There are a lot of very serious and high minded reasons people love watches. Their place in history and culture, the science and engineering behind the mechanical movements that power them, and of course their existence as fascinating design objects all play a role in our enthusiasm. Bell & Ross’s new release, the BR V2-94 FULL LUM, certainly taps into all three of those areas, but the real appeal of this watch lies in something far more elemental: we like things that glow in the dark.
Fully lumed dials are nothing new, and Bell & Ross themselves have gone down this path before, but there’s a childlike fascination with these dials that bubbles up to the surface everytime we see one of these, and the new release from B&R appears to be a particularly well executed example. Bell & Ross starts with the BR V2 chronograph, their medium sized, two-register aviation inspired chrono. This is a watch with a 41mm case that sits between the larger BR V3 (reviewed here) and the more classically proportioned BR V1 collections. It’s a simple enough design template, with a running seconds register at 3:00, a thirty minute totalizer at 9:00, and a timing bezel for good measure. Bell & Ross utilizes their trademark oversized 12 and 6 Arabics and stealthy 4:30 date window here as well. It’s a solid steel sports watch that’s the clear flip side to the brand’s square cased, instrument inspired watches.
In daylight, the dial appears to take on a soft, pastel green tone, which is definitely on trend at the moment. Bell & Ross has paid just as much attention to how the BR V2-94 FULL LUM looks in daylight as it does in the evening, and have rendered the subdials and hour markers in yellow tones that match the green nicely. The handset, chronograph registers, and hour markers all use black outlines for additional contrast, which helps legibility tremendously on a dial with such a light color profile.
The real draw of any fully lumed dial is going to be the effect you get in a dark room, and based on the supplied images from Bell & Ross, the V2-94 delivers. Most of the dial lights up in a bright fluorescent green, but the 9:00 sundial glows blue. It’s an undeniably cool effect, and if you don’t already have a good UV flashlight for lighting up your watches while you’re toiling away at your desk throughout the workday (I know I’m not the only one), the lume treatment here absolutely necessitates one.
The BR V2-94 FULL LUM is a limited edition of just 250 pieces, so if you’re a lume nut, it’s time to check in with your local Bell & Ross dealer, or head to their website to get a pre-order in. The retail price is $5,100, and delivery is expected to begin at the end of April. Bell & Ross
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