The Latest Bell & Ross BR-X5 Watch Has A Green Glow-In-The-Dark Case
Luminescent tech makes its way beyond the dial.
There are watches built to go anywhere and handle anything, especially in low-light conditions: Note the dial and hands of your favorite tool watch when the sun goes down. But taking that technology to the rest of the watch itself is uncommon and uncanny — until now, that is.
Bell & Ross, purveyors of do-it-all watches like the rugged Bell & Ross GMT and a moto-inspired Bell & Ross watch, just put a new spin on the watchmaker’s signature BR-X5 with a case that lights up in the dark.
The slight of hand relies on the use of the luminescent composite LM3D, which is part of a multi-component case that also uses grade 2 micro-blasted black DLC titanium.
Super LumiNova is already a prized material used on indices and watch hands, but Bell & Ross took a serious leap beyond the dial itself.
The Bell & Ross BR-X5 is already a flagship model for the brand, updated last year with an exclusive high-end Kenissi watch movement. That same BR-CAL.323 movement rests within the new BR-X5 Green Lum, but it’s the exterior that proves striking and stylish.
The black DLC titanium, which houses the mechanism, rests between two LM3D shields, and the LM3D material gets its glow from quartz fibers emitting powerful green luminescence.
The end result is impressive, to say the least: The entire case glows in the dark, along with the seconds, minutes, hours and date indices.
Bell & Ross took up the mantle as it looked to expand its LUM line, first introduced in 2017 and featuring various fabrications over the years that applied luminescence to different parts of each timepiece.
The challenge this time around, Bell & Ross notes, was to amplify that design using the case itself.
The finished product “reflects the desire to innovate and dare to be different,” and the watchmaker views the limited-edition timepiece as one that “achieves the rank of one-of-a-kind conceptual art object.”
In the light of day, the watch retains the trademark “circle within a square” look that’s made the horologist a fan favorite among those searching for a distinctive watch with a high rate of functionality.
The openworked rubber strap provides maximum durability, which is a good thing: At $13,300, this is a timepiece that should last a long time.
Boasting a three-day power reserve and an eye-catching three-date window, the watchmaker says that its latest “pushes the limits of creativity and innovation.” The good news is, you’ll be able to see that innovation firsthand, even when the lights turn low.