Nighttime is the Bright Time for the New Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Nightlum

Since its launch in 2019, the Bell & Ross BR 05 collection has drawn considerable attention for its novel take on the classical, integrated steel sports watch. With a distinctive, softly angled square case and an array of color options, it has been positioned by the brand as its premier “urban instrument,” in effect Bell & Ross’s contribution to the ever-growing crop of everyday-wear sport-luxury timepieces. The latest member of the BR 05 family was announced last week: the BR 05 Skeleton Nightlum, which dresses up a skeletonized dial with heavily luminous details.

The watch is essentially an evolution of the BR 05 Skeleton Blue LE, launched last summer. That model, as its name implies, featured a skeletonized movement under a blue sapphire dial; the Nightlum version is noteworthy for its “lume-forward accents,” a style Bell & Ross has been using on some of its other, more aviation-influenced models, like the BR 03-92 Full Lum Limited Edition launched last year.

The now-familiar 40-mm case of the BR 05 collection has a square-shaped silhouette, its steel frame primarily satin finished, with accents of polishing on the integrated lugs, four screws, and bezel. The slightly rounded sides of the case distinguish it from other models in the Bell & Ross portfolio, as do the flat-topped guards flanking either side of the signed crown between them.

While the case features a minimum of flourishes, there is a different story underneath the sapphire crystal. Here, an openwork movement is on display behind a black-tinted sapphire dial — differing from the grey-tinted version of the BR 05 Skeleton from 2019 and the aforementioned, blue-tinted one from 2020. Outside of its openworked design, the dial is still at its core rather simple, featuring thin, rounded hour markers, each filled with a green Super-LumiNova® C5, and matching shaped hands to indicate the passing time.  The dial is eye catching in its execution, and likely to be much more legible than previous skeletonized versions of the watch as a result of its darker sapphire and highly contrasting luminescent paint.

Beating inside the 100-meter water resistant case is the Bell & Ross Caliber BR-CAL.322, a skeletonized and specially finished version of the base Sellita SW300-1 movement. As for its specs, the automatic mechanism beats at a frequency of 28,800 vph, hosts a power reserve of 38 hours, and is visible, with its blackened 360° rotor, via an exhibition caseback.

The Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Nightlum will be limited to 500 total pieces, priced at $6,400 on a rubber strap and slightly higher, at $6,900, on a steel integrated bracelet.

To learn more and inquire for purchase, visit Bell & Ross, here.