HANDS-ON: The Bell & Ross BR03-92 Desert Type

The story in a second:

If you’re prone to a little dyslexia you might misread this watch as the Dessert Type – and you wouldn’t be too far wrong because this watch is suh-weet.

The Bell & Ross BR03-92 Desert Type is the companion piece to the Ceramic Military Type that we told you about earlier this year. Both are cut from the same cloth, but wear completely differently.

The Ceramic Military Type, with its army-man green dial and nylon strap that looks like it should have a few armour-piercing rounds threaded through it certainly looks the military part. Think Arnie in Commando.

On the other hand the Desert Type is more Joel Edgerton in Zero Dark Thirty – still completely hardcore, but capable of moving from hitman to hipster with a costume change. Largely this is down to the more reserved dial. The black numerals, indices and hands melt (all still luminous by the way) into the sandy tones of the dial – with only the relatively small details of the dial screws and red ‘Ltd’ badge standing out. And talking of camouflage – the date window is super subtle, just as we’ve come to expect from Bell & Ross. The strap also tones this watch down. Black canvas is an option, but I saw it on the distressed calf and this strap is the perfect choice for the watch, slightly worn around the edges, but not worn out.

The case is PVD treated steel, which is a little bit of an odd choice. The Desert Type is a boutique only edition, limited to 250 pieces – and I would have expected to see a cutting edge ceramic case on this model, especially as the regular, unlimited Military Type is ceramic. It’s not a big deal but for me it’s the only off note on a watch that is otherwise a sure-fire hit.

Bell & Ross BR03-92 Desert Type Australian price and availability

The watch is limited to 250 pieces worldwide, has a retail of $5950 and is only available from Bell&Ross’ Melbourne Boutique

Images by Kristian Dowling/Time+Tide Images.