Bell & Ross Introduces the New BR 05 Artline Limited Edition

We are now clear through the midway point of the year, and against all odds, Bell & Ross is still the maker of what has to be one of my top five favorite watches of 2022 to this point. Of course, I’m talking about the absolutely bonkers eye chart that is the BR 03-94 Multimeter, a colorful chronograph with an unusual display of multiple scales on a busy, color coded dial. It’s all in a blacked out ceramic case in Bell & Ross’s iconic square shape. I bring up the Multimeter not because the new watch we’re looking at today shares an obvious aesthetic similarity, but because it seems to take a similar avant-garde approach, and is weird in its own way. I can imagine this new limited edition, the BR 05 Artline, appealing to people in the same way the Multimeter appeals to me: on the strength of the bold decision making that went into the design. It’s a bit more subtle, perhaps, but no less interesting as a watch. 

This is the latest iteration on the BR 05 platform, which is quickly being built out at Bell & Ross to match their other distinct product families. This, of course, is their take on an integrated bracelet sports watch (Zach W. reviewed the original BR 05 here, and Blake wrote about the chronograph here). The BR 05 was introduced at a time when it seemed like every brand was trying to get into the integrated bracelet sports watch craze, which (I think?) is still happening, but might be tempered a bit by the simple fact that brands that have decided to play the game have already entered the ring, to mix sports metaphors. Regardless, it always seemed to me that Bell & Ross having a watch in this category was a little less weird than some of the other brands that jumped in when the hysteria was peaking, simply because the iconic square case shape that is a Bell & Ross signature lends itself particularly well to an integrated style. In other words, these watches feel like a logical extension of the Bell & Ross family, rather than a haphazard money grab. 

The Artline features distinctive ridges running vertically down the top of the case and through the middle links of the bracelet. This look is highly evocative of the Streamline architectural style, which emerged in the United States as an offshoot of Art Deco in the 1930s. Streamline architecture is often found in buildings related to transportation (train stations, for example) and is characterized by rounded corners and horizontal orientations. Walls would commonly feature horizontal grooves and ridges, the clear inspiration for the design of the Artline. Streamline style also found its way to household items (toasters, radios) as well as vehicles in the 30s and 40s. Bell & Ross specifically out 1940s era transport planes which featured folded aluminum fuselages as inspiration for the Artline. 

The Artline’s dial is a sunburst gray with lume filled baton hour markers and matching hands. It’s certainly not as stylistically adventurous as the case and bracelet detail, but I think that’s for the best, as it allows for a keener focus on the watch’s most interesting characteristics. The Artline is powered by the BR-CAL 321, which is a rebadged Sellita SW300, and has a power reserve of 42 hours. Like other watches in the BR 05 series, the Artline has a 40mm case that measures 10.5mm thick, and a water resistance rating of 100 meters. 

While my preferences run toward the more colorful Multimeter, I like that Bell & Ross is continuing to take big swings in the design department, and drawing inspiration from sources that are perhaps unlikely for a watch brand. This design might prove to be somewhat polorazing, but there are only 250 of them being made. I have to imagine there are enough vintage toaster enthusiasts out there who might be looking for the perfect matching watch. 

The Artline is available now from Bell & Ross. The retail price is $5,500. Bell & Ross