MILITARY MINDED GOING WHERE NO WATCH JOURNALIST HAS GONE BEFORE

What does an F-15 supersonic flight, a visit to a nuclear missile bunker and a B-52 sortie have in common? For each of the three, I wore a trusty Bell & Ross watch.

Last summer, during a U.S. Air Force event at the Pentagon called Magazine Day, I was exposed to, and became interested in, the many workings of that branch of the military. Later, I was lucky enough to be offered a rare personal glimpse into some of those workings: flights in an F-15 and B-52, venerable USAF aircraft workhorses, and a visit to a live U.S. nuclear missile bunker, 70 feet underground. The experiences themselves, of course, were amazing, but my takeaway was more in the stellar airmen and airwomen I met. They were polite, capable, efficient and, most importantly, possess an old-fashioned virtue called character in carrying out their difficult defense responsibilities. I want to personally thank all who took care of me for three of the best experiences of my life.

THE BR03-94 BLACK MATTE CERAMIC

The watch I wore for these amazing experiences was the BR03-94 Black Matte Ceramic. An incredibly light — thanks to the black matte ceramic — chronograph it fit in perfectly in all these environments, as its design is inspired by military gauges and meters.

I found the watch very comfortable to wear, and it received a lot of comments from the service men and women I interacted with.

They all liked the clean look and inquired as to what watch it was, taking note when I told them.

The BR03-94 performed flawlessly as well, meeting the requirements of precision and performance that Bell & Ross has for its professional instruments. Their watches are built with performance in mind and every detail, case diameter, special functions, water-resistance, day and night readability, luminous indexes, oversized numerals, precision, autonomy, shock and temperature resistance, anti-magnetic cases and more are designed thoughtfully.

I felt confident going into each experience knowing that my Bell & Ross wouldn’t let me down and, unlike me, had every right to be there.