Bell & Ross Rebuilds the BR-05 Chrono Dial Around a Speed-Skiing Record

The BR-05 is Bell & Ross’s integrated-bracelet sports watch, a round bezel set into a squared-off case, and the chronograph version has shown us that it's a somewhat decent canvas for a collaboration or special edition. Like, for example, this new BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket. It's made for Simon Billy, the French skier who reached 255.50km/h going downhill in 2023, setting a world record. It's also not just a color update, it changes just enough on the dial to make this look completely different.

The steel case is familiar, measuring 42mm wide and 14.25mm thick, with brushed and polished surfaces. Guards protect the screw-down crown, there’s sapphire crystals front and back with anti-reflective coating on the front, and you get 100 meters of water resistance. The thickness comes from the 7750-type movement, often plagues other models that use the same movement, but over 14mm is a tough pill to swallow.

All the real changes are on the dial. The base is matte white, and the red is taken from Billy’s race suit. The applied numerals are red and italic, replacing the mix of Arabic numerals and indices on other BR-05 Chronos, and the italic gives it a sense of speed. The red hour and minute hands are shaped like the long skis used in the sport and filled with Super-LumiNova BGW9, which glows blue. The date has moved from between four and five o’clock down to six, so the layout is now symmetrical: running seconds on the left, a 30-minute counter on the right, date below. There's also a tachymeter on the inner flange.

Inside is the BR-CAL.326, an automatic chronograph that's essentially the Sellita SW510. It beats at 4Hz with 60 hours of power reserve, and there’s a red skier outline on the sapphire caseback. You can choose between a grooved rubber strap in red or a steel bracelet with brushed and polished links.

The Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket (ref. BR05C-KL-ST) is limited to 250 pieces. It's priced at €6,900 on rubber and €7,400 on the bracelet. See more on the Bell & Ross website.