A dial that glows.
Rolex fans aren't the only ones who know that small changes can have a big impact on the spirit of a novelty. The brand Bell & Ross went down the route of making subtle improvements this year, introducing a new diver's collection.
The absolute star of the BR 03 Diver series is the BR 03 Diver Full Lum Ceramic watch with a full glowing dial. The company has already played this card on the round three-hand time-only BR V2-92 Full Lum and the BR V2-94 Full Lum chronograph.
And more importantly, on the latest novelty's square precursor, the BR 03-92 Diver Full Lum. While the luminous ceramic model from 2020 was released as a limited edition (999 pieces), this year's novelty is part of the permanent collection.
Another important difference is the tone of Super-LumiNova: now pale blue instead of bright green. This detail shifts the mood! The company also says that they've revised the typeface, but the most obvious update is the visual transformation of the hour hand.
It's been given an arrow tip and is now fully filled with lume (only a thin stem glowed on the previous edition). The key specs remain the same: the case measuring 42 mm × 42 mm is made of black ceramic with a black 60-minute unidirectional rotating bezel, and the dial is protected by flat sapphire crystal.
The watch is water-resistant up to 300 meters and is an ISO 6425-compliant diving watch. The second ceramic model in the collection isn't full lume, it's full black. Its black ceramic case is paired with a black dial.
Like their ceramic siblings, the three steel members of the BR 03 Diver collection have inherited a bezel with a ceramic insert (watches in ceramic cases have come with ceramic bezels since 2019).
Ceramic came to replace the anodized aluminum used in the brand's first BR02 quartz-watch collection specifically designed for diving in 2007. The steel watches with ceramic bezels are available with white, blue and black dial options. On the technical side of things, the new collection has also taken a step forward.
Compared to the initial 38 hours provided by the BR 03-92, the BR 03 Diver has increased the power reserve to 54 hours thanks to its BR-CAL.302-1 movement based on the Sellita SW 300-1.