Bell & Ross has recently launched its latest watch, the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor, as the brand is venturing into new territories, where mechanics become a spectacle and watchmaking reveals its artistic dimension. Combining the BR-X with a Haute Horlogerie movement, where it redefines the balance between legibility and mechanical contemplation. Production for the timepiece is limited to 25 units only.
“It’s a signature watch that concentrates all of Bell & Ross’ watchmaking know-how, expertise, and design,” explains Bruno Belamich, Creative Director of the Maison. The BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor put the spotlight on its movement itself.
This model, while retains the signature square case in 40mm, it is now using a combination of steel and sapphire to offer a a fully transparent and minimalist architecture. The construction is based on a bold principle: the case and movement are now an inseparable whole, structurally connected by a steel middle case, a sapphire top, and a sapphire caseback, held together by four iconic screws. This simplicity hides a major technical feat, as sapphire—an exceptionally hard material—requires mastery in machining and assembly.
“Sapphire highlights the beauty of fine mechanics,” states Bruno Belamich. The timepiece’s transparency allows a complete view of the movement. The skeletonized aesthetic merges two distant artistic worlds in a quest for purity: the geometric abstraction of Piet Mondrian with its orthogonal lines, and Charlotte Perriand’s functional architecture celebrating the essential. This reference results in a precise grid that structures movement as visual art. The architecture reflects the geometric grid favored by Bell & Ross, where straight lines create a rigorous composition. The square skeleton mirrors the case, forming visual continuity between container and content, while 26 rubies punctuate the geometry with their deep red brilliance.
“Reading the time is reduced to its simplest expression. The movement too, stripped of excess, respecting the grid,” summarizes Bruno Belamich. Indeed, only hours and minutes are displayed, offset at 2 o’clock. This simplification frees space for the mechanics, creating a hierarchy where time is secondary. The finishes reflect artisanal excellence: brushed bridges with linear reflections and polished edges defining contours. Every angle enhances the overall beauty. It is an expression of watchmaking minimalism, where beauty arises from emptiness, making the purity of the mechanical gesture the sole ornament.
BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor uses the BR-CAL.389 caliber, where the movement embodies Haute Horlogerie, combining two major complications in a slender space. The tourbillon, invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 19th century, is a prestigious symbol of watchmaking. This rotating cage, completing a full turn per minute, compensates for Earth’s gravity on the balance spring. In the BR-X3, the tourbillon is in a flying configuration at 5:30, where its hypnotic rotation is a constant spectacle.
The micro-rotor, the second complication of this caliber, enables automatic winding while maintaining a slimness of just 9 mm for the entire case. Positioned in the movement plane, this miniaturized oscillating weight ensures a 58-hour power reserve.
In Malaysia, the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor’s price is RM 395,000 and if you want to purchase it, only via pre-order. Head link here to pre-order.
BR-X3 TOURBILLON MICRO-ROTOR (25PCS LIMITED EDITION)
BRX3M-TRB-ST/SCR
| Movement: BR-CAL.389. Manufacture automatic mechanical movement. 58-hour power reserve. | Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating. |
| Functions: Hours and minutes offset at 2 o’clock. Flying tourbillon cage at 5:30. | Water resistance: 50 metres. |
| Case: 40 mm wide. 9 mm thick. Satin-finished and polished steel. Customised polished and satin-finished bridges. | Strap: Grey alligator skin. |
| Dial: Skeletonised. Small sapphire fumé dial. Rhodium-plated hour and minute hands. | Buckle: Folding. Satin-finished and polished steel. |