At the start of summer 2024, Bell & Ross debuted its newest underwater watch collection with the updated BR 03 Diver. Coming in at least five variations (to start), the BR 03 Diver uses Bell & Ross’ updated BR 03 case style, to create one of its best-looking square dive watches ever. Today, I review the matte-black ceramic Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver reference BR03A-D-BL-CE/SRB.
Bell & Ross started making dive-style watches with the BR 02 family, which has not been in production for a while now. The BR 02 debuted a few years after the famed BR 01 Cockpit Instrument family was released, in around 2004. The BR 03 case family arrived after the BR 02 as a narrower version of the larger BR 01. Since then, the BR 03 (BR03) family of 41-42mm wide square watches has been a best-seller for the Parisian brand. Bell & Ross has had a BR 03 Diver in the collection for a while, the main visual difference in csds the 2024 collection being the hands. There are other differences as well, such as the movement and the typography on the bezel insert, though admittedly, the updated BR 03 Diver is an evolution versus a revolution. Aside from the different hands, at a glance, most people would probably not know the 2024 BR03 Diver family is appreciably different than what came before it. However, I will say that I like the new handset much better (for a diver’s watch dial) than the previous design in BR 03 Divers.
Currently, Bell & Ross produces two versions of the matte-black ceramic BR 03 Diver, including this black-dialed reference BR03A-D-BL-CE/SRB as well as the blue “full lume” dialed reference BR03A-D-LM-CE/SRB, which costs a few hundred dollars more. The $410 price difference feels like a lot for a dial with extra luminant and a pale blue color. That said, Bell & Ross has been on a “lume kick” lately and has been making some rather lavish watches with fully-lined dials, or even cases. To me, most of that is gimmicky, and what I appreciate about the Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver is how instrumental it feels. As a diver’s watch, the BR 03 Diver is water resistant to 300 meters and is ISO 6425 compliant (something that many luxury dive watches are not).
In a lot of ways, a watch like the BR 03 Diver is what Bell & Ross does best. That is, to take a tool watch archetype and render it in an attractive, sexy way. That is really how I define Bell & Ross in my mind – the company is set up like a Parisian fashion company more so than a traditional watchmaker. Accordingly, this entirely non-shiny watch is meant to evoke the serious sobriety of purpose-built tools for extreme conditions. However, it does that concerning elegance, symmetry, materials, and ergonomics. The appeal of Bell & Ross’ square case has not at all diminished to me over the years, and it looks just as good for a diver’s watch as it does as an airplane cockpit instrument-style wristwatch (which is what the case style was originally intended for).
As a diver’s watch, the BR 03 Diver is 42mm wide, and is about 13mm thick with 300 meters of water resistance. With the stubby lugs, it is roughly 53mm long, which is good for medium to larger wrists. It is much more wearable than the BR 01, which is why the BR 03 has proven so popular. For this new generation, the brand adds ceramic bezel inserts to the BR 03 Diver — early models used aluminum bezel inserts. Look closely and you’ll also notice a new more modern font being used for the numerals on the bezel. Further, the markers and numerals are painted in SuperLuminova.
Another update for 2024 is the movement used inside of the watch. I believe it is a base Swiss Made Sellita, but Bell & Ross calls it the BR-CAL.302-1. This is an update on the BR-CAL.302. What is different is the power reserve rating, which goes up to 54 hours with the BR-CAL.302-1. I don’t know if this is achieved through using a larger mainspring barrel or creating more efficient pivot/motion points in the movement, or both. The movement operates at 4Hz and features the time and a small date indicator window placed discreetly on the dial between the 4 and 5 o’clock hour markers.
I really like the dial design of the BR 03 Diver, which includes nicely rounded applied hour markers and minute markers on the sloped flange ring. The lack of shiny or polished surfaces increases legibility by a wide margin and also helps maintain the sober instrument look that Bell & Ross was going for. The case has a crown guard structure with reminder text to keep the screw-down crown secure for water resistance. Even though this reminder is somewhat gratuitous for watch enthusiasts, it is true that among lay people not screwing down their crown can be a common way for water to enter a case (and thus cause expensive damage to the watch).
Bell & Ross supplies two straps with the BR 03 Diver, including this excellent black rubber strap and a high-quality black textile strap. Swapping them out isn’t super simple as it requires tools (a quick-adjust system would have been great – though perhaps not as secure), but at least Bell & Ross includes those tools in the kit. How comfortable is the watch overall? If you don’t wear it snugly enough, the somewhat heavy case can slide toward your wrist. With that said, when worn snugly enough I found it to be very comfortable and not too large. I like the look of the square case on the wrist — it makes experimenting with look worthwhile.
While Bell & Ross was never a value leader, its prices look pretty reasonable today by comparison to some other brands that have markedly increased their prices. I don’t think Bell & Ross has plans to do that and for the time being these watches are well-priced given the quality of design and manufacturing. Prices for the steel-cased versions of the Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver currently start at $4,400 USD. The cost is a bit more for ceramic, but it also offers an entirely different look which I believe merits close attention. Price for the reference BR03A-D-BL-CE/SRB Bell & Ross BR 03 Diver Black Matte Ceramic watch is $4,990 USD. Learn more at the Bell & Ross website.
Necessary Information:
>Brand: Bell & Ross
>Model: BR 03 Diver (reference BR03A-D-BL-CE/SRB BR 03 Diver Black Matte Ceramic as tested)
>Price: $4,990 USD
>Size: 42mm wide, ~13mm thick, ~53mm lug-to-lug distance
>When reviewer would personally wear it: When wanting to be fashionable but also wear a tool-style watch. Also for actual swimming or diving.
>Friend we’d recommend it to first: Lover of matte-finished black sport watches who likes the size and boldness of a square-case.
>Best characteristic of watch: Beautiful overall design and very easy to read. Comfortable given the case heft and even the small model updates make for a better product.
>Worst characteristic of watch: In a crowded market, watch does not sell itself easily on paper in terms of equipment or price. Instrument watch that requires instruments to change the strap.
