SalonQP 2011 highlights: Bell & Ross WW1 Heritage and Military

We love the sheer nerve of Bell & Ross, which parked the stunning and heavily customised Nascafe Racer (originally a Harley-Davidson) in front of their stand at SalonQP 2011. Quite frankly, we were waiting for naked chicks sporting angel wing strap-ons and motorcycle boots to drop on in and engage in burn-outs, but that was probably asking a little much form the Saatchi Gallery owners. And those manning the Bell & Ross stand.

Instead, we were presented with the recent releases that are the WW1-92 Heritage and Military. Without the burn-outs.

Drawing once again on military cockpit designs (something they did brilliantly with the BR S we tested a while back, and loved despite the charge of the anti-quartz brigade!), both WW1-92s use 45mm cases, convex sapphire crystals and inner hour dials surrounded by larger minute tracks. While the WW1-92 Heritage sports the same patinaed luminescent material that impressed us in the Vintage BR 126 Heritage at last year’s SalonQP, the whole effect came across as rather too affected with this particular model.

And even though the WW1-92 Military snapped things back into focus with its sand-blasted case and blackened dial, some of the sharp, snappy Bell & Ross flavour also appeared to be missing here too. Maybe it’s just the dial design and size of these models that left us cool where we should have been hot, but we’ve also no doubt they’ll find buyers out there anyways.

Reality is, Bell & Ross have something for everyone in their vast line-up. And if in this particular case it wasn’t necessarily for us, then perhaps it’s for you.

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One Response to “SalonQP 2011 highlights: Bell & Ross WW1 Heritage and Military”

• 

  Pete

  22 November 2011

  Agreed, even though these do look better in real life than pictures, the dial design is very stale and unoriginal.

  Reply

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