Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France Limited Edition Celebrates Aerial Acrobatics

Where Britain has the Red Arrows, France has the Patrouille de France. And where the Red Arrows have Breitling, the Patrouille de France has Bell & Ross. The partnership between the French Air and Space Force’s acrobatics team and Bell & Ross makes a lot of sense due to B&R’s dedication to aviation instrument watches. The new Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France Limited Edition is their fourth such collaboration.

The case of the watch is a very conventional take on the BR-05 design. It measures 42mm in diameter with a rounded-square design with bold shoulders, a pronounced, layered bezel and an integrated bracelet. The visible screws give it an industrial vibe, like an instrument found in the cockpit of a plane. As a Chrono model it has broad, flat pushers on either side of the crown, on the outer edge of the static crown guards.

Patrouille de France’s signature colours are found on the dial and it shouldn’t be a surprise which colours those are because it’s the tricolour. The central chronograph hand is red, the chronograph subdial scales are white and the centre of the subdials are navy blue. The main dial is also blue but in a lighter tone than that of the French flag, instead matching the popular ice blue from models like the BR-X5 and Skeleton Arctic.

Between the multiple shades of blue and various accent colours, the Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France is arguably one of the most colourful timepieces in the entire range. A fact made all the more apparent by the inclusion of the dynamic logo of the acrobatics squad at 6 o’clock. Despite that it retains a high level of legibility with lumed hour markers and oversize Arabic numerals. Although the latter numerals are often interrupted by the subdials and other display elements.

Housed inside is the BR-CAL.326, which is visible through the exhibition caseback with Patrouille de France logo. It’s automatic with a 60-hour power reserve, offering solid specs. Like many Bell & Ross movements it’s based on a Sellita, which is fine because Bell & Ross were an early adopter of Sellita’s upgraded movements with improved power reserves. Plus, they’ve dressed it up with a cool star-shaped rotor.

The Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Patrouille de France is limited to 500 pieces at a price of £6,600. It’s a price point that evidently works for Bell & Ross, who tend to sit in a £4,000 – £10,000 mid-range luxury bracket. Using only two brands as examples, they occupy the gap between an entry-level luxury brand like Oris and a prestige brand like Omega. For a collaborative chronograph with a solid movement, it makes sense.

More details at Bell & Ross.

​Oracle Time 

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