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Bell & Ross

Founded in 1992 in Paris, France — production in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland

Brand History

Bell & Ross was born in Paris in 1992 out of the meeting between Bruno Belamich, a designer, and Carlos A. Rosillo, a childhood friend with a more business-oriented profile: the brand's name combines their surnames ("Bell" from Belamich, "Ross" from Rosillo) into an acronym deliberately easy to pronounce in any language. In its early years the project focused on rugged, functional watches intended for professional use — military chronographs and extreme-diving instruments — made in collaboration with third-party manufacturers, including the German firm Sinn.

The turning point came in 2005 with the launch of the BR 01: a watch with a square case that takes, almost literally, the shape of the instruments mounted on aircraft instrument panels — a circular dial set into a squared body, fixed by visible screws at the four corners. This is the moment Bell & Ross stopped being a niche brand for insiders and became instantly recognizable, building the brand's entire subsequent identity around that idea — "form follows function."

Over the years the brand has strengthened its ties to the world of aviation and the military through direct collaborations, including supplying watches to the Escadron de Chasse 2/4 "La Fayette" of the French air force, and has paired its square "Instruments" line with a rounder "Vintage" collection, inspired by mid-twentieth-century pilot and naval watches. Today Bell & Ross is headquartered in Paris, with watchmaking production entrusted to manufacturers in Switzerland, in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

What Sets It Apart

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The "cockpit instrument" case

The brand's distinctive trait: a circular dial enclosed in a square case, directly inspired by aircraft cockpit instruments, with the four corner screws often functional and not merely decorative.

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Military and professional DNA

Born for an audience of pilots, divers and bomb-disposal experts, the brand built its credibility on direct collaborations with units of the French military air force.

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"Form follows function"

The brand's declared principle: every element on the dial — indices, hands, color contrasts — is designed first and foremost for immediate legibility, even in extreme conditions.