A stylish new armour for Bell & Ross’ latest dive icon.

It has taken Bell & Ross a while to finally find its sweet spot with dive watches. But with the BR 03-92 collection that debuted in 2018 looking increasingly like the final port of call, we can expect a slew of iterations to come in thick and fast – starting with this year’s matte black version.

But first, a little re-cap on Bell & Ross’ dalliances with dive watches so far. Although the brand shot to fame with watches that resemble airplane instrument gauges, it has a long and legit history of making ultra-utilitarian dive watches. Back in 1997, Bell & Ross introduced the Hydromax, a watch famous for its world-record 11,100m water resistance. After the Hydromax, Bell & Ross tried to crystallise its archetypal dive watch with limited success; there was the more conventional, round-cased Diver 300 chronograph, and the distinctive tonneau-shaped BR 02 Instrument from 2002 and 2007, respectively.

It was only with the BR 03-92 that brand suddenly seemed to find its eureka moment – that the perfect design for a Bell & Ross dive watch had been right under its nose all along. By basing the BR 03-92 dive collection on the BR01’s inimitable square silhouette, the watch’s designers not only endow the new collection with instant design distinction, but also imbue them with a sense of identity unique to the brand. Of course, critics will be quick to call it an unadventurous retreat to safe waters. While they are not entirely wrong, the BR 03-92 watches also seem to have rubbished naysayers’ opinions by being commercially successful and instantly adored.

This year’s BR 03-92 Diver Matte Black offers only cosmetic changes to 2018’s debutants, the BR03-92 Diver Blue and Diver Bronze. But what a gorgeous switch up it is. Though the collection is in its early days, that model will surely rank as one of its most fuss-free and utilitarian-looking – an intentional nod to the collection’s tool-watch DNA.

The ceramic case and bezel with matte finish don’t mess about, the deep black hue providing the backdrop for an equally no-nonsense dial that takes pride in high-contrast legibility, accented by hits of orange on the hour hand and the dive rating.

Paired with a rubber strap, the BR 03-92 Diver Matte Black is an embodiment of the collection’s dive watch credentials that surpass ISO 6425 international performance standards, including 300m water resistance, legibility underwater, anti-shock and anti-magnetic properties. But EVEN SO, the BR 03-92 Diver Matte Black manages to come across as an incredibly stylish piece of wrist candy.

Case	42mm in matte black ceramic with unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel with 60-minute scale
Dial	Black with metal applique skeleton Super-LumiNova numerals and indexes
Movement	Automatic calibre BR-CAL.302
Strap	Rubber
Functions	Hours, minutes, seconds and date
Water resistance	300m
Price	S$6,200