Tales of the iron sky
Skull’s the limit: The Bell & Ross BR 01 Airborne II watch and the paratrooper insignia (right) that inspired it
Yeah, yeah: Damien Hirst pickled animal ones in formaldehyde, then studded a replica with diamonds and called it “For the Love of God.” But Mexican artists have used the skull as a regular motif — from the nameless artisans who craft those Dia de los Muertos statuettes of the saint with a skull-face, to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, to contemporary artists and illustrators. The skull is still subversive, no matter how ubiquitous it has become. Death still scares the hell out of almost everyone. That’s why even a few Filipino artists have built their entire careers out of that rad imagery (…cough-cough).
A skull-and-crossbones watch? Get Igan in here.
That was what Emerson Yao, managing director of Lucerne, probably said when he saw the new Bell & Ross watch catalog featuring one of the most radical watches you’ll ever see: the BR 01 Airborne II.
“Do you know why this particular watch has a skull design?” asks Bell & Ross international sales director Fabien de Nonancourt, who is in the country for the French brand’s Swinging 40s party at Manila Pen. “The idea was not to create a trendy or cool watch. (But it is based on the) insignia of the US Airborne paratroopers.”
The watch is a talisman of sorts, a tribute to the young servicemen who parachuted down into the frontlines in France during World War II under the most dangerous conditions. Their motto: “Death from Above.”
Another great looker is the Tourbillon Airborne with its titanium finish case, sapphire caseback and a cool, cool black skull icon.
Nonancourt explains that even if the Bell & Ross aesthetic is all about the fields of marine and aviation, people can appreciate them as well-designed, ultra-cool watches. One you’d like to wear to everything and everywhere — from business meetings in posh restaurants, to exhibit openings in galleries, to watching Blu-Ray B-movies (V/H/S or [REC 3] Genesis) at home with friends.
“What makes Bell & Ross successful is that it has combined the look and the authenticity of the origin of the product. And because of the brand’s aviation background, we came upon the unique design.”
IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS FLIGHT
The brand was created by two men who are in love with aviation and all things military: French and Swiss designer Bruno Belamich and businessman Carlos A. Rosillo.
“What most brands try to do is make elegant watches for pilots,” Nonancourt points out, “while we at Bell & Ross try to create contemporary watches out of a piece from the cockpit of a plane.” A case in point: in 2005, the iconic BR 01 was inspired by cockpit clocks of airplane from the ’70s.
So, how cool is this? For the brand’s limited-edition collection (99 watches per model), Belamich also took inspiration from aircraft navigation tools such as the compass (2010) and radar (2011), and then afterwards (in 2012) the altitude indicator, altimeter, turn coordinator, even the artificial horizon gauge — from the cockpit to the wrist. Each instrument being a reference point in terms of legibility, reliability and performance. The same qualities one demands from a watch). The designer took the aesthetic of each aeronautical instrument and transferred it to the wristwatch. Essential was keeping the characteristic of the flight instrument, down to the four screws on the timepiece surface. (You do need screws to attach those gauges to the dashboard, don’t you?)
“We decided to keep the same sprit,” he stresses. “And function is key. In our watches, there is nothing superfluous. Everything has a function and is user-friendly.”
Nonancourt shows how Bell & Ross has evolved through the years, highlighting the full evolution of military/aviation watches — from World War I to World War II to the ’70s to contemporary 2000. The materials may have changed, owing to the emergence of mineral glass or Plexiglas and sapphire crystals that are more scratch-resistance, but there is still consistency throughout the range, unlike in other brands where, if you look at their full range of watches, the only thing consistent is the logo. The look of the latest bad boys by Bell & Ross is still classically iconic in a futuristic way, like Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey or Scott’s Prometheus. You’d know right away if it’s a Stanley or a Ridley, or a Bell & Ross.
“Do you know when men started wearing wristwatches?” asks Nonancourt. “Men carried pocket watches at the beginning of the 20th century, and wristwatches were generally considered for ladies only.” But when the dudes started flying planes all that changed. The pilots took their pocket watches, soldered a piece of metal and attached a leather strap to it.
Thus, the development of wristwatches is connected to the history of flight.
Compass. Radar. Altimeter. Artificial horizon. Turn coordinator. What’s the next aeronautical instrument on the hit list for Bell & Ross.
“There are three more… but you will have to wait for Basel for that,” shares the Bell & Ross man with a laugh. “I saw the prototypes last week and they’re very cool!”
And, oh, Nonancourt dreams of flying a plane someday.
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Bell & Ross watches are exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Lucerne, and are available at Adora in Greenbelt 5, Lucerne Glorietta and Shangri-La Plaza Mall.
