A departure from traditional tool-watch codes, the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor marks Bell & Ross’s ascent into the world of Haute Horlogerie
As we enter a new chapter this year, Bell & Ross does the same with the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor. The signature square case remains, but it has been reimagined as a three-part architectural structure: a steel middle case sandwiched between a sapphire crystal on top and a sapphire caseback, all held together by four exposed screws.
Rather than treating case and calibre as separate entities, the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor fuses them both structurally and visually, allowing the skeletonised movement to become a natural extension of the square silhouette.
A closer look reveals a carefully ordered architecture in which the movement is arranged along a geometric grid of horizontal and vertical lines, a nod to the graphic codes that have defined Bell & Ross for more than three decades. Skeletonised bridges form a square within the square, reinforcing visual continuity between case and calibre, while 26 rubies add a refined touch.
At the heart of the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor lies the manufacture calibre BR-CAL.389. Just 9 mm thick, it combines a flying tourbillon with a micro-rotor. Positioned at 5:30, the tourbillon, Breguet’s 19th-century answer to gravitational error, is displayed in full view. Its cage completes one rotation per minute.
Counterbalancing the tourbillon’s visual drama is the ingenuity of the micro-rotor. Instead of a full-sized oscillating weight mounted above the movement, Bell & Ross integrates a compact rotor within the plane of the calibre. This preserves the watch’s slim profile while maintaining automatic winding, delivering a 58-hour power reserve without the need to add visual or physical bulk.
The payoff is twofold: Viewed from both front and back, the movement remains largely unobstructed, reinforcing the impression of an open mechanical stage. On the wrist, the 40 mm case has a beautiful finish with a grey alligator strap and a folding buckle in satin-finished and polished steel.
