BR03-93 GMT
Pictorial review
Pictorial review
It's been a while since I've done a rep review, mostly because in the last couple of years I simple did not buy any.
From time to time I saw a watch I liked but each time my interest rapidly fell.
This was since I saw this watch being released.
I have to thank from watcharchive for being brave enough to invest in replicating this uncommon and imho underrated brand. The release of this GMT model made me browse through the Bell&Ross website discovering a few very interesting new models which I think could make the brand move up to the next level.
The golden heritage, the diver, the horolum and others are watches with a very distinct character. They are and look like very masculine tool watches yet at the same time a wise use of sensitive details make it clear these are undoubtedly luxury watches.
THE GEN
Bell&Ross was founded in 1992 by Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo, who at first collaborated with german watchmaker Sinn, releasing some interesting enough models but mostly simple re-issues of Sinn production.
In 2002 the collaboration ended and B&R started producing watches on their own, but it was only in 2005 that they introduced the BR01, a 46 mm square watch with a design which took inspiration from airplane cockpits. The real first born of the current "instrument" line-up.
The design language is very similar to Panerai: the combination of square case and round bezel, the big numbers on the dial, echoes from a military heritage, even the shape of the buckle remind in some way of Panerai.
And guess who likes them too?
Ok, so there are things the two brands share, but at the same time there is a definite freshness in B&R design that somehow Panerai has lost lately imho.
I'm sure those who know me can imagine I don't say this lightly, I consider myself one of the biggest PAM lovers after all and no brand will ever take their place in my heart. But these new B&R's carved their small spot in my preferences and I can tell you this will not be my last watch from this brand (especially if would release a good rep of the golden heritage
)THE REP
Model: BR03-92 GMT
Maker: Watcharchive
Movement: asian 2836
Dealer: Watcharchive
It was my first order with locolouie and, once I got familiar with the website's options, the deal was smooth and fairly quick. A few days after payment I got a set of Hi-res QC pics, then a couple days later more pics showing the special mods done to the watch (movement oiling and rotor silencing) and the results of a timegrapher. The picture show the rotor and the auto-winding bridge being removed and oiled.
I was very impressed by this as I did not ask for it and indeed my watch is as silent as a ninja
On the other hand I have to point out that, once I got the watch, caseback needed to be reseated in order to align correctly with midcase. It was only a matter of unscrewing a little the four screws on the back, realign the CB and screw back in, indeed a non-issue for a guy like me who's constantly messing with watches and a 3 minutes job for any watchsmith or tinkerer.
CASE
Case construction is pretty special on this watch, it's made like a sandwich that's held together by the four screw you can see on the fron of the watch which go all through the case and link to the caseback. The rep is made just like the gen in this regard.
The maker did an awesome job on the case, the finishing details are especially important and well executed on this rep. Take a look at the polished bevels on midcase and bezel, they're just great. Also, obvious but no so much when we talk about reps, the four top screws are slightly sunken and have the correct inclination towards the bezel.
GEN SIDE
REP SIDE
The above pic shows imho the most noticeable and maybe the only real flaw of this rep. As you can see rep lugs have a more rounded top part compared to gen which has very sharp edge where the lug starts to go down.
Besides, the hex nuts which hold the strap look to be smaller than the gen.
CRYSTAL
GEN
REP
Rep crystal is sapphire with a very good AR coating. I don't know if coating is single or double sided but clarity is excellent and totally comparable to the gen pics I saw online. Most of the time it's practically invisible.
Height looks correct as well.
DIAL
GEN
REP
Dial is fantastic, busy and simple at the same time. Factory did a great job replicating this dial as you can see, the differences are totally minor and can be synthesized in very minor differences in the fonts used for inscriptions. The four big brushed numbers look perfectly shaped to my eyes, the minute track is perfect as well as the 5 minute indexes.
Date is very slightly sunken due the different movement used in rep, but I can't really say it's a noticeable flaw considering how small the date window is and the black datewheel.
HANDS
GEN
REP
Hands are sword shaped, with a 3d effect that's perfectly replicated. An interesting and very nice detail about the hands is how one half of them is mirror polished while the other half is micro-blasted. Although I couldn't really capture it with my camera, please believe me when say that this has been perfectly replicated.
Besides, for this specific BR03 the designers not only took inspiration from Panerai, they also took their GMT hand straight out of one of the most iconic Rolexes ever: the "Steve McQueen" or "Freccione" 1655 form the 70's. The big orange GMT hand looks great on this watch, its color matches the triangle at 12 on the bezel while the "GMT" inscription on the dial is a bit darker. These details add some nice and striking accents.
The seconds hand is matte white, continuing the Explorer theme.
BEZEL
Bezel overlaps slightly the squared case and has calssic GMT markers in a similar style to the Rolex explorer, a detail that blends greatly with the orange arrow hand.
The top side is brushed while the outer edge has a nice polished chamfer.
Finishing on the rep is perfect, with the numbers being just a tiny bit too tall and thin compared to gen.
CROWN
GEN
REP
Excuse the slightly out of focus pic.
Once again crown is a very well replicated detail. The tiny pyramid shaped teeth are maybe a tad more crisp on the gen, but nothing to complain really. The B&R logo on the crown's head is perfectly shaped as far as I can tell
CASEBACK
GEN
REP
Caseback isn't either a let down on this rep, with a nice brushed surface, crisp engravings and accurate fonts. Screws are not perfectly aligned towards the centre like they are on the front, just like the gen
STRAP
The strap deserves its own specific paragraph.
We are used to rep straps being completely useless and feeling like plastic or cardboard or both. This is not the case, the rep strap looks accurate, smells like good leather and is pliable and comfortable just like you would expect from a good strap. Gen straps are not very expensive, but honestly I don't feel the need to upgrade yet.
CONCLUSIONS
In case you haven't read this between the lines I'll say it clear: I am really satisfied by this rep
It's a solid, well built, well finished, accurate rep of a beautiful watch and it's also sold for a very fair price compared to what current high end reps sell for.
I can't really do anything but encourage anyone who likes its design to try one, you won't be disappointed.
And a few more pics
Lume shot:
And a wristie:
As usual any input and comment is very welcome, I would be glad to update the review with anything I missed.
Hope you enjoyed the reading and pics!
:cheers:
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