BR 03-93 GMT BLUE: The Blue Hour Sweeping The World
With the new BR 03-93 GMT BLUE, an instrument watch with dual time zone reading, Bell & Ross continues its voyager approach with a colourway that’s rare, elegant and subtle. Inspired by aircraft cockpits, the BR 03 collection has always been designed by Bell & Ross to support professionals in their daily lives. The same applies to the BR 03-93 models, which come equipped with the GMT function.
The Rise Of The GMT Function At Bell & Ross
The first ever Bell & Ross GMT watch was also part of the iconic BR 03 collection, the family of functional instrument watches for professionals and civilians alike. It was launched in 2007 in the form of the BR 03-51 GMT Titanium. Made with high-performing, innovative materials – including a brushed titanium case and carbon fibre dial – this instrumentwatch made for professionals was equipped with both a second time zone and a large date display. The priorities were clear: efficiency and readability.
The BR 03-93 GMT model has been updated and redesigned in 2021 to accentuate the functional nature of the watch. Its contemporary aesthetic pays particular attention to the readability of the time zones. Telling the time in the dark is ensured by an SLN White 10 X1 coating with green emission, the most effective luminescent colour. The reading, which can be difficult on some watches with several displays, is simple and instant thanks to the clear GMT hand.
Its key advantage is a large red indicator triangle pointing to the second time zone, not to mention the local time on the bidirectional, two-tone bezel, displaying the daytime and nighttime hours on a 24-hour graduated scale. This bezel is an added benefit for travellers who can easily change the time in either direction. There is no doubt that if Phileas Fogg, the hero of Jules Vernes’ Around the World in 80 Days, had owned a BR 03-93 GMT, he would have known right away that he’d managed it.
The GMT Complication Loved By Professionals Around The World
Codified from the mean time at the Greenwich meridian (or “Greenwich Mean Time”, GMT), GMT is simply 0° longitude, as determined by the international conference in Washington in 1884 that was aimed at establishing a global time reference. Greenwich, south of London, has been declared the “mean solar time”, also known as the UTC+0 time zone. It’s on this basis that the other time zones on Earth are set.
When it came to timepieces, it was really from the development of international travel and air links in the 1930s that watchmakers began developing practical solutions for professionals (with pilots in the front row), with the invention of the world time complication by Louis Cottier. From the 1950s, pilots voted for the ease of keeping their original time zone, while having the option to set a local hour on their watch using a 24-hour graduated bezel, used in tandem with a specific hand. That is how the GMT complication took flight, and is still going strong today.
In addition to its clear readability, with its 42 x 42mm steel case water-resistant to 100m, this piece houses a 25-jewel BR-CAL.303 self-winding mechanical movement, beating at a rate of 28,800 vibrations/hour and guaranteeing a power reserve of approximately 42 hours, for perfect precision and optimal efficiency.
The New Chromatic And Style Benchmark: GMT BLUE
In blue and grey shades, the new version of the BR 03-93 GMT is adorned with unusual colours for a GMT watch. This resolutely contemporary choice gives the new BR 03-93 GMT a fresh personality, opening new horizons.
Visually enhanced by the elegant blue Nappa Soft calf leather strap with tone-on-tone stitching, the blue shade coating the steel bezel is harmoniously reflected in the sunburst dial.
The new BR 03-93 GMT BLUE proudly declares its originality and personality, whether above the clouds or on firm ground. For Bell & Ross, the cockpit to the lounge has only ever been a step away. With its luminous blue dial, this original new version goes from one to the other with ease.
From the first glance, the large blue and grey bezel gives the new BR 03-93 GMT a distinctive identity and fulfils a clear function: the blue displays for daytime hours, while the grey indicate night-time ones.
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