BELL & ROSS X THE RAKE AND REVOLUTION BELLYTANKER “EL MIRAGE” AND “DUSTY” CHRONOGRAPHS

I have always cherished masters of self-invention, from David Bowie to Archie Leach. But what do Ziggy Stardust, and the irrepressibly suave Cary Grant have in common with the watch brand Bell & Ross? They’ve never let history get in their way. Rather they captured and bottled the zeitgeist of their respective eras, plotting an unfailing course to capturing our hearts and keeping us entertained beyond all others with their irrepressible charm and inimitable style.

Bell & Ross was born out of the vivid imagination and single vision of two of the nicest men in the Swiss watchmaking industry, Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo. “We knew each other at school and we immediately got on,” says Rosillo. “Bruno was only in Paris for one year and then his family moved back to Burgundy. But one year was enough to know that we were destined to work together.” Their paths crossed again after Belamich had graduated from design school and Rosillo had finished his business degree and had worked for some years in finance. Together they envisioned a watch brand based on the military-and aviation-style watches that had captured their imagination since childhood.

In 1992, they started Bell & Ross with a $20,000 investment. Initially they collaborated with Sinn, who fabricated their watches for them during these early years. The brand made big news in 1997 when it created the Hydromax, a liquid-filled quartz watch that descended to 11,000 metres below sea level. The buzz they generated brought suitors and that same year Chanel made a strategic investment in the brand.

FLYING HIGH

In 2002, they were able to build their own manufacture and gain valuable autonomy from Sinn. Constantly inspired by aviation, in 2005 the brand unveiled a square