Introducing The BELL & ROSS – BR 01 Horizon

Introducing The BELL & ROSS – BR 01 Horizon

Seth Semilof
By Seth Semilof March 2, 2012

 

Staying true to the Bell & Ross history, the aviation collection is motivated by aircraft cockpits, where each instrument is a reference point in terms of reliability, legibility, and performance.

The attitude indicator, a crucial instrument in air navigation, makes it feasible to monitor the aircraft’s position in relation to the horizon, despite of visibility conditions. Bell & Ross designers have taken this graphic design of the attitude indicator to create an innovative and original display.

 

In the background, the dial comprises, similar to the original instrument, two parts representing the sky, in gray, and the earth, in black. These two parts are separated by a white horizon line marking the 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock axis.

In the foreground, the raised dial with index marks provides optimal legibility of the hour graduations. With a bridge at 12 o’clock, it obscures the attachment of the hands and is suggestive of the shape of an aviation instrument. Between the two levels, two hands of different shapes provide immediate legibility of the hours and minutes.

A window at 12 o’clock enables them to remain visible when they disappear below the bridge of the raised dial. The two hands duplicate the style of the original gauge, both in their graphic design and their movement.

The hands and the index marks are sheltered in a white photo-luminescent coating that contrasts with the black of the dial, reverberating the legibility principles of professional aviation instruments. The anti-glare, matte black carbon finish of the case is inspired by the color of an instrument panel, designed to make the dials easier to read by eliminating glare.