Watch brand Bell & Ross is no stranger to playing with luminescence. After all, legibility is one of the company’s four basic principles (next to functionality, reliability, and precision) and lume allows for increased visibility regardless of lighting. In 2017, Bell & Ross introduced the Lum collection to emphasize the green-glowing details on the watch, whether it be the numerals, indexes, hands, or dials. Fast-forward to today, and the company is going all in with the introduction of the limited-edition Bell & Ross BR-X5 Green Lum watch, featuring an LM3D photoluminescent composite case.
LM3D, a composite material developed especially for Bell & Ross, is made of quartz fibers that diffuse a powerful green luminescence. The 41mm case of the BR-X5 Green Lum uses both LM3D and grade 2 micro-blasted black DLC titanium parts in multiple layers to ensure that the watch remains lightweight on the wrist. The movement is housed in a titanium shell sandwiched between two layers of LM3D. The fixed bezel is also crafted from titanium but hosts an LM3D insert. both sides of the watch are then furnished with sapphire crystal and the thickness of the case clocks in at 12.8mm. The black DLC winding crown is a screw-down one, contributing to the case’s 100m water resistance.
The matte black dial is no shrinking violet in the dark either; the hour markers, skeletonized hands, power reserve indicator, and date window glow as vibrantly as the case thanks to Super-LumiNova. The applied hour markers are filled with black varnish while the black flange includes a 60-minute scale.
Inside the watch is the Caliber BR‐CAL.323, the self-winding manufacture movement developed with Kenissi that debuted in 2022. It’s largely because of this higher-grade movement that the popular BR 05 watch collection evolved into the BR-X5 line. For more on that release, check out Ripley Sellers’ Bell & Ross Unveils New BR-X5 Watches With Manufacture Movements article. Caliber BR-CAL 323 has a power reserve of 70 hours, operates at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz), and is COSC-certified. The movement’s custom skeletonized oscillation weight designed to look like a sports car rim is visible through the smoked gray sapphire crystal affixed to the caseback. The look of the new BR-X5 Green Lum watch is finished off with a black rubber strap with vents, fitted with a DLC steel folding buckle.
I can’t help but think of the glow-in-the-dark toys of my childhood when I see these pictures; obviously, this watch is executed to an exceedingly higher standard than my past trinkets, but that nugget of nostalgia is there for me — and I dig what Bell & Ross is doing here. It’s innovative, playful, and downright fun if you like green gleaming objects. Just don’t wear this if you need to be inconspicuous in the dark, because that’s not going to happen with this watch radiating on your wrist. Limited to only 500 pieces and priced at $13,300 USD, the Bell & Ross BR-X5 Green Lum watch is currently available for pre-order, with delivery scheduled for December. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
