Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Carbon Watch Review
Bell & Ross BR 01-92 Carbon Watch Review
See more @ http://ablogtoread.com. Reviewing the classic Bell & Ross BR01 but in black. This is the BR 01-92 (BR01-92) Carbon and it is a beautiful masculine thing.
How is the used market for these? Depreciation doesn’t bother me. I’ve always wanted one, but could never afford one. Being a person who was flying since he was 14 and cart racing since he was 8, i love the aeronautical design. Lots of presence and a great conversational piece! If you can pick one up second hand for a lot less money, that would be awesome.
The thickness if fine with me, it’s the width that I don’t like. 42mm is my largest width; maybe a 44mm depending on the style of the watch, but no 46mm at all. Well maybe on a pocket watch.
What size wrists have you got
Spot on with the description of a Designer Tool. Couldn’t agree more with why B&R is special.
@chrono1g Bell & Ross offers a different type of watch so it is hard to compare to say Breitling or Omega. Though I would say they are on par if you match similar models. Breitling has been doing cases a lot longer… so theirs are quite good – but Bell & Ross ones don’t leave anything to be desired really.
$5,000. For a run of the mill watch…. why?
Another design disaster from Bell & Ross. These guys really go out of their way to make ugly watches. I honestly wouldn’t wear one if someone gave it to me. Absolute awful watch manufacturer.
That watch seems too large for you, but maybe I’m just old.
@littlemac1980 Try the 46mm first. Then 42. The 38mm is mostly for women.
I’ve always been struck by the simple clarity of black and white, less is definitely more ! If only other tip top watch makers would adopt this thinking. I would choose this over ANY other world renowned brand !
@boomerangrc What does that mean?
Love your vids man, keep ’em coming! 🙂
Hey, great review and I really like your blog. Im thinking of getting the BR01-92 46mm but Im not sure it will fit my 7" wrist. Is the 42mm or even the 38mm a better choise? What are your thoughts?
Thanks!
i wanT to sell my bell&ross waTch (BR-01-92 limited edition type Military) if anYone intrested to buy my watch so then contact me by email.. 🙂 i’ll be wait for thiS.. 🙂
Some comments… as to growth of replicas
It’s a knock off… inexpensive. However, now 9 years later you can get replicas made exactly like… even using same original source factories for processing, crystal, and many of the components, and even the exact same Swiss movements in the knock offs but those cost $300 range… and you cannot tell the real thing from the knock off… they even clock the screws to line up like a real B & R (all pointing to the center of the case on both front and back) because the only difference is you bought it from a Bell & Ross official source rather than an agent/consultant intermediary who sells it to you acting between you and the actual little company in China that puts it all together. The difference in the high end knock offs is that Bell & Ross takes for example, in automatic calibers, standard Swiss Sellita SW300 movements and decorates them to be BR320 movements. Whereas the high end knock off may have a Swiss ETA 2824 or 2836 movement, or an equivalent Japanese Miyota 9015 all being equal in quality. I have seen advertised ones with SW300 movements but not seen one in person. Perhaps Sellita has a deal wit B & R not to sell them out. The high end agencies will either give you a choice and tell you what is in the watch. However, China does produce asian made versions of those which are not marked or are called Seagull brand that come close to precision and accuracy. I think this is why it is getting hard to buy the better movements, deals with the watchmakers not to sell to just anybody… but that is pure restraint of trade and price fixing crimes in the civilized world. The Chinese movements are good just not quite as durable, but you have to know your way around the sources… so you have to get an agency/seller that has good reviews who knows his way around.
All that said, if you look around you may actually get a more tailored watch to you than B&R. Why because you can often make choices as to strap and configuration and even calibers used. So pay $2000-4000 or more or pay $150-300 or even 600 for the knock off. Warning you will have to specify you want a replica box, for a nominal extra charge to complete the ruse. However, owning a replica has customer advantages other than pride status. The real advantage in my mind is all watches are fragile and the branded high end watches use mostly mechanical movements. All well and good, but most of those are only rated for 5g drop. The little spring shock absorber on the balance shaft is only rated for this low fall rating meaning it’s really not up to a drop on the concrete rather than a wood or resilient floor, this part is called technically the "Incabloc". It is expensive and takes a professionals skill to replace. Many of the balance springs are fragile too made of incredibly expensive and exotic technologies like silicon, like a computer chip, or exotic metal, or graphite nanotube material, all taking form in extremely hard to manufacture form… i.e. expensive and fragile. Highly skilled watchmakers putting in infinite fitting, timing, finishing, regulating time result in high prices for service too. Often required one a year but no more than once in three. That can cost twice as much as a replica, for just a service. So do "real branded watches" make sense in the real world, yes at the cocktail party but maybe not swimming, playing sports, working on the car, the house or yard. In short shift it will be scared and worn… with a tiny faction of its original value… nobody wants a beater. Even Bell & Ross might find place on a Navy Seal but he would not want it a) because he could not trade it like a Rolex in a tight spot for way out of a spot of trouble, b) he would not want to beat it up and have to buy another every mission nearly because it’s value is now less than 1/2. Its not like a service worn personal weapon that shows you have real experiences but a watch is not impressive to a date if it is beat up either a fine one or a cheap knockoff its just a beat up watch. I literally cry when I get a tiny scratch on a nice watch… and then regret buying it… should buy something cheap.
