Full Lum
Both of the new BR 03-92 diving watches come in limited editions of 999 pieces. The diver blue bronze represents a throwback to a metal traditionally used in diving equipment and underwater exploration. Bronze is a copper alloy containing tin and because it exhibits a combination of toughness and resistance to saltwater corrosion it is still commonly used in ship propellers, submerged bearings and in boat and ship fittings. Some of the first deep sea diving helmets were actually made from bronze. Bell & Ross have taken note of these historical roots and manufactured the case and bezel from this metal. On the reverse of the watch case there is an engraving of a 1940s diver. Price: £3,500
The second new limited edition, the BR03-92 diver full Lum concentrates on the other requirements of a dive watch: visibility and luminosity. In conditions where your oxygen supply is limited to a finite time horizon, you need to be able to read the minutes and perhaps hours you are submerged beneath the water. Rather than use the traditional luminous material on the hands and hour markers, Bell & Ross have adapted its “Lum” concept to its diving collection and reversed the legibility principles. By doing so, they have produced an ultra-visible diving watch.
Housed in a black ceramic case, the brand has worked on different shades of luminescence by using Superluminova C3 and Superluminova C5. When the world around you becomes dark, either because of night, or from diving into the watery depths, the luminescent dial radiates light. The time is read by the darker hour and minute hands against the luminescent glow. Price: £3,800.
Despite the noted aesthetics and the professional dive standards to the case and dial, both watches are fitted with the highly dependable and modified automatic ETA 2894-2 base calibre. This might be the workhorse movement for a large proportion of the watch industry, but that is the beauty of it: a tried and tested form that is known to perform well. The material for the watch straps is either woven black rubber or ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric.
So irrespective of whether you are diving to the ocean’s depths, or simply risk falling gracefully into the swimming pool this summer, the Bell & Ross dive watch is the necessary wrist wear. Fit for purpose from beach to bar!
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