Hunters and mechanical watches share three requirements: legibility, robustness, ergonomics. For two decades, the BR‑03 has been Bell & Ross’ visual signature – a circle within a square, inspired by aircraft instruments – and the BR‑03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display version cranks up this DNA to the max. The square here is not a pose, but a user interface.
Iconic square Bell & Ross BR‑03 gets its purest “aviation” interpretation yet. Limited Edition BR‑03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display combines 42 mm micro-sandblasted black ceramic, pushers START/RESET in orange-yellow lacquer, Super-LumiNova X1, tachymeter and proven automatic chronograph BR‑CAL.301 (base ETA 2894‑2). Price: €6,300 (EU) / $6,000 (US), deliveries in September 2025; will be produced 500 pieces. (
An aircraft instrument that doesn't need a cockpit
Hunters and mechanical watches share three requirements: legibility, robustness, ergonomics. The BR‑03 has been Bell & Ross' visual signature for two decades – a circle within a square inspired by aircraft instruments – and a version BR‑03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display this DNA is wound to the max. The square here is not a pose, but a user interface.
Housing: square cockpit
Custom housing 42 mm and is from micro-sandblasted black ceramics – lightweight, durable and highly scratch-resistant. Water resistance 100 m, sapphire with anti-reflective coating and a black, matte dial for minimal reflections. The outer scale is tachymeter; large Arabic numerals and indexes are filled with Super-LumiNova X1This is a watch that stays legible even when those Gs try to explain their backs.
Buttons that scream function: START and RESET
The most “Rafale” detail? The chronograph pusher with engraved START and RESET inscriptions, watered with orange and yellow varnish – aviation semiotics for quick detection even with gloves. Date window at 6 o'clock surrounded by a yellow warning "dotted line" in the style of cabin safety signs, and on the dial there is a discreet Rafale Solo Display logo.
Mechanics: BR‑CAL.301 based on ETA 2894‑2
Inside the ticking clock BR‑CAL.301, house-branded version ETA 2894‑2. You get 42 hours of power reserve energy, central chronograph seconds hand, 30-minute totalizer at 9 a.m. and small seconds at 3. The modular 2894‑2 is renowned for its serviceability and robustness – exactly what you expect from an instrument watch.
Partnership: From Patrouille de France to Rafale Solo Display
Cooperation with BR‑03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display is the logical extension of Bell & Rosso's aviation partnerships. The French Air Force team performs nine-minute performances where the Rafale shows off its agility and overloads – and now it has its own “official” chronograph. Straps: rubber for asphalt, velcro for the runway
The set includes: perforated black rubber strap with PVD pin buckle and one-piece textile (hook-and-loop) strap with Rafale Solo Display logo – practical for quickly fastening over the sleeve of the overalls.
Specifications: BR‑03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display
- Model: Bell & Ross BR‑03 Chrono Rafale Solo Display (ref. BR0394‑RSD‑CE/SRB)
- Housing: 42 mm, micro-sandblasted black ceramic; 100 m; sapphire with AR coating
- Dial: matte black; large Arabic numerals; Super‑LumiNova X1; tachymeter; Rafale Solo Display logo; yellow date frame at 6 o'clock
- Mechanism: BR‑CAL.301 (base ETA 2894‑2), 42 h reserve; 4 Hz
- Chronograph: central seconds; 30-minute Counter at 9 o'clock; small seconds at 3 o'clock
- Controls: thruster START/RESET (orange/yellow lacquered engraving)
- Straps: black perforated rubber + one-piece textile hook-and-loop (Rafale Solo Display)
- Limitation: 500 pieces around the world
Price and availability
Official price list: €6,300 (EU, VAT included) / $6,000 (US, IFRS)The model is already in pre-order, with planned deliveries in September 2025If you are measuring the “first batch”, the pace of orders will likely be higher than the G curve.
How it wears: a little “Top Gun”, a lot of utility
The BR‑03 Rafale Solo Display is distinctive instrumental: the square silhouette sits flat, the ceramic tames the bulk, and the contrasts allow for instant reading of measurements. Not a museum piece, but a tool with a designer wink – the buttons literally tell you what they do.
Conclusion: aerodynamics decisions on the wrist
If you're looking for a pilot's chronograph with real usability and a clear identity, this Bell & Ross Chrono Rafale Solo Display is a very coherent package: legibility, tactility, partnership with an elite demo team and fair specificationsFor comparison in the next step: place it next to an IWC Top Gun or a Bremont military chronograph and see who gets the needle back to zero faster.
