Bell & Ross BR01-92 Carbon

This is the Bell & Ross BR01-92 Carbon watch. I bought this watch about 8 months ago. Although it's still considered new, I have to say that this watch served me very well so far. This is a very big watch. Case diameter measures at 46mm. Has a nice weight to it but it is not thick, so this watch will be able to fit nicely under your sleeves. It has a water resistance of 100m. Ok, let me see what else I can describe…. Just look at the few wrist shots below, I have nothing much to say because it’s so simple! It doesn’t even have a window which displays the date! But this is what I like about it. It doesn’t have small meters which displays altitude, body temperature, blood pressure, weather, alarm, or a hidden self destruct button that makes it explode when you enter some code to it. This watch simply just tells you the TIME!

 

This is a very legible watch. It has big white markers which makes legibility optimal against its black background. Speaking of "black", the watch is coated with Super-luminova which makes reading easy at dark conditions. Also, look how big the hands are. It looks just like a mini wall clock, and when you walk around in the streets, old people can actually read the time on it without their reading glasses on! Haha! And of course, in my opinion, everyone will be able to look at how beautiful this watch is. It also has anti-reflective coating on its scratch resistant sapphire crystal. Well of course some of you might disagree with me thinking that this watch just looks ridiculous. You might think it’s like mounting an iPad mini on your wrist. Well, for this watch, I think its either you like it or you hate it. There’s not much “in between” in opinions.
 

I wear my BR01-92 on a rubber strap. It is wide which matches the lugs on the watch but tapers down towards the end of the strap. When worn on the wrist, some may find that it looked just like a black wrist sweatband. If you don’t like the rubber strap, you can choose to wear it on a leather strap. Bell & Ross also provides a Velcro nylon strap if you want to wear it over your coverall if you are a fighter pilot, or you simply prefer the NATO/ZULU strap look. It is comfortable on the wrist and has good wrist presence.

The watch uses a reliable ETA 2892-2 movement which beats 28,800BPH (8 ticks per second). It has a power reserve of about 40 hours. Timekeeping accuracy is typically at -2seconds/day, but it can vary up to about -5seconds/day if it is not wound up properly. This is a very accurate watch.

The BR01-92 is equipped with a screw-down crown. I particularly like watches with screw-down crowns not only for its water resistant properties, but also, in my opinion, makes the crown sturdier because it takes additional effort to “pull out” or move the crown when it’s screwed down properly. But of course you have to be careful not to over tighten it which may spoil the thread in its mechanism.

The wrist shot below shows you the effectiveness of the anti-reflective coating on its sapphire crystal. It really enhances legibility. Some people don't like the anti-reflective coating on the crystal because if you have a scratch on it (you will probably not scratch it because it is scratch resistant but sometimes bad things happen), the scratch will be very obvious. Also, fingerprints and water stains will be very obvious on the crystal if you do not wipe it clean often. But when its clean, like in the picture below, it will seem as if the watch has no crystal and some will be tempted to touch the crystal just to confirm what they see. (that's when you get back the fingerprints!) Anyway, I like the anti-reflective coating.

 

 

The BR01 line is Bell & Ross’s trademark model. The design is inspired by the cockpits on aircrafts which is the ultimate reference point for legibility.  Some of them have chronograph features (BR01-94) and some comes with a power reserve indicator (BR01-97). They come in different colours and materials. You can have it in Stainless Steel cases, PVD finish cases (Carbon), or Ceramic cases. They also have limited edition models which come in different colours, like models with blue or yellow markers. If you like the design of this watch but feel that it’s way too big, you may want to look at their BR03 models which come in 42mm cases.  Take a look at their website or visit an Authorized Dealer which holds this brand if you are interested in buying one.

 

 

Pilot in the picture is wearing the BR01-94 Carbon (Chronograph model)

For those who are unfamiliar with this brand, Bell & Ross is very much inspired by military watches. With their motto, “the essential is never compromised by the superfluous”, you can have an idea of what kinds of watches they make.  What I know so far is that they make really nice watches on their Aviation, Divers, and Vintage lines. You can take a look in their website for a better understanding of their direction. They have described their “watch making principles” which I very much agree. I agree with it so much that in future when I buy a new timepiece, I will definitely consider my purchase with reference to it.  

