The BR 01 Cyber Skull

From Bell & Ross - 

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

This little nugget dropped this AM from the nice folks in Paris / CT.

This version of the Skull marks the latest iteration of the Skull's talisman connection to Bell & Ross and the BR 01, which first came out in 2009 with the BR 01 Skull. This bronze version is limited to 500 pieces.

Here are the pertinents:

Movement:
BR-CAL.210. Manufacture. Hand-wound mechanical.


Functions:
hours and minutes. Moving skull jawbone when wound by hand.


Case:
45 mm x 46.7 mm. 13.70 mm thick. Satin-finished and polished CuSn8 bronze. Sapphire and CuAI7Si2 bronze case- back.


Dial:
skeletonised. Rose gold-plated brass skull (or bronze- coloured skull). Gilt metal skeletonised Super-LumiNova®- filled hour and minute hands. Balance at 12 o’clock.


Crystal:
sapphire with anti-reflective coating


Water Resistance:
50 metres.


Strap:
Black Rubber


Buckle:
pin. Satin-finished and polished CuAI7Si2 bronze.

This is a pre-order watch (only) and will start delivering in February.
The price of admission is $11,400.00

The Chronofighter Vintage Bronze

 From Graham -

Courtesy of Graham

This one must have snuck past me when it was released, but I stumbled across it recently and thought I might re-heat it.

The case is of bronze, and measures 44 mm in diameter.  Underneath the hood is the Calibre G1747, automatic chronograph, which operates via Graham's now signature "Trigger" chronograph pusher.

Courtesy of Graham

Like several of Graham's current collection, this one can also be purchased directly from Graham through the shop on their official site -

https://graham1695.com/collections/all

The Hydrosphere Greg Lecoeur Edition

From RESERVOIR -

Courtesy of RESERVOIR

This is a limited edition of 50 pieces.  The Case is of bronze and measures 45 mm in diameter.  The water resistance is rated to 250 meters, and is equipped with a helium release valve.  The movement is ETA's 2824 with a proprietary module (retrograde seconds and jumping hours don't just "happen").

Courtesy of RESERVOIR

And just who is Greg Lecoeur?  Perhaps one of the most active and well known underwater photographers active today.

The price listed is just south of $5,000. And that purchase price also includes a dive with Mr. Lecoeur himself!

Here are the pertinents -

– 45mm, bronze Case with satin finish 
– Blue dial with sundial finish, white index, magnifier on the jumping-hour window 
– Self-winding mechanical movement, 37 hours power reserve 
– Complications: Retrograde minutes, jumping Hour, Power Reserve 
– Patented proprietary 124-pieces module on ETA 2824-2 caliber 
– Anti-reflective sapphire crystal 
– Unidirectional, ceramic rotating bezel with double scale for reading the time at different diving depths before and after the retrograde minute hand’s return 
– Helium Valve 
– Stainless steel screwed back, screw-down crown, watertight up to 250m 
– Black rubber strap screwed onto the body 
– Additional blue NATO strap provided, mounted on bronze stirrups

The BR 03-92 DIVER RED BRONZE

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

Some tasty bronze diving drip to start your day! Limited to 999 pieces.
Here are the pertinents -

Limited edition of 999 pieces.

Movement: 

calibre BR-CAL.302. Automatic mechanical.

Functions: 

hours, minutes, seconds and date.

Case: 

42 mm in width. Satin-finished and polished CuSn8 bronze. Unidirectional rotating solid bronze bezel with 60-minute scale and red anodised aluminium ring. Screw-down crown. Crown guard. Steel case-back.

Dial: 

red. Gold plated applique indices with Super-LumiNova® inserts. Gold plated metal skeletonised Super-LumiNova®-filled hour, minute and seconds hands.

Crystal: 

sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

Water-resistance: 

300 metres

Straps: 

brown coloured calfskin leather and woven black rubber.

Buckle: 

pin. Satin-finished and polished bronze.

In Case You Missed It - the BR V2-94 AERONAVALE in BRONZE

From Bell & Ross -

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

By and large, when it comes to bronze watches I have mixed emotions. All too often brands foolishly opt to use it for a dive watch, the execution is clumsy, and within a few months it is a large block of greenish smudge that looks as if it has been polished with a hot Hershey bar.

But bronze can be elegant, and my favorite in a runaway is the BR V2-94 Aeronvale in bronze.

A less bulky profile than a diver, it provides a far better format for bronze.  To be clear, the BR V2-94 will age and gain a patina that will share not just the story of the watch, but the individual who wore it. And this is just the time machine to record that history.

Here are the pertinents -

Movement: calibre BR-CAL.301. Automatic mechanical.

Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds at 3 o'clock and date. Chronograph: 30-minute timer at 9 o'clock, central chronograph seconds.

