French speed-skier Simon Billy inspired the new Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket. Since 2022, Billy has dominated the World Speed Skiing Championships, with four consecutive gold medals. On March 22, 2023, in Vars, France he reached a top speed of 255.500 km/h (158.760 mph). This record is recognized as the highest speed reached in the sport. No one in the world has ever traveled faster on land without mechanical assistance. Inspired by Billy’s record-breaking pursuits, Bell & Ross’ Snow Rocket design translates the intensity of his discipline into a chronograph engineered to measure every fraction of a second.
For this collaboration, Bell & Ross created a competition chronograph directly inspired by Simon Billy’s equipment. The matte white dial evokes snow. Against this background, the vivid red hands, numerals and indices recall the Frenchman’s competition suit. This sharp contrast enhances legibility, a fundamental function of any instrument watch. The red-highlighted counters enhance the readability of the graduations: small seconds at 9 o’clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock. The date is positioned at 6 o’clock. At the center, the chronograph hand indicates the measured speed on the tachymeter scale of the inner bezel. This function translates time into speed at a single glance. The hour and minute hands echo the elongated shape of competition skis. Outlined in red, they are filled with white Super-LumiNova BGW9 Grade X1 – with blue emission to ensure clarity in all conditions.
Limited to 250 pieces worldwide, the BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket is available on two different bracelets. The first, in polished steel, matches the 42 mm case ($7,700.00). The second, in red rubber, echoes the color of Simon Billy’s competition suit ($7,200.00). As a finishing touch, the sapphire case back reveals the automatic BR-CAL.326 calibre and features a speed skier printed in red on the glass.
Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket – bellross.com