1.       Legibility – They aim to make their dials very clear which makes reading very easy. You won't need to use a magnifying glass, do mental calculations in your head, guess, use a ruler, or when you are so fed up you just use the time on your mobile phone.

2.       Reliability – They make watches with accurate timekeeping which will still be useable even in the most rugged or extreme environments.

3.       Functional – They use robust materials in their watches so it will be practical in most situations. They also have chronograph models which some might find it useful.

4.       Water Resistance – Some models have water resistance of up to 1000m.

 

These four principles are very important for military and professional watches. Of course, if you love watches, you would want your watch to be of a make whose name holds sufficient weight to it. I know Casio watches can cost below $100 but the brand says “Casio”. No offense to Casio watches, I know they make very functional watches at very affordable prices. But if you like watches, you’ll understand that there is a huge difference between a Rolex and a Timex in terms of ownership, and of course the prestige which most enjoy.

 

 

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean

 

Bought this watch about 2 weeks ago. It’s an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean with Omega’s new in-house made 8500 calibre movement. It’s a 42mm watch. It is also available in a bigger case which measures 45.5mm. Initially, I was more attracted to the 45.5mm version, but chose the 42mm over the 45.5mm because I feel it’s more appropriate to have a mid-sized watch. The 42mm looks more “pleasant” on my wrist (I have a 6 ½ inch wrist). It just fits right, as compared to my Bell & Ross BR01 which measures 46mm.

Now I shall talk about details which are more in-depth. The watch is water resistant to 600m/2000ft. It’s a chronometer with Omega’s signature Co-Axial Escapement movement.  I’m not too sure about the Co-Axial Escapement thing, what I do know is that it’s supposed to provide more stability to the timekeeping accuracy, and it lengthens the service intervals significantly. This watch is very accurate so far, daily variation on average of 10 days is about -1sec/day.

 

The watch has a ceramic bezel. That’s why it looks kind of “greyish” rather than black. Some people will prefer a more solid black bezel like its predecessor (Planet Ocean with 2500 calibre). This is because the older model does not have a ceramic bezel but an aluminium one. I guess Omega added ceramic to the watch’s bezel to make it more scratch resistant. If you happen to be in an Omega boutique, you should check out the one with the LiquidMetal bezel. It’s shinier than the ceramic ones. But of course,  the price is also much “shinier”. I remember seeing this particular LiquidMetal model in blue. The watch is made of titanium. I have to say that the weight is like 5x lighter than the stainless steel case Planet Ocean! You should check out on YouTube Omega's LiquidMetal Technology. Amazing.  

 

The older version of the Planet Ocean (2500c) is on the left and the newer version (8500c) is on the right. It looks pretty much the same from far. Omega has made a couple of improvements to it but I shall not describe everything in detail. So let me just talk about the more “obvious” changes as compared to its predecessor. I personally feel the 8500c version has a bolder look to it. In terms of looks, the biggest difference is in its bezel, the minute hand, and the orange “Seamaster” word near its 12 o’clock marker. Another obvious difference is also the case back. Omega is so proud of its in-house made 8500c movement that they wanted to make these new Planet Ocean models with a see through case back. With that, more works has to be done in the production process so as to not affect its 600m water resistance. The 2500c version has a screw-in case back.

The Planet Ocean 8500c has a silicon hairspring (Si14) which makes the watch anti-magnetic and improves its shock resistance. The watch has a power reserve of 60 hours, up from 48 hours in the previous 2500c version. This watch ticks 7 times per second, which makes the "sweep" of the second hand nice and smooth. The ceramic bezel is uni-directional and only turns in the anti-clockwise direction for safety reasons if you should use this watch for deep sea diving. The high quality bezel, which makes 120 clicks per revolution, is smooth when turning and produces very pleasant clicking sounds. The bracelet on the watch feels sturdy and solid, with a nice mixture of brushed and polished grade 316 stainless steel. This watch is pretty heavy, but has very good wrist presence when wearing. The lume on the watch is blue, except for the minute hand which is green.

There are too many things I like about this new Omega Planet Ocean watch that I bought. A watch with unparalleled beauty. I simply just love it!