Since co-founders Carlos Rosillo and Bruno Belamich launched the brand in 1994, Bell & Ross has stayed laser-focused on its aviation-instrument ethos. The iconic “round in a square” aesthetic debuted with the BR-01 in 2005 and became one of the most recognizable silhouettes in modern watchmaking. The BR-05, introduced in 2019, was the brand’s pivot toward urban luxury sports watches without abandoning that cockpit identity. And now, with the BR-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle, Bell & Ross is doing something it rarely does: getting poetic.
The Eagle Has Landed
The Blue Diamond Eagle concept isn’t new to Bell & Ross. It dates back to the BR-S family, a smaller, less-sleek interpretation of the brand’s circle-within-a-square design language, where seven precisely placed diamonds first traced the Aquila constellation on a midnight-blue dial. That earlier series laid the groundwork for what the brand is now executing at a much higher level.
The Aquila constellation, Zeus’s eagle in Greek mythology, carries obvious symbolic weight for an aviation brand, and here it’s rendered across a deep blue aventurine glass dial with 18 total diamonds in three different sizes. Twelve serve as hour markers, while seven chart the actual stellar positions of the constellation, anchored by Altair, the brightest star, sitting prominently between 10 and 11 o’clock as the largest stone on the dial.
Looking to the Stars
Aventurine glass is an interesting material choice that doesn’t get enough credit. Believed to have originated in 17th-century Murano when copper filings accidentally fell into molten glass, it produces those shimmering flecks that make you feel like you’re staring into actual space. On the BR-05 36mm, a rigid brass plate forms the structural base of the dial, with an aventurine glass plate cut to micron-level precision layered on top. Getting diamonds into that glass is no easy task and requires a blend of micro-engineering with hands-on gem-setting expertise. Each stone sits in a custom four-prong brass setting, inserted into drilled holes with tolerances tight enough that any miscalculation risks stressing the glass too much.
The Case
Debuting last year as part of the BR-05’s full redesign, the 36mm case is 8.7mm thick, with brushed surfaces and polished chamfered edges playing off each other across the integrated steel bracelet. You still get the crown guard, four exposed screws on the raised bezel, and angled lug design that keep drawing fans back to this watch, no matter the iteration.
Inside beats the BR-CAL.329, a customized Sellita SW-300, with a 4Hz frequency and 54-hour power reserve. It sits behind a caseback featuring a laser-engraved star map of Aquila.
Spec Sheet
Model: BR-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle (Ref. BR05A-S-EA-ST/SST)
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Size: 36mm
Case Thickness: 8.7mm
Movement: BR-CAL.329 (Sellita SW-300 base) automatic
Power Reserve: 54 hours
Crystal: Anti-reflective sapphire
Water Resistance: 100m
Dial: Blue aventurine glass, 18 diamonds (12 hour markers + 7 Aquila constellation)
Bracelet: Integrated stainless steel
Pricing & Availability
The BR-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle is available now directly through Bell & Ross, priced at $5,000. No edition size has been announced, and it ships on the integrated steel bracelet.
Recap
Bell & Ross BR-05 36mm Blue Diamond Eagle
Bell & Ross took its aviation-rooted BR-05 36mm and dressed it up with an aventurine glass dial and 18 diamonds that map the actual Aquila constellation — a nod to the brand’s long-running Blue Diamond Eagle lineage. At $5,000, it’s the dressiest the BR-05 has ever looked.
