Bell & Ross BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket honors a 255.50 km/h ski record

Bell & Ross has launched the BR-05 Chrono Snow Rocket, a ski-themed edition drawn from the world of speed skiing. The watch pairs a white dial with red details, and both versions arrive in a limited run of 250 pieces. The price starts at EUR 6,900 on a grooved red rubber strap, or EUR 7,400 on a stainless-steel bracelet.

The design pays tribute to French speed skier Simon Billy, who set a world record of 255.50 km/h in 2023. The red elements match the color of his competition suit, while the white dial echoes the snowy setting of his sport. Black details add a third layer to the face.

Most BR-05 Chronos carry Arabic numerals at 12 and 6 o'clock with indexes for the remaining hours. Here, red italicised numerals appear across the dial instead. The red hour and minute hands are also new, shaped like elongated competition skis rather than the skeletonised metal hands of regular models.

The date window has moved to 6 o'clock. Other BR-05 Chronos place it between 4 and 5, so centering it at the bottom gives the layout a more balanced feel, with the two counters flanking the center of the dial. The small seconds is at 9 and the 30-minute chronograph counter is at 3.

The chronograph hand works with the inner tachymeter scale to measure speed, a fitting touch for a watch tied to a velocity record. Despite the new colors and the busier chronograph layout, the dial remains easy to read, with the red standing out clearly against the white.

Case, movement and caseback

The 42mm steel case measures 14.25mm thick and carries satin-finished and polished surfaces. It has a screw-down crown and is water-resistant to 100 metres. Through the sapphire caseback, a red silhouette of a speed skier adds one more detail tied to Billy's record run.

Powering the Snow Rocket is the automatic BR-CAL.326 chronograph movement, based on the Sellita SW510. That calibre follows the Valjoux 7750 architecture, an update introduced with the Green Steel version; earlier models relied on a modular ETA 2894-2. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour.

The movement delivers a 60-hour power reserve. The bracelet gives the watch a more restrained look, while the rubber option turns up the volume and makes the whole package feel sportier.

A collection with many guises

The BR-05 Chrono first appeared in 2020 and has since taken on a series of guises. The Green Steel brought a bright green dial and the mechanical update now shared here. There was also an A523 built with the Alpine Formula One team, and a Patrouille de France edition.

The Snow Rocket's sporting connection steps outside the usual racing colors. Instead of a motorsport palette, Bell & Ross leans on the lone figure of a speed skier and his record, in a watch that makes good use of its inspiration without borrowing the expected codes.

Bell & Ross publishes recommended retail prices across its range, and we have catalogued the brand's watches and their prices in our Bell & Ross reference pages. Against that backdrop, the Snow Rocket's EUR 6,900 and EUR 7,400 tags are the figure that draws the most questions.

What changes versus the standard BR-05 Chrono is deliberate: the numerals, the hands, the date position and the caseback skier. Together they read as more than a colorway, closer to a re-drawing of the dial, aimed at the bright conditions its namesake competes in.

The Snow Rocket is a tribute to Billy's record rather than a sponsored race tie-in, which sets it apart from the Alpine A523. That freedom shows in the details: the ski-shaped hands and the skier silhouette are specific to one athlete's sport, not a livery borrowed from a team.

Bell & Ross has not said how pieces will be split between markets, or when deliveries of the 250 pieces begin. The 250-piece total is the only production figure released, and the pricing is the one point where the 7750-based movement inside invites scrutiny.