Fresh out of Baselworld 2019: Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Black Matte

Looking at the Bell & Ross line-up for Baselworld 2019, I think it’s safe to say that we had actually seen one of the more interesting pieces, pre-Basel, when the Bi-Compass was revealed here in Malaysia.

However, that’s not to say that we have nothing else interesting to report on with the 2019 novelties from Baselworld. So without further ado, here is the new Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Matte Black.

Although a black Diver watch had been done back in 2017, this one has a decidedly more utilitarian look thanks to the matte black ceramic case. And as opposed to the stainless steel case of the 2017 watch, this new version with the black case helps draw the eye to the centre of the watch which, in a way, improves the legibility as well.

As the watch is meant for the sea, I think the ceramic build of the case makes perfect sense. Ceramic is more resistant to the corrosive effects of seawater and because of its hardness, bumping your watch into rocks or dead coral underwater will less likely leave a scar.

Following Bell & Ross’ new dedication to building watches for professionals, this Diver also adheres to the ISO 6425 certification. This requires the watch to be water resistant to a depth of at least 100m (the watch is safe even to a depth of 300m), comes with a uni-directional bezel with a graduated minutes scale, and of course an operation indicator and luminescent markers so it is legible even in the dark.

In a way, this new utilitarian philosophy of the watch harks back to the original purpose of Bell & Ross’ dive watches. Of course, they didn’t go as far as to fill the chamber between the dial and crystal with oil as the Hydromax did for legibility. But, you get the point.

The watch will be supplied with a cool rubber strap, and what I find interesting, an ultra-resilient black synthetic fabric strap which will probably give the watch an entirely different look.