Bell & Ross Adds to their Flight Instruments Collection with the BR 03 Gyrocompass

Earlier this month, we shared news that Bell & Ross has recalibrated their iconic BR 03 case to be just a little bit more wearable, adding several revamped versions of the classic aviation inspired into the collection in one fell swoop. Now, just weeks later, we get what would appear to be the first newly released watch in the BR 03 collection following that announcement to see the benefit of the new case dimensions. As a total sucker for the weirder side of Bell & Ross, I’m glad to see that the watch chosen for the occassion is a new entry in their Flight Instruments collection, a strange corner of the Bell & Ross catalog where you’ll find watches that recreate the aesthetic of cockpit instruments. This latest watch, the BR 03 Gyrocompass, uses an essential flight tool as inspiration for a dial that makes it very clear that this thing belongs in the sky. 

The Flight Instruments collection dates back to 2010, and over the years Bell & Ross has created watches that recreate cockpit necessities like radar screen, horizon line indicators, and altimeters. These watches are among the most whimsical in the Bell & Ross lineup because normally they don’t offer any additional functionality related to the instrument they are emulating. The radar inspired watches just have a dynamic red sheen over the dial, and the horizon line watch uses a two piece dial to suggest the instrument, but in watch form. Similarly, the Gyrocompass seen here is merely an ode to the real thing, a purely aesthetic creation. A real gyrocompass, used to orient pilots to their direction of travel by magnetic compass, would see the outline of the plane rotating along with the watch case. That’s not the case here, but it’s still evocative, and that’s what this collection has always been about. 

The dial is of course dominated by a silhouette of a fighter plane in an electric green color. The nose of the plane is an hour indicator, and it’s mated to a minute hand tipped with a large white triangle. The running seconds hand has also been given a lumed white tip, as well as a counterweight that extends the hand to cross the dial’s full diameter. This is perhaps my single favorite design choice on the watch, as it is both completely unnecessary while also perfectly selling the instrument inspiration behind the watch. The dial is further accented with compass indications for north, south, east, and west, and we get a very discreet date window at the 4:30 position. 

The case is the new 41mm version of the BR 03 design, made of ceramic for a stealthy and toolish vibe. It measures just 10.6mm tall, so should be quite comfortable given the slightly smaller proportions. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters, and runs on the BR-CAL.302 caliber with 54 hours of power reserve. 

The BR 03 Gyrocompass is a limited edition of 999 pieces. The retail price is $4,500. Bell & Ross