Also familiar – and required for dive watch specifications – is the unidirectional rotating bezel. It’s a 60-click one in the case of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver with an aluminum insert, and it is slightly stiff to turn but with a solid sound and feel. Bell & Ross also notes the BR 03-92 Diver’s shock resistance to professional specs, and the thicker caseback and soft iron cage help make the watch anti-magnetic to ISO 764 standards. The angular crown guards are another durability-emphasizing feature. While Bell & Ross has not provided the official measurements, as a dive watch, this will be significantly thicker than other BR 03 cases with the prominent bezel, thicker caseback, and thicker sapphire crystal. And it’s about as heavy as it looks. There’s no practical reason that the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver case needs to be square, but because it works so well in the end, there’s also no reason it shouldn’t be, right?
A really good sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating can sometimes seem to even “sharpen” the dial elements, to my eyes. The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver has a 2.85mm-thick flat crystal with great AR coating offering a clear view of the dial that is designed to be legible to begin with. The applied hour markers, sloped chapter ring, and date window at 4:30 with a black date wheel to match the dial color all help lend a sense of depth and interest that I always appreciate.
Clearly, I am bullish on the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver. It was one of the funnest recent watches I’ve had the chance to wear for an extended period of time, and I can’t really say I can find any actual complaints about it. There are a couple of things I can think of, however, that Bell & Ross could do to further sweeten the deal. First, ceramic bezel inserts are more scratch-resistant, and are becoming practically standard these days, which makes aluminum inserts start to feel less premium. Second, it is possible to have 300m water resistance on a watch with a display caseback, and that would increase the value, interest, and user experience for the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver. The solid caseback, though, is probably also helpful for protecting the movement from magnetic fields. Last, adding something in the movement department, like COSC certification, for instance, would further kick it all up a notch. All of these things would probably also be reasons to increase the price, of course.
The Swiss automatic movement inside is the perfectly appropriate, reliable, and common Sellita SW300-1 (“BR-CAL.302”). Power reserve of 42 hours, operating at 4Hz… you know the specs. The screw-down crown is coated with rubber and easy to grip with a solid and smooth-as-butter winding feel. I like the rubber on the crown, but I wonder how rubber elements such as this on watches will hold up over time. The strap is also rubber, is soft and comfortable, and has a suitably giant steel buckle. I like rubber straps but wonder what the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver would look like on a steel bracelet.
The caveat I have about the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver is that it is clearly not an everyday wear. This is best for someone who has more than one watch for different occasions, but who regularly has moods that call for a more macho accoutrement (or you could actually use it to go diving, I suppose). After a few days of wearing it, it felt good strapping on an old 37mm favorite for a change. The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver can fit well into even a small a collection as a watch that’s bolder and more distinctive than most other dive watches.
The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver impressed me overall with its “balance” of different design themes, ergonomics, details, as well as fit and finish. Before comparing the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver to other dive watches with the same movement that might cost less money, consider those things as well as the fact that this crazy case is also relatively complicated. All of this in a totally unique and wearable package makes it a real slam dunk for me. The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver (Ref: BR0392-D-BL-ST/SRB) has a retail price of $3,700. Personally, it just about tops my lists, both of Bell & Ross watches as well as divers in this price range. bellross.com
Necessary Data
>Brand: Bell & Ross
>Model: BR 03-92 Diver (Ref: BR0392-D-BL-ST/SRB)
>Price: $3,700; €3,300
>Size: 42mm
>Would reviewer personally wear it: Indubitably.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: One with at least a small collection already and looking for a bold dive watch in this price range that will stand out a bit.
>Best characteristic of watch: That it balances being utterly distinctive, bold, and interesting with also being totally wearable and not over-the-top.
>Worst characteristic of watch: Consumers might be intimidated before trying it on and assume it is less wearable than, in fact, it is. Not an everyday watch and requires the right mood/taste/personality.
