Based on an interview with Bruno Belemich by Anouk Pappers and Maarten Schäfer and published in CoolBrands, the Guru Book and seeded online by CoolBrands storytelling.
Bell & Ross – Second to none
If quality is a factor, ultimately you turn to professionals. Bell & Ross has elevated the level of absolute quality to soaring heights, which made it the go-to brand for those for whom time is of the essence. Pilots, deep-sea divers, astronauts and even the French national bomb disposal unit all rely on Bell & Ross. Why? One of the reasons is that they get a big say in developing their utility watches, which do away with futile frill or gadgetry and feature strength, duress and readability. Because if there’s one thing Bell & Ross has no time for, it’s uselessness.
It’s in the minute details
At the beginning of this beautiful brand lies the friendship between its French founders Bruno Belamich and Carlos A. Rosillo. Their personable mix of sure-fire intuition and analytical prowess has proven to be an unbeatable combination, and has propelled them to the upper echelons of time-keeping brands. To stay. In 1993 they started off to change the world of horology as we know it, with a simple statement: function shapes form. Bruno: “With functionality as a solid base, there simply is no group more demanding than the professionals, whose operational needs are way beyond the specifications that most watchmakers boast in their trendy catalogues.” In return, this group can be heart-warmingly grateful and loyal as well. The fact that the first automatic chronometer to be worn in space bore the Bell & Ross logo should be your first clue. Oh yes, it’s that good.
Hunting high and low
The humbling company of renowned professionals distinguishes Bell & Ross from the rest of the bunch. It keeps an open mind by working with designers, watchmakers, engineers and the users themselves, balancing knowledge and demand to provide equal opportunities for all. After all, it’s the passion for a great watch that counts. Satisfy basic needs in an unprecedented way, and do away with excess baggage that distracts from focus. Think Apple, not Vista. Initially, Bell & Ross collaborated with legendary dashboard-meter brand Sinn, that provided a factory and specialist know-how. Its first watches sent a ripple through the time continuum, setting records like accurately telling time in space and at the mind-boggling depth of 11,000 meters. Guinness had a field day, no doubt. The Bell & Ross Bomb Disposal Type is a shining example of the brand’s finely-targeted design objectives, with an anti-magnetic case and instantly readable precision that made the harrowing job of defusing explosives so much easier. The French Security Services did not waste time in ordering one for all their experts immediately.
Time bandits
The brand has established its own factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. This freed the brand from complicated commercial stakes, and brought back the autonomy it needed to excel. Currently, Bell & Ross designs its watches in Paris, and has them produced in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Besançon. If needed, the brand is not too arrogant to hire subcontractors for support. It keeps all lines short and open, and the flow of ideas constant. To great effect, as sales have doubled every year for the last three years and running. The unveiling of new Bell & Ross models are highly anticipated events that have fans and experts alike foaming at the mouth with pleasure. No exceptions, just exceptional. Bell & Ross does not care as much about volume, as it does about quality. It only talks of target groups in research and development, and abhors anything above sensible brand strategy and marketing. Belamich and Rosillo are all about the technical challenge and the love of time and time-keeping. This product sells itself, indeed.
Quadcore quality
Watches by Bell & Ross are all rooted in four design principles that the brand has held high from the first tick-tock. Its mission – create a utility watch for professionals that demands tools with optimum reliability – is a holy one, and requires discipline and love in equal measures.
Bell & Ross Design Principles
1. Ledgibility – Bell & Ross watches uses the same visual principles as cockpit instrument panels
2. Functionality – Every detail has its special purpose and use
3. Precision- All mechanical movements are high-precision adjusted, which extends to pure lines, proportions and elegance
4. Reliability – All watches are built with military specifications to endure the most extreme circumstances on either water or on land
The brand’s main markets are the United States, Europe and Asia, of which the latter is about 15 percent. The problem, if any, is that its limited production simply will not meet the growing demand that is knocking at the door. If you think that the brand is worried about this, think again. It solves this dilemma by judging potential markets on maturity, and supplying them accordingly. In other words: first come, first serve. Like it or lump it.
The future’s ticking
What lies ahead, is a future in which Bell & Ross will further enrich the brand’s cult status through professional innovation and its unwavering design philosophy. A brighter tomorrow, where professionals doing the world’s most demanding jobs can be the best they can possibly be. And where those who want nothing other than the absolute platinum standard have only one way to go. By definitively harnessing time in tangible excellence, Bell & Ross has stopped the clock on all other watch brands. On your marks, people: this is a future that keeps its promises, exactly when and wherever you want it to. It’s here, and it’s now. It’s Bell & Ross, and it’s about time.
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