Case: 41 mm in diameter. CuAI7Si2 bronze. Bezel with anodized blue aluminum ring and 60-minute scale. Screw-down crown and push-buttons. Steel and sapphire case back.

Dial: blue sunray. Gilded and polished numerals and indices. Satin-polished and gilded skeleton Super-LumiNova®-filled hour and minute hands.

Crystal: box-type sapphire crystal sapphire with anti-reflective coating.

Water-resistance: 100 metres.

Strap: blue calfskin.

Buckle: Folding. Satin-polished bronze.

The 1964 Spirit Bronze

From ZRC -

Courtesy of ZRC

My understanding was that this was originally a pre-order item, but if I have understood the information, there are still some pieces available for purchase.

CASE

---

MANUFACTURE

Monobloc case
Screwed case back & crown

DIAMETER

40,5 mm

MATERIAL

Nonmagnetic Bronze CuSn8

BEZEL

ECSTM system
(Patent pending N°1462496)
Unidirectional 60 divisions rotating bezel

CROWN

Located at 6H (Crown Protection SystemTM). Inverted screwed thread with dual sealing

GLASS

Sapphire 4mm padded Vintage Glassbox

WATER RESISTANCE

Up to 300 meters

MOVEMENT

---

CALIBRE

2824-2 elaborated - ETA Manufacture

SETTING

+7sec/day

AMPLITUDE

(± 7sec/day) = from 0 to 14 sec/day max.

WINDING

Automatic winding

POWER RESERVE

38 hours

LEATHER STRAP​

---

MANUFACTURE

Leather strap equipped with an automatic sizing folding buckle

CLASP

Single buckle

The Sous-Marine

From LAVENTURE -

Courtesy of LAVENTURE

The sophomore effort from LAVENTURE is a diver, available with rubber or two different leather options.  It is available in steel or bronze - 

Courtesy of LAVENTURE

 And in two additional dial options including blue -

Courtesy of LAVENTURE

Courtesy of LAVENTURE

And black -

Courtesy of LAVENTURE

Courtesy of LAVENTURE

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

Case

Materials :	Bronze CuSn8 or Stainless Steel
Diameter :	41mm
Thickness :	10.20 mm (without glass)
Bezel :	Unidirectional rotating 120 clicks with light capsule
Crown :	Screwed for a better seal
Glass :	Domed sapphire type "Superdome" internal anti-reflective coating
Bottom :	Solid bottom for better sealing in Stainless Steel
Manufacturing:	Switzerland

Dial

Textures :	Black Galvanic
Indexes :	Wide-bore type "Maxi Dial" for better readability
Needles :	Polished Golden Coated with beige luminescent deposit « vintage »
Manufacturing:	Switzerland

Movement

Manufacturer :	ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse
Model :	2824-2
Finish :	TOP Grade : set and adjusted on 5 positions
Winding :	Automatic winding ball bearing
Power reserve :	38 hours
Number of jewels :	25
Spiral Spring :	Anachron
Barrel Spring :	Nivarox NZ
Balance Wheel :	Glucydur
Shock absorber :	Incablock
Frequency :	28,800 A / h (4 Hz)
Manufacturing :	Switzerland

3,300 CHF for the stainless steel, 3,600 CHF for bronze

Olivier Bronze Diver

Well, just down the road from me her in Santa Barbara,  Olivier Watches has set-up shop in Redondo Beach.  This is their Bronze Dive watch -

Courtesy of Olivier Watches

Here are the details straight from Olivier -

Bronze is a “live” alloy, and over time will darken as it develops a natural patina. This patina is part of what makes bronze such a great alloy for nautical applications, and is what makes bronze such a unique material to use for watches; each watch will develop its own unique patina based on the different kinds of environment and conditions the owner exposes it to truly making the watch yours.

Courtesy of Olivier

Specifications:
Case: CuSn8 Marine Grade Bronze
Case Diameter: Ø 45 mm – 48mm Lug-to-lug length
Case-back: 316L stainless steel with engraved design and unique serial number
Thickness: 15.5 mm
Lug width: 24 mm
Crown: 8mm x 4mm Signed stainless steel screw-down crown.
Crystal: Sapphire – 4 mm thick – AR coated inside
Water resistance: 500m / 50atm / 1650ft
Automatic Helium Escape Valve @ 9 o’clock position
Lume: Multi-layer Swiss SuperLuminova C3 application on dial, hands and bezel marker

Courtesy of Olivier

120 Click uni-directional bezel
Bezel 1: Solid bronze 120 click bezel with engraved markers and lumed 12 marker
Bezel 2: Solid bronze 120 click bezel with black engraved inlay, white markers and lumed 12 marker
[Both bezels are included and are user replaceable]

Strap: 24mm Rubber diving strap
Movement: 25 Jewel Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic – power reserve 40 hr.

These watches are available for pre-order now with a $250 deposit.

http://olivierwatches.com