The latest iteration of the Bell & Ross BR 05, the BR 05 Sincere Green Steel, is immediately distinguished by a remarkable dial that features the ampersand.
The latest iteration of the Bell & Ross BR 05, the BR 05 Sincere Green Steel, is immediately distinguished by a remarkable dial that features what might possibly be the most appropriately creative use of the ampersand. To get it out of the way, the BR 05 Sincere Green Steel is a special edition for Sincere Fine Watches in Singapore, celebrating the links between Bell & Ross and the retailer. So the use of the ampersand here is not just a Bell & Ross thing, but a hallmark of the partnership between the brand and the retailer.
The watch also comes with a moniker or nickname, the Greenback, that is also very clever because just looking at the dial explains it; for the sake of completeness, there is also another component to the name of the watch — cadran vert et motif. Basically, this means green dial with motif, and thus the full name of the watch becomes the Bell & Ross BR 05 Sincere Green Steel “Greenback” Cadran Vert et Motif, which is wild. The watch is limited to just 111 pieces so you might want to place a call to your friendly specialist at Sincere Fine Watches immediately — just ask for the Greenback and see how it goes.
The dial of the Greenback, which is how we will refer to the watch henceforth, requires close examination because it is actually the first time Bell & Ross have used the ampersand in this style. Fans of the brand and pundits will recall that the brand has leaned into the ampersand in its logo a few times, including on various tourbillon cages; Bell & Ross asserts that the Greenback is the first time the ampersand has become a design element on the dial, which combines green sunray with the embossed repeating pattern of the ampersand. As far as the colour goes, the sunray element keeps things from being flat, which works (at least in pictures) well with the highly textural aesthetic in play here. By way of contrast, there was also another green BR 05 this year, the BR 05 Skeleton Green, but we digress.
Unlike most simple three-handers with date BR 05 models, the Greenback uses applied indices exclusively, which is no doubt to avoid overloading the visual elements. Said indices are hollowed out to feature beige SuperLuminova, which is also true of the hour and minute hands; this SuperLuminova glows green in the dark and low-light conditions. In a touch that fastidious collectors will appreciate, the date at 3 o’clock is colour matched. On the exhibition caseback, the ampersand makes a return over the centre of the rotor, with the limited edition details indicated around it (as seen here).
In all other ways, including water-resistance, movement, case finishing, size and bracelet, the Greenback follows the standard BR 05 playbook.
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