Bell & Ross Reveal New BR-X3 Collection with Kennisi Movement

After a much needed upgrade to their movements in 2024 Bell & Ross appears to have a new lease of life. While they’re predominantly focussing on the BR-03 and BR-05 collections, there’ve had a burst of creativity resulting in watches like the Diver Lum Outline that balance the instrument watch heritage of the brand with interesting new designs. However, while they’ve released lots of creative versions of existing models, it has been ages since Bell & Ross launched a new collection. Which is what we finally have with the new BR-X3.

It follows in the footsteps of the BR-X5 collection, which is the modern, urban counterpart to the BR-05 collection. So following that logic you can easily reason that the BR-X3 is the modern, urban counterpart to the BR-03 and you’d be correct. It takes the signature ‘circle on a square’ design and turns it up to the next level by making it bolder and more dramatic. The perfect example of which is the fact the 41mm case features a totally new construction with a sandwich style structure where there’s a plate at the front and back of the watch that are held together by the visible screws, sandwiching the case middle.

Further changes to the case are the introduction of crown guards either side of the screw-down crowd and a new rubber ring around the outer edge of the circular bezel. The starting collection is available in two materials: dark grey, matte titanium or satin brushed and polished steel. Part of the concept behind the BR-X3 is that the multi-layer construction of the case means that in future Bell & Ross can mix and match materials and colours. So, I wouldn’t be surprised to see ceramic or precious metals make an appearance at some point.

Moving to the dial it features what Bell & Ross are describing as an X shaped layout. In practice it’s not so much an X as an hour glass with the central waist flanked at 3 o’clock by a wide date window and at 9 by a power reserve indicator. The display is completed by lumed hour markers and oversize Arabic numerals that pay homage to the instrument history of the collection, ensuring the watch remains nice and legible.

The titanium edition features a black dial, which is why its official designation is BR-X3 Black Titanium while the BR-X3 Blue Steel has a dial that is… blue. The dial colours are also matched to the rubber ring on the bezel. That’s also true of the blue rubber strap with perforated gaps that make it breathable, stopping you from getting gross, sweaty wrists on hot days.

Below the dial is the BR-CAL.323 automatic, developed specifically for Bell & Ross by Kennisi, a leading movement manufacture known for their work with the likes of Tudor and Tag Heuer. The BR-CAL.323 is COSC chronometer certified with a great 70-hour power reserve, making it nice and weekend proof. It’s quite a step up from B&R’s normal Sellita fare, especially for a non-special edition.

Admittedly that is reflected in the price, which is £6,300 for the BR-X3 Blue Steel and £7,200 for the Black Titanium. That puts them directly in competition with those other Kenissi brands but for once I think the Bell & Ross has the specs to back up being in that price bracket. It’s not my favourite Bell & Ross launch of the year but I think it shows a good amount of promise.

More details at Bell & Ross.