The watchmaker better known for its square cases with four screws each has a lesser-known Vintage line filled with a bevy of round watches, including PW1 and WW1 inspired by military watches from the 1920s, with the former being pocket watches, while the latter denotes wristwatches (the cues are in their alphabets). Three others are WW2, BR V and BR V Chrono.
Beefing up its stable of Vintage watches are the BR V2-92 Garde-Côtes and the BR V2-94 Garde-Côtes. The round sea rescuer’s watches are the latest novelties that reaffirm Bell & Ross’ admiration for those who risk their own lives in saving others.
Inspired by the colours of coastguards and their rescue helicopters, the BR V2-92 Garde-Côtes features a trio of colours—grey, orange and white—for a sporty and contemporary look despite its supposed Vintage lineage.
Besides being symbolic, orange is used for both practical and legible reasons. On the dial, its eye-catching colour is set against white indices and Arabic numerals guaranteeing optimal time reading while ensuring visibility even at a distance.
The caseback is transparent, thus exposing the intricate movement that powers the watch. In this case, an automatic BR-CAL. 302 movement that generates 38 hours of power reserve. Water resistant to 100m, the 41mm watch has a date window placed in between four and five o’clock and a 60-minute rotating bezel. The stainless steel watch is paired with a satin-polished steel bracelet or a piece of textured black rubber strap.
On the other hand, BR V2-94 Garde-Côtes shares some of the similarities but with added functionalities. The exceptions include housing an automatic BR-CAL. 301 movement with 42 hours of power reserve, containing extras in the form of a 60-second sub-dial at three o’clock and a 30-minute counter at nine o’clock, and a bezel inscripted with a pulseometer.
The watch is finished with either a metal bracelet or a rubber strap.