Steady On! Bell & Ross Completes its Dashboard-Inspired Collection with the BR-03 Horizon

Bell & Ross’ original and playful series of square watches in the guise of cockpit instrumentation has always been a fan favourite. Over the years, essential dashboard indicators like the altimeter, radar and gyrocompass have been adapted for the wrist. Now, the artificial horizon joins the lot to complete the collection.

Also known as the attitude indicator, the artificial horizon provides spatial orientation for pilots. It consists of a circle bisected in half (the blue upper represents the sky and the black lower the earth, forming the horizon) and a miniature aircraft in the centre, its wings represented by two red lines. Taken together, the schematic reflects the spatial positioning of the plane in the sky — its tilts and pitches, measured by graduations on the outer dial and down the centre respectively.

So how do you tell the time? There are two large central hands: one in solid white for the minutes, and another in a dashed line for the seconds. The hour marker is located on the rotating central disc. If we understand the time display right, that means that there are moments during the day when you’ll be “flying” upside down. Symbolically, of course, but delightfully daredevil nonetheless.