Bell & Ross have quite quietly been having an impressive close to 2023 with the BR 03 41mm collection revitalising one of their core ranges, the BR 03 Gyrocompass adding a sense of fun with its airplane hour hand and now this, the BR-X5 Green Lum. The Green Lum is the spiritual successor of models like the Full Lum except that instead of a fully lumed dial, it has a fully luminescent case.
The case measures 41mm in diameter with a multi-layered construction consisting of black DLC coated titanium and a new luminescent material developed specially for this watch, LM3D. In the official press release LM3D is described as a fibreglass composite consisting of quartz fibres that diffuse a strong green luminescence.
It gives the watch a cool futuristic aesthetic, off-white in light conditions and glowing vividly in the dark. Bell & Ross pride themselves on creating watches inspired by vehicles, but this is less cockpit of a Boeing Airbus and more the cockpit of Blue Origin New Shepard. Just make sure not to leave it on your bedside table by mistake unless you want a nightlight.
Beyond the updated materials of the case and the greater proportion of SuperLumiNova on the display’s hands, hour markers, date window and power reserve subdial, it’s a pretty straightforward addition to the BR-X5 collection. It features the same functions and houses the same movement.
Specifically, it’s the BR CAL.323, which is the first Bell & Ross manufacture movement, designed in collaboration with the movement experts at Kenissi. It has a superb 70-hour power reserve which is vastly superior to the Sellita movements they use in other collections – although the recent update to the BR 03 with the 41mm collection did improve that particular benchmark.
Ultimately the Bell & Ross BR-X5 Green Lum is a really cool limited edition with the right mix of cutting-edge materials, fun design and technical mechanics. Although, all of those things do combine to make it very exclusive with only 500 being produced at a price of £12,000, which is up there, but by no means the most expensive watch Bell & Ross have ever produced. And with the new LM3D case, it is truly a unique timepiece.
Price and Specs:
More details at Bell & Ross.
