As its latest new release for 2023, Bell & Ross has released a new version of its BR 05 GMT watch that embraces the trendy pale blue color that has been sweeping across watch dials throughout the industry. Known as “Sky Blue” on this particular model, this new colorway is hardly the only on-trend thing about the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue, and this new model represents a trio of highly popular attributes, as it is a stainless steel integrated bracelet sports watch with a GMT complication and a light blue dial.
Aside from its novel colorway, the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue is essentially the same watch that originally debuted a couple years ago in 2021, which featured a black dial and added GMT functionality to the brand’s fan-favorite BR 05 integrated bracelet model. What this means is that you get a 41mm wide stainless steel case that offers a rounded take on the brand’s signature square-shaped design, complete with the quartet of exposed screws at the corners. Circular sapphire crystals are fitted to both the dial side of the watch and its screw-on display caseback, while the signed winding crown at 3 o’clock screws down to help create 100 meters of water resistance.
The dial of the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue is where you will find the most significant updates, although the actual design and layout is identical to what can be found on the original version. Set against a light blue sunburst surface are applied rhodium-plated hour markers with a date window at 3 o’clock. The rest of the face further leans into its blue and white/silver colorway, with a GMT hand that features a blue-finished shaft and a color-matched calendar disc with white printed numerals. Rather than having its 24-hour scale on an external bezel, the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue has this detail printed along its inner chapter ring, with the top half finished blue and the bottom in silver to provide an approximate reference of day versus night hours.
Just like previous colorways of this particular model, the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue is powered by the brand’s BR-Cal.325 automatic GMT movement, which is based upon the Sellita SW330 and therefore runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 42 hours. Just like other movements that rely on this same core architecture, the BR-Cal.325 offers independent adjustment of the 24-hour hand and date display (rather than having a local 12-hour hand that can be adjusted forwards or backwards), and the movement is fitted with a custom skeletonized rotor that can be viewed through the sapphire display window in the caseback.
Like other executions of the BR 05, the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue features an integrated bracelet design, and it is offered with the option of either a stainless steel bracelet or color-coordinated rubber strap. The bracelet is identical to what can be found on other BR 05 models, and it features an H-link structure with a butterfly-style folding clasp. Meanwhile, rather than being the same Sky Blue color that appears throughout the face of the watch, the rubber strap is a darker hue that compliments the dial rather than matching it, and the strap gets completed by a deployant-style folding clasp with a double push-button release.
Since the new Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue is essentially just a different colorway of an existing model, it is priced the exact same as its siblings that have either black or white dials, and it is therefore accompanied by an official retail price of $5,000 USD when purchased on the rubber strap, or $5,500 USD should buyers opt for the bracelet version. The widespread popularity of stainless steel integrated bracelet watches and ice blue dials has resulted in there being a number of compelling options within this space. However, the new BR 05 GMT Sky Blue offers a distinct design that is emblematic of Bell & Ross as a brand, and it provides a unique identity within this increasingly crowded space, while also including the additional functionality of a GMT complication. For more information on the Bell & Ross BR 05 GMT Sky Blue, please visit the brand’s website.
