Various scales allow you to calculate heart rate, breaths per minute and distance traveled.
Bell & Ross copy is known for its instrumental approach to watchmaking. The square design so intertwined with the brand’s history is directly related to the flight instruments. The company leverages this tradition to create rugged, fully functional watches that offer real-world utility. The latest offering from Paris, where the brand is headquartered, may even be more popular than ever. Next to the chronograph display, the new Bell & Ross BR 03-94 multimeter features a dial with five additional scales instead of one.
Let’s start with the exterior elements before discussing that funky dial. The case is made of matte black ceramic and measures 42mm side to side and top to bottom. As with all BR 03-94s, the short, thick lugs contribute to a comfortable fit, keeping the lug-to-lug size reasonable.
On the front, we have the iconic four function screws, a circular bezel and a sapphire crystal. The screw-down crown and pushers are on the right side of the case, and the caseback is solid. Pretty familiar territory so far.
The dial on the Bell & Ross BR 03-94 multimeter is quite the thing and will undoubtedly spark debate. Implementing multiple scales to add to chronograph functionality is one thing, but a multimeter, as its name suggests, has five distinct tracks. Moving from the periphery to the center, the first semicircular orange scale corresponds to the pulse meter, then the green asthma meter (breathes per minute) scale.
The last three are all tachymeter scales, but calculate speeds differently (white for km/h and m/h over 1 km or miles, buff for km/h over 250m, beige for km/h over 100m). The left half of the dial also shows a “table of contents” indicating which scale can help you a little.
The central hour and minute hands feature an all-white central chronograph second hand combined with black and white. The two half-subdials for the running seconds and the 30-minute counter are printed in white and feature hands in two tones of white and orange. Strangely, Bell & Ross decided to reposition the date window from 4:30 to 1:30. This definitely splits opinions in the middle; you either love it or hate it.
Bell & Ross uses the BR-CAL.301 chronograph movement in the BR 03-94 multimeter, a proven movement based on the ETA 2894-2 architecture. Self-winding, this modular chronograph uses 37 jewels, ticks at 28,800vph, and offers a 42-hour power reserve. The solid caseback on all matte black ceramic BR 03-94 to date has kept it hidden from view.
The Bell & Ross BR 03-94 multimeter comes with a perforated black rubber strap, as we know it from the Renault & Alpine Formula 1 inspired watch. Thanks to the perforations, the strap has a more flexible feel and provides a little ventilation in hot weather. It attaches to the wrist via Bell & Ross’ signature steel pin buckle, which is coated in black PVD. The watch comes with an additional black textile strap.
Specifications – replica BELL & ROSS BR 03-94 Multimeter
Case: 42mm wide x 12.80mm high – Matte black ceramic case – Top sapphire crystal – Screw-down crown – Solid case back – 100m water resistance
Dial: Black dial with five chronograph scales – Pulse meter (orange), asthma meter (green) and three tachymeter areas (white, buff and beige) – Black and white central hour and minute hands – White central chronograph second hand – Two-tone white and orange small seconds and 30-minute hands – black sloping flange, white minute markers
Movement: Caliber BR-CAL.301, ETA 2894-2 Base – Automatic Modular Chronograph – 28 mm – 37 jewels – 28,800 beats per hour – 42 hours power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, date, band Chronograph with 30-minute counter
Strap: Black perforated rubber strap, black PVD-coated steel pin buckle – super elastic black synthetic fabric, buckle and Velcro closure