Review: Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Radiocompass

One of the first “real” watches I bought—and definitely the first Swiss watch I bought—was a Bell & Ross BR123 Vintage. It was decidedly uncharacteristic of the brand, because it was round (it also had one of the best date windows I’ve ever seen, with the 6 o’clock date window outline existing as an extension of the subdial outline). Bell & Ross, as you probably know, makes pilot watches inspired by instrument panels, which means it has a catalog filled with square watches (which translated quite nicely for the newer BR 05 series).

While Bell & Ross initially took only a general inspiration for its case shapes from the instrument panels, in recent years, it’s been more direct, releasing a number of models that have closely mimicked various cockpit instruments, even radar displays. The BR 03-92 Radiocompass continues this on-the-nose design approach. Its namesake instrument is an “on-board radio receiver which defines the position and direction of an aircraft via beacons on the ground. This indispensable navigation tool guides pilots regardless of the visibility.” The new model is intriguing but is not without its issues.

There’s no avoiding those hands, is there? That’s the big standout and I’ll tell you up front, that they don’t really get easier to read after a few wears. Other standouts are the ceramic case and the extremely comfortable rubber strap.

The Case

The matte black ceramic case is a home run. Anyone looking at this who knows Bell & Ross probably isn’t too surprised by it, but that doesn’t make it less awesome. Despite being square and undeniably blocky, the case has not properly sharp edges or angles, instead rounding at at the corners and the lugs. Like a Royal Oak, the case is held together with bolts that align symmetrically on the front and are fastened with screws on the back. The short lugs thankfully feature drilled lugs, allowing for quick changes if you happen to have ultra-wide straps (plus, the strap uses shoulderless lugs). Given the rugged design of the watch, I expected a screwdown crown, but instead the watch features a pull-out crown, but still manages adequate water resistance.

An incredible wear on the wrist. I’d never tried one of Bell & Ross’ signature square models, so I was a bit concerned that it would be ridiculous on the wrist. Well, I can confirm that the BR 03-92 family does not disappoint. The short lugs, thin case, and flared rubber strap diminish the dimensions of the watch and let it feel smaller than it has any right to. To say nothing of how incredibly soft and comfortable the strap is.

The Dial

OK. The hands. They are modeled directly from the radio compass instrument Bell & Ross looked at. Are they visually engaging? Yes. Are they readable? Not with any kind of ease, no. I really do like the idea of the hands, that is, the design, but two things are problematic. First, the hands extend across the diameter of the dial, instead of clearly in one direction. Second, the minute and hour hands are the same length. This means that it’s hard at a glance to tell which hand is which, and which end is which. It turns out the way we’re conditioned to read a watch relies greatly on the hands’ lengths following certain rules.

The black on black of the dial and case isn’t just the design of the cockpit radio compass, it’s good design. The black lets the colorful hands and white numerals and hashes stand out with plenty of contrast. The numerals are centrally oriented all the way around the dial (B&R typically orients them vertically), which gives is a very practical but fun vibe. When I initially got the watch, I actually though the 5-minute bezel rotated; it doesn’t but I do like how the triangle stands out.

I think Bell & Ross gets a bit of grief about its date windows. On almost every watch, the window is located at 4:30, with the text vertically oriented. While I always prefer a 3 or 6 o’clock date window (or none at all), but I can confirm that the Bell & Ross 4:30 window on the BR 03-92 Radiocompass is not a problem. It’s nestled neatly between the 4 and 5 and its presence is further mitigated by the hashes. There are models where it is a distraction, but this isn’t one of them.

The lume here is fine. This shot, frankly, took me a bit of finessing, but we got there, and what you see is fairly close to what you get, but a bit keyed up. The three different colors are a neat trick, though.

The Rest

The flush screwed-down caseback on the BR 03-92 Radiocompass makes it even easier to wear; unlike most watches that have to fight against a bulged caseback, the Radiocompass—like many Bell & Ross models—is left only with the specs you read on paper and that’s a good thing. I also have always enjoyed how B&R handles its casebacks: instead of some silly illustration in relief, the backs seem to mimic military spec tables, which is consistent with the brand’s entire image.

The black tang clasp is also ceramic, and features the same matte finishing, which ties the whole watch together. I have to say that this is one of the most comfortable stock straps I’ve ever tried–it’s soft, flexible, and seems to magically repel dust. As it’s flared to perfectly meet the full width of the lugs, it acts as a seamless extension of the case; as mentioned above, this has the effect of slimming down the case itself. To be sure, when I tried to put this on two other unflared black straps, the case instantly became more prominent on my wrist. Because of that, this is one of the rare watches where I wouldn’t see myself changing straps much if at all; despite that, the drilled lugs are there if you want (though I’m partial to quick release springbars).

Here’s where I ended up: I don’t want this model, but I do want a square Bell & Ross on a flared rubber strap. It’s one of the most comfortable watches I’ve ever worn, and the all-black design just works. Despite much grumbling (including my own) about the 4:30 date window, its far less obtrusive on the wrist. The issue with the BR 03-92 Radiocompass, in particular, is its awkward handset, which can’t overcome itself even with the help of fun colors. Fortunately, square watches are kind of Bell & Ross’ thing, so there are plenty of other options (like the new Multimeter).

If the handset appeals, though, you won’t be disappointed. You can learn more about the BR 03-92 Radiocompass and buy one directly from Bell & Ross.