This is the danger of the free market it all comes down to salesmanship, and who is willing to do the job for the least money. In some ways Trademarks and Patents are becoming passé or obsolete. It is simply more expensive to patent and trademark your product across the entire world for what benefit to protect your profit margin, when the defense of those might cost $10 million in fees for one infringer! Really only large corporations can afford that game. Governments created the scam of patents to lure people into giving up there secrets for the government sanctioned right to monopoly for a short time, usually just time to get the thing established in the market. Where the inventor has done all the hard work and just starts to see benefit. Thomas Jefferson was the innovator in this concept. For a long time Uncle Sam let N. Korea counterfeit American money a few hundred million a year to pay off the leadership, using real plates smuggled… don’t ask where I found that out.. but it was the horses mouth. Why real money is ledger money now not John Law’s paper money, the Federal Reserve just expanded the idea as trees became more valuable… why the Seigniorage?
Seigniorage is the difference between the face value of money, such as a $10 bill or a quarter coin, and the cost to produce it.
So governments invented and put it into before watch makers thought to.
Now if the same watch the replica was made without the branding, would it be bought? I would definitively! But many wouldn’t because they are buying the label. It’s like the cleaner that cuts out the designer labels of your nice clothing. He or she just defaced it. Its real but no one cares its just another suit or sport coat. But he sells your label making 10x or more on watch you paid him to clean it. Watch shops are notorious for selling watches that way… replacing your original Rolex movement for if you are lucky an ETA if not a Seagull. Or conning you replacing original parts with replica/aftermarket stealing all the value for a quick modest profit. So when you go for service you might be throwing your fine watch in the trash.
Another great review.
Do you feel that this watch is overpriced for what it is? I always liked B&R aesthetically, but could never justify it’s price. A bone stock ETA movement (not that there’s anything wrong with that) for 4000 seems a little much.
@ChanceFavors310 I will surely keep them up. Thank you enjoy the wach!
@aBlogtoRead OK, I’ll skip the 38mm then 😉
belongs on a kitchen wall
That’s your opinion just like Ariel is giving every one his opinion on the watch. If you are going to be spending a lot of money on a high end watch I would do a bit more research on you own rather than rely on a youtube video.
Excellent review. Very helpful. Ive always liked B&R’s style and i love how the 46mm wears even bigger on my wrist. But the real treat is how amazing the warch actually FEELS on your wrist with the strap. Ive yet to encounter anything quite like it. I was fortunate enough to snag a limited edition gaucher for a great price. keep up the reviews
@chrono1g Thanks for the thoughts. There really isn’t anyone who offers a package this slick. One of the biggest misunderstandings in the watch industry is that value is all in the movements. Focus on the case and fit & finish more. Pretty much most watches are over-priced. We just pick out poison when it comes to which ones make us feel the best.
In my opinion that is the ugliest watch I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Bell & Ross watch I’ve actually liked.
@aBlogtoRead Point taken. I fully understand that there is MUCH more to a watch than the movement inside it, but i still feel like i’m getting too little for too much. I guess i just can’t get over the fact that this watch has the same movement as a $150 run off the mill watch.
How does the fit and finish compare to other watches in the $4k category, by the way? Is it on par with, if not superior to the watches offered by omega, breitling, etc?
"not too big of a watch" LOL
what is the price?m/
How big is your wrist? 🙂
Terrible watch
The WW1 series is nice. My fav is the WW1 Monopusher Chronograph watch
Looks good on a fighter pilot that’s about it
PRICE?
I want one!!! Might get one next month or something.
Hey Ariel, Bell and Ross is a ‘trendy’ oversized watch with an ETA movement. I understand that you may have to praise these watches because of endorsements given to you by the manufacturers who supply you with their watches but it’s misinforming to the public. Be honest, it’s your responsibility to state the pros along with the CONS of all the watches you review and I guarantee it will increase your respectability and will make your blogs more genuine.
Why so expensive? Where does the money go?
I wear a watch of 49mm case dia atm but am brodd and 6’2" . The B+R 38mm’s looks ridiculous on me so the 46mm is what I am looking at and looks OK on me BUT I would say it looks slightly too big for your wrist size. Its all what you are accustomed to but I don’t think its the one for you IMHO. Still smart watch but too black for me so could do with the tan or even rubber strap to break it up.
Fugly watch
4000.00 GTFOH.
is it a wind or battery?
@chrono1g I agree. The movement is not even chronometer grade.