The Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Burgundy Bronze On The Wrist

With Fall around the corner, I found it appropriate to review my latest acquisition - a quirky little dive watch that fits a specific niche in my collection. When I first saw the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Diver Burgundy Bronze (Whew… We’re just going to call it the “Diver Red” from here on out) I was immediately drawn to it’s ideal meld of color and personality - In fact, it’s not like many watches I’ve seen before.

Bell & Ross have realistically been know for their Pilot watches. They have created some truly iconic designs in the aviation space, and arguably tend to go hand-in-hand with a Military Aviation aesthetic language. Their recent Radar Ceramic and even their wildly successful BR-05 Models are a classic example of the quirky, yet iconic design language the brand is known for.

Enter the BR-03 in Bronze, and you have a fantastic addition to the Bell & Ross line that isn’t pretentious, over-priced, or even as overtly “tactical” as many of their product offerings. It just makes sense.

THE CASE:

The bronze case measures in at 42mm, but because of the square shape, it measures in at 42mm x 42mm, and feels a bit bigger just by nature. At first, I was afraid it was going to be a little too big for my wrist (and admittedly it’s a bit larger than I would normally wear), but it’s surprisingly comfortable, and not too hefty. Because of the square case, it doesn’t slide around on the wrist if it’s not strapped own really snug. In the Florida heat, I tend to wear my watches a bit looser. This, in turn, tends to cause the watch to rock a little on top of the wrist. The Diver Red doesn’t do that. it sits firmly atop my wrist, with or without a tight fit.

The watch fully fits into the Dive Watch category. Featuring 300m of water resistance, a rubber coated screw-down crown, and a full ISO 6425 certification. This brings me to my next point, and a question I get quite often.

“But Travis, isn’t bronze a bad material to use for diving?” Normally, I get the concern. The tarnish on regular bronze when diving can be quick, and brutal due to the salt content of the water. Because of this, Bell & Ross uses a composition of bronze alloy called “CuSn8”. This alloy mixes a large amount of copper and a small amount of tin (something like 90% and 10%). This presents an almost rose-gold color when new, but “tarnishes” to a bit more of a matte brown-ish tint when worn. Since the watch is mostly a satin finish with a few polished accents, the contrast on the case is lovely, especially as it starts to change. Honestly, I’ve enjoyed watching the transformation over the month I’ve had it. Interestingly enough, different lights catch the watch different ways, and you can sometimes pick out the less-permanent hues of the case - a fun surprise, especially on bright days.

Because of the chemical compound of the alloy, it’s slightly more scratch resistant than steel, and doesn’t Patina nearly as quickly as regular bronze. This gives the finish a bit longer of a lifespan.

THE DIAL:

The core draw to the Diver Red, is the bezel and dial. Playing with the different red and burgundy tones, it’s a striking looking dial.

The aluminum bezel is unidirectional with a 60-click action - a core feature for diving. It’s superbly legible, and easy to align. Since it’s also built on top of the bronze, the gold tone of the indicators pop very nicely against the dial as a whole. The lumed pip aligns perfectly at the 12 o’ clock marker (while this doesn’t seem that important, it’s noticeable when it’s misaligned) and the slightly misaligned screws give the watch some added charm.

The Dial itself is hands-down one of the more legible dials I’ve picked up lately. The lacquered red with the bronze outlined applied indices means you don’t have to look twice or strain to determine the time. This is critical when diving. The indices are raised just enough, and the hands really pop against the dial. My only gripe, is all the text on the dial. I really don’t feel that the “WATER RESISTANCE” line is necessary when the depth description is already underneath. It could have gotten away with two lines, instead of three, and that would help bring on a more coherent dial. Even the integrated Date Window between 4 and 5 o’ clock was unobtrusive and clean.

I do need to applaud the brand for not cluttering up the chapter ring. It’s thick, easy to read, and doesn’t feature some sort of 15-second indicator or millisecond ticks that are really irritatingly busy. The Lume, you ask? Absolutely insane. One of the best lumes in my entire collection.

Overall, besides the extra text, I found nothing to be desired in the dial. It was legible, the lume was bright and long-lasting, and simply beautiful to look at. The reds play well with each other, and I find it all around enticing to look at.

THE STRAP AND MOVEMENT:

Inside the watch is the BR-CAL.302. This is a Sellita based movement with some aftermarket finishing, not that you can see it anyway. It’s automatic, features 25 jewels, a 38-Hour power reserve, and beats at 28,800 VpH. Overall, a basic, but solid movement. It’s probably not something you’d brag about at your local RedBar meetup, but you can be sure it’ll hold it’s own in most every circumstance.

The watch comes with two straps in the packaging (which is a really cool pelican case). It features the leather strap you see here, and a black rubber strap I haven’t put on the watch yet. The rubber strap is definitely comfortable and more suitable for diving, but the leather strap is where this watch really shines. The aged brown calfskin leather looks great on the watch, and while I would normally hate the winged flaps where it meets the lugs, I find it very fitting for this watch. Both straps feature a bronze pin-buckle clasp with elongated cutouts to allow for some added stretch on a tight fit.

CONCLUSION:

Overall, I have little to fault this watch with. It’s beautiful, legible, comfortable, and fun. Bell & Ross did a fantastic job of rounding out their bronze diver collection with this piece. For a brand that is typically associated with military aviation watches, the BRO 03-92 Red Bronze sticks out in a positive way. I would recommend this watch to anyone who is looking for something different to wear, or finds themselves bored with the typical dive watch offerings on the market. The watch is limited to 999 pieces, and retails for $4,900 USD.

Read more about the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Burgundy Bronze Here.