Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic in matte black: Ceramic the new black

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic in matte black housed in a 42mm ceramic case and water-resistant to 100 metres. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic in matte black housed in a 42mm ceramic case and water-resistant to 100 metres. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

In 2014, the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 collection gets a new protective layer of skin – a ceramic matte black case.

Four new model references in ceramic were introduced: the matte black, Commando, Heritage and Phantom, all housed in 42mm cases.

The case back of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 in matte black is also in ceramic, a hypo-allergenic material. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

The case back of the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 in matte black is also in ceramic, a hypo-allergenic material. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

As ceramic is a hypo-allergenic material, what the good folks at Bell & Ross did is to have the case back made of this same material.

“Until now, our watches in black were PVD-coated (particle vapour deposition). Now, the standard is ceramic. This is what we call evolution,” says Bruno Belamich, creative director at Bell & Ross.

The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic in matte black is powered by the ETA 2892 automatic movement and has a small date display. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Ceramic in matte black is powered by the ETA 2892 automatic movement and has a small date display. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. 2014 BaselWorld

Now how can one tell if the BR 03-92 seen on a wrist is in a PVD case or a ceramic one?

Here are just two tell-tale signs to look out for: firstly, there are no screws on the dial of the ceramic case and secondly, the “Swiss Made” is now below the minute tracks at the six o’clock position (the text sits on the minute tracks in the PVD-coated BR 03-92).