Is the Bell & Ross Red Radar the most viral watch of 2022? We are only at the beginning of April and the heir of the Swatch Pradè and the MoonSwatch has perhaps emerged from the IWS Instagram profile.
The viral video on Instagram
I say this because at this very moment in which I am writing the article, a Instagram Reel published on our account has so far totaled 8.5 million views and 200 thousand likes, numbers that we never ever expected.
During VO’Clock Privé at Vicenzaoro we had the opportunity to take a tour among different exhibiting brands at the fair and among these there was Bell & Ross, the Maison born in 1992 creating watches with Sinn, and which started producing its own timepiece in 2002.
What is special about the Bell & Ross Red Radar?
While we were looking at the latest watches of the brand, a tray with 5 watches appears, including the Red Radar: the world stops and my eyes too: it was the coolest watch I had ever seen. Really, I couldn’t believe it, the display in this red sapphire was kind of hypnotising.
It was enough to try it on the wrist for the magic to come true.
Its birth in 2011
The first Red Radar actually came to life in 2011 with the reference BR 01-092 you see on the left. In this case, the display was equipped with 3 streams of different sizes indicating hours (outer circle), minutes (middle circle) and seconds (inner circle). The case of the first Red Radar was in steel with black PVD coating while the modern one is in black ceramic.
In the new Red Radar BR 03-92 presented in 2021 the layout remains the same but the modes change: a reconnaissance aircraft for the hours, a fighter jet for the minutes and a straight sonar-style hand that extends the entire length of the dial. Each representation was obviously chosen for its characteristics, where the chase of the minutes is faster than the recon of the hours, as in real life.
Both versions are Limited Editions of 999 pieces each.
The characteristics of the BR 03-92 Red Radar
The ceramic case has a rather small size (42mm) compared to what we might expect from an aviator’s watch. Being square, the feeling on the wrist is less enveloping than round-case watches, but at the same time it remains very comfortable thanks to the rubber strap or an additional version in ultra-resistant canvas.
The BR-CAL.302 mechanism is mechanical with automatic winding, although the display may be misleading due to its dynamism. For the latter there is a sapphire disc that simulates the “sonar” we were talking about earlier, while two other metal discs are decorated with the figure of the fighter and the recon. Each of these parts is then linked to the mechanism that makes them move forward with the passage of time.
The watch is also water resistant to 100 meters, which will allow you to take a dip in the sea or swimming pool when you are not on board your jet!
Price and availability of the Bell & Ross Red Radar
The current price of the BR 03-92 is € 4,100 and is limited to 999 pieces worldwide. It is currently available for purchase on the official Bell & Ross website although we don’t know for how long yet. The requests that we ourselves as IWS received were hundreds and from GMT – Great Master of Time in Milan, the only watch available was immediately sold out.
What do you think of this watch? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
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