When watchmaking draws inspiration from radar screens

Since its creation, Bell & Ross has maintained a close relationship with the world of aviation. The Franco-Swiss brand has notably built its identity around a simple idea: transposing the design principles of professional cockpit instruments onto the wrist. Legibility, functionality, geometry and precision form the foundations of this approach. With the BR-03 Green Radar Ceramic, this philosophy takes a more experimental direction. It is no longer simply a matter of borrowing the visual codes of an altimeter, an artificial horizon or a navigation instrument, but of recreating the distinctive atmosphere of a radar screen. Green naturally dominates the composition. Historically associated with surveillance screens and aerial detection systems, this colour immediately evokes control rooms, military operations and the tracking of aircraft through airspace. But the distinctive character of this watch goes beyond its aesthetics: Bell & Ross abandons conventional hands in favour of a display system based on three independent rotating discs. A way of transforming the reading of time into a miniature representation of air traffic.

Three aircraft to replace the hands

This is undoubtedly the most spectacular feature of the new BR-03. On the dial, three aircraft silhouettes rotate around the same central axis. Each is mounted on a rotating disc and performs a specific function: indicating the hours, minutes or seconds. The aircraft depicted are a Falcon, a Rafale and a Neuron, three aircraft representing different areas of aviation, from business aviation to contemporary military programmes. This architecture visually eliminates traditional hands. The aircraft themselves become the time indicators, while their movements reproduce the flow of information across a radar screen. The display is complemented by green gradients and luminous signatures reminiscent of the traces left by aircraft during a radar sweep. The result is particularly distinctive: rather than simply checking the time, the eye observes an aerial scene in constant motion. This approach does, however, come with a trade-off. Reading the time requires a period of adjustment, unlike on a traditional watch where the hands and hour markers can be identified immediately. The BR-03 Green Radar Ceramic therefore places as much emphasis on the visual experience as it does on the timekeeping function.

A legacy dating back to 2010

This new creation is not a first in the history of Bell & Ross. In 2010, the manufacture had already unveiled the BR-01 Radar, a watch that broke with the conventions of analogue displays by drawing direct inspiration from air traffic control screens. This first interpretation introduced a way of reading the time based on concentric discs, replacing traditional hands with an unusual graphic display. Other versions followed, exploring different colours, materials and configurations. The BR-03 Green Radar Ceramic continues this legacy while introducing an important evolution: for the first time in this configuration, the aircraft silhouettes and their luminous signatures are brought together within a 41 mm BR-03 case. The brand thus retains the founding principle of the Radar collection while offering a more figurative and immersive interpretation.

A 41 mm black ceramic case

The BR-03 Green Radar Ceramic naturally retains Bell & Ross’s characteristic square architecture. Inspired by aircraft cockpit instruments, this case has long been one of the brand’s strongest visual signatures. For this new edition, Bell & Ross has opted for microblasted black ceramic, whose matte finish reinforces the technical and instrumental character of the watch. The case measures 41 mm in width and 10.60 mm in thickness. These dimensions maintain a strong presence on the wrist while offering a more compact format than the early BR-01 Radar models. The choice of ceramic is not purely aesthetic. This material offers excellent scratch resistance and creates a particularly uniform surface, whose matte appearance recalls certain types of professional equipment. The watch also offers water resistance to 100 metres, a specification consistent with its sporting character, even though this BR-03 is obviously not intended to replace a true professional dive watch.

A dial designed like a surveillance instrument

The dial is the true focal point of this edition. Its construction is based on three independent black discs, combined with green gradients that create a sense of depth. The aircraft silhouettes feature Dark Green Super-LumiNova markings, producing a green glow in the dark. The sapphire crystal, tinted green throughout and treated with an anti-reflective coating, contributes directly to the desired visual effect. A targeting reticle also appears beneath the crystal, reinforcing the illusion of a control screen. This layering of several elements creates an unusual display in which the time indications appear to move across different planes. Light plays an essential role here. In darkness, the luminescent markings accentuate the resemblance to traditional radar screens, where information appeared as glowing traces against a dark background. The overall effect is more reminiscent of an aerial surveillance system than a conventional watch dial.

An automatic movement and 54-hour power reserve

Behind this unconventional presentation, the BR-03 Green Radar Ceramic retains a relatively traditional mechanical architecture. It is powered by the BR-CAL.327 calibre, a self-winding mechanical movement offering a stated power reserve of 54 hours. It provides the essential functions of hours, minutes and seconds. The technical originality of the watch therefore lies primarily in its display system, which transforms the conventional rotation of the time indications into the movement of three discs carrying aircraft silhouettes. This solution retains the advantages of an automatic mechanical watch while offering a radically different way of reading the time. The watch is supplied on a black rubber strap, accompanied by a second strap made from ultra-resistant black synthetic fabric. A steel pin buckle with a black PVD finish completes the ensemble.

A military watch in spirit, not in function

For military watch enthusiasts, this BR-03 raises an interesting question: what really defines a military-inspired watch? Historically, watches intended for armed forces were designed to meet precise specifications. Robustness, immediate legibility, reliability and resistance to extreme conditions took precedence over aesthetic considerations. Pilot’s watches and military dive watches therefore developed specific characteristics directly related to the demands of their operational environments. The BR-03 Green Radar Ceramic clearly draws on this heritage, but offers a different interpretation of it. Its dial recreates the visual world of radar systems, its case evokes aviation instruments, and its materials reinforce its technical character. Nevertheless, it is not presented as a military-issued watch, nor as an instrument intended for use in an operational cockpit. Its original display, which places greater emphasis on animation and visual experience, even moves away from the requirement for instant legibility generally associated with military watches. It is precisely this contrast that makes it interesting. Bell & Ross is not attempting to faithfully reproduce an existing piece of military equipment, but rather to transform its graphic language into a contemporary watchmaking object.

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Editor: Éric Barse

Journalist, entrepreneur, and founder of the websites www.cafe-racer-only.com and www.scooter-3-roues.com, Eric Barse divides his time between his passions: motorcycles, travel, and watches. A graduate of the Saint-Cyr military academy and the 2nd RPIMA (Parachute Regiment) before pursuing a career in communications and digital media, he has a true passion for authentic watches that have accompanied his two-wheeled adventures for many years, from the Indian Ocean to Africa and Latin America!