The watchmaker with the headquarters in Paris and the manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Bell & Ross, has diversified its offer of Vintage WW1 (Wrist Watch 1) watches with a new model which features a lovely opaline dial with a ruthenium finish. As the previous timepieces from the series, it is fitted into an Argentium silver housing and supplied with a hand-wound ETA 7001 movement. Unlike its predecessors, the opaline dial model will be available with bright-colored leather straps.
The Vintage WW1 collection tries to capture the appearance of timekeepers which stood somewhere between pocket watches and the first wristwatches. Bell & Ross with its collection integrates some of the trends that were dominant somewhere between the 1920s and the 1940s. Among the visible influences of the era are the curves characteristic for fob models, soldered lugs in the form of wire handles and a thin and elegant leather strap.
However, there are tons of technological advances utilized in the series. For example, all Vintage WW1 models and the latest one among them have cases made from Argentium silver. It is an alloy which combines 92.5 percent of silver with 7.5 percent of metalloid germanium. Not only that it looks exceptional, it also has improved resilience. As it is the case throughout the collection, the case is made with the diameter of 41 mm and the thickness of 12 mm. Bell & Ross Vintage WW1 has a solid case-back which is graced with a guilloche barleycorn motif and the brand’s logo in the center. It is likewise important to note that the watch has a nice looking knurled crown and supports water resistance to 50 meters.
As it has been said, the watch has a striking opaline dial which is guarded with a domed and glare-proofed sapphire crystal. The dial includes applied silver Arabic numerals and hour markers, as well as hands in the same material. Minimalistic in its design, its only additional indication is a small seconds counter at the lower section.
Inside the timekeeper’s Argentium housing there is ETA (Peseux) 7001 hand-wound mechanical movement with 17 jewels. The caliber in question operates at the frequency of 21,600, has the diameter of 10 ½ lignes and provides a power reserve which lasts for 42 hours.
Instead of slightly dull gray alligator leather straps used for the previous Vintage WW1 models (which had silver and ruthenium dials), the new model with opaline face is coupled with attachments in white, blue, red and orange color. Each of the available straps fastens with a pin buckle made of Argentium.
