The BR 01 Cyber Skull brings a Bell & Ross tradition into the new age

Over the past year or so, it would seem like Bell & Ross has been taking all sorts of liberties with the design of their cases. First, it was the new softer square of the BR 05 and now, with the latest iteration of their Skull watch, they are offering a polygonal shape with the BR 01 Cyber Skull.

These skull watches have become somewhat of a tradition with Bell & Ross and are always offered in a limited quantity. the first one appeared in 2009 as the BR 01 Skull and was inspired by the paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st American Airborne Division who wore a patch with a skull on their jumpsuit, and the words “Death from Above.” The Second version – BR 01 Burning Skull – showed its face in 2016 taking its design cues from the art of tattoos. The third version in 2018 – BR 01 Laughing Skull – featured an automaton that would cause the jaw of the skull on its dial appeared to smile when activated.

This year in 2020, the skull watch is back and for the Bell & Ross BR 01 Cyber Skull, they have decided to create a version that offers a more futuristic design and bring the balance wheel to the front giving the watch a great theatrical effect.

The aesthetics borrow heavily from the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth jet. On the jet, the faceted design was vital to the plane’s stealth capabilities. For the BR 01 Cyber Skull, it is purely aesthetic and made from a matte black ceramic. Although the matte surface doesn’t really reflect light all that well (in fact it has a diffusing effect) the multiple facets of the watch help it have some sort of play with light making it still really interesting to look at.

As for the movement, Bell & Ross decided to bring the balance wheel to the dial side which adds a theatrical element to the watch. And because it is placed on the forehead of the skull it becomes something like you would find in a sci-fi or cyberpunk setting.

Case: Matte black ceramic
Case size: 45 x 46.5mm
Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
Movement: Calibre BR-CAL.206, manual winding
Water Resistance: 50m