Having re-ignited widespread interest in Franck Muller with its series of 1990s inspired โTributeโ chronographs, Grail Watch โ co-founded by everybodyโs favourite horological media mogul, Wei Koh โ has settled on much more contemporary fare for its latest project; bringing together two unlikely collaborators in the form of Alain Silberstein and French watch brand Bell & Ross.
In actual fact the second time that Silberstein has worked on a Grail Watch release, the โMaster of the Squiggleโ has matched his trademark mixture of kooky geometric shapes and primary colours to the last canvas youโd probably think of โ that of the Bell & Rossโ BR 03.
An evolution of the brandโs iconic BR 01 (again, a square-cased watch inspired by the look of instrumentation in aviatorsโ cockpits), the BR 03 turned out to be a really effective vehicle for exploring the essential elements in both Silbersteinโs and Bell & Ross Creative Director Bruno Belamichโs respective designs.
โWe immediately decided to make the three watches in black ceramic, because of the purity of the case and dial, which serve as a canvas for the primary colours of my hands.โ
Alain Silberstein
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That idea of the โcanvasโ is consistent across all three Alain Silberstein x Bell & Ross releases, consisting of a time-only model (Klub 22), chronograph (Krono 22), and dive watch (Marine 22) โ all of which weโll cover off in short order below.
The Klub 22 is the most logical point of entry, being both the simplest (in terms of mechanics) and most accessibly priced of the bunch. For design obsessives, this is where the work of Silberstein and Belamich really shines in its purest and most unadultered light. Three large geometric shapes โ an arrow, circle, and S-shaped squiggle โ mark the hour, minute(s) and seconds respectively. These details are all hyper-visible thanks to the sandblasted black titanium within which theyโre framed and, just for good measure, Silberstein opted to decorate the cardinal positions (i.e. 12, 3, 6, 9) in a pop of sunshine yellow that is contiguous with the date and minute hand. 200 examples of the Klub 22 have been made.
Moving on, the Marine 22 plays the role of the Alain Silberstein x Bell & Ross collabโs resident divewatch, a brief it lives up to admirably despite the appearances of a whimsical โartistic timepieceโ. On closer inspection, you might even notice that the handset favoured here is unique โ what Silberstein refers to as his โMaxiโ hands owing to their large, lume-heavy design. In particular, the blue lollipop-esque hour hand is a new innovation of Silbersteinโs โ complete with a lume plot hovering in high-contrast suspension when you wear the Marine 22 in the dark.
Much like the Klub 22, this model is powered by one of Bell & Rossโ own BR.CAL-302 โ a self-winding movement that comes with a date wheel and a 42-hour power reserve. 100 examples have been made.
For visual gluttons โ and I certainly count myself among them โ the Krono 22 is likely to hold the strongest appeal. Unsurprisingly the chronograph of the set, it is the most riotously detailed of the BR 03 variations โ owing to the enlarged suite of surfaces Silberstein had the opportunity to work on, courtesy of the complication. Youโll count five of the designerโs kooky, Bauhaus-inflected hands on the dial: including a neat little triangle that serves as the means for reading the Krono 22โs 30-minute register.
At an angle, youโll also quickly glean the pushers: chunky black extremities that blend with the rest of the watchโs form factor rather neatly, except for the two lacquer inlays in yellow and blue. Along with the crown, topped with a red lacquer triangle, the effect is enjoyable rather than jarring โ something that could be said for all three of these watches and certainly, no small feat.
