The 9th edition of the biennial auction of unique watches to benefit Duchenne muscular dystrophy research will take place on Saturday, November 6, 2021 in Geneva.
Alongside other watchmakers, Bell & Ross supports the Only Watch project and its remarkable fundraising efforts in the fight against this disease. This year, the Brand is making its contribution in the form of an exclusive and unique watch: the BR 01 CYBER SKULL SAPPHIRE ONLY WATCH.
A timepiece with multiple facets, multiple universes and multiple talents.
MEMENTO VIVERE
The skull, an evocative sign of death, has philosophical significance as it symbolizes fragility and
the brevity of life, particularly in vanitas-type works of art.
Mementos refer to macabre representations in ancient paintings or in curiosity cabinets belonging to humanists of the Age of Enlightenment. Bell & Ross has a long tradition of models inspired by this theme.
THE SAPPHIRE CASE
Bell & Ross has chosen sapphire to create this bespoke version of the BR 01 CYBER SKULL SAPPHIRE ONLY WATCH. This high-quality stone is composed of corundum, an alumina oxide (Al2O3) that took millions of years to form in nature. Bell & Ross has succeeded in achieving incomparable clarity and elegant transparency. This precious timepiece is made entirely of sapphire, from the case to the decorations. The case is machined from three blocks of sapphire. The SKULL dial is machined from six blocks.
Combined with the raw strength of the material, the aesthetic force of the timepiece is a fusion of technologies. Machining by grinding with diamond powder has created facets, in the same way as jewelers cut a precious stone.
…SCULPTURED LIKE A PRECIOUS STONE
The exclusive BR 01 CYBER SKULL SAPPHIRE ONLY WATCH lends itself perfectly to this style.
It is distinguished by the stylized, angular treatment of the skull on its dial. Each element of the
watch – case, crown, skull – is staged by sculpting the surfaces, creating
volumes and a three-dimensional image. Highlighted by its protruding edges, its multiple facets
create a fascinating play on the multiplication of perspectives, between flat and smooth surfaces. Futuristic origami? Memento mori 2.0? Another cyborg apparition? The BR 01 CYBER SKULL SAPPHIRE ONLY WATCH has multiple facets.
The geometric shapes of the timepiece create a pixellated effect. This phenomenon occurs when the points in an image become sharp. The angular representation of the skull on the dial is inspired by this effect. For this bespoke version of the CYBER SKULL, Bell & Ross has used the color orange to ensure that its owner wears a unique piece on his wrist. Made in transparent sapphire, the Skull dial has been metallized on the back, smoothing out the orange aspect. Orange is the color par excellence of aeronautical instrumentation, as it is extremely legible and succeeds in highlighting essential information. It’s also ONLY WATCH’s emblematic color code, found
on its logo. The back of the watch is also specially engraved for ONLY WATCH.
THE COMPLICATION MOVEMENT
Behind its provocative, symbolic and artistic appearance, the BR 01 CYBER SKULL SAPPHIRE ONLY WATCH hides the secrets of an automaton watch from the world of haute horlogerie.
To create it, Bell & Ross developed the BR-CAL.209: a caliber entirely designed by the Manufacture. While the moving parts are mounted on 21 jewels, the balance features an Inca block-type shock-absorbing system. The brand has also worked on skeletonizing the plate and bridges to reveal their essential features. The finishes are highly sophisticated: rhodium-plated movement, polished chamfers,
velvet-sanded hollows, drawn-line decorations. Only a perfect mastery of
mechanical movement operation could, in fact, conceal the BR-CAL.209 hand-wound movement beneath the faceted decoration. The main plate follows the shape of the skull and extends to the four corners of the case, below the femurs. The whole has been fixed to the case. This architecture gives the impression that the skull floats weightlessly inside the case. This impression is reinforced by the transparency of the dial, highlighted only by 12 stick-shaped engravings under the glass. The watch’s transparency reveals the key to the mystery through the skull.
There’s also a surprise that will make you laugh. The automaton movement activates the mandible, which opens and seems to giggle as the spring is wound. Behind the mandible hides the barrel, which you’ll discover when the skull smiles at you! Replacing the skull’s brain, which has finally come to life, the anthracite balance reveals its oscillations. Its beating is reminiscent of the watch’s mechanical heart.
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