ReviewThe Watch With The Dragon Tattoo: Presenting The Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Dragon

It is not uncommon for watches to have a dial or bezel decorated with laser engraving. It is, however, extremely rare for an entire watch to be ‘tattooed’ with the technique. Meet the Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Dragon, a watch that features a case, crown guards, bezel, bracelet and dial entirely engraved with lasers to showcase a dragon. This is Bell & Ross’s ode to the Chinese zodiac and the year of the dragon, which began last month and will last until January 2025. However, the BR 05 Artline Dragon transcends time in that it is more a work of art, whose intricate detailing is increasingly astounding the more one looks at it, and with an appeal that will certainly last for much longer than this year of the dragon.

Integrated Art: BR 05 Artline Dragon

First released in 2019, the Bell & Ross BR 05 collection is the brand’s sports watch with an integrated bracelet and an urban and contemporary appeal. Its smooth curves and easy wearability soon made the BR 05 a popular collection. The Artline series within the BR 05 collection was the brand’s canvas for artistic expression using the case, dial and bracelet. Watches within this line are undeniably ornate, as in the case of the BR 05 Artline Dragon. Although, this timepiece is perhaps the best decorated Artline watch, with the metal of the case and bracelet engraved with lasers as an extension of the tattooed dial. The play with light and shadow on the engraved steel gives the watch a marvellous monochromatic aesthetic.

An Ode To Asia: BR 05 Artline Dragon

In most Asian cultures, China especially, the art of engraving goes back over 1,000 years, with the technique being applied to metal, stone, wood and animal bones. As a nod to ancient customs, Bell & Ross have applied the technique to various parts of the BR 05 Artline Dragon timepiece, including the watch case and crown guards, bezel and integrated bracelet. This essentially means that each link of the bracelet was laser engraved individually before being assembled to form an intricate and cohesive design, which leaves no room at all for even the slightest error.

Bell & Ross have applied the engraving technique to various parts of the BR 05 Artline Dragon watch, including the case and crown guards, bezel and integrated bracelet

₹7,60,000

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This essentially means that each link of the bracelet was laser engraved individually before being assembled to form an intricate and cohesive design with no room for error

₹7,60,000

Check Our Selling Price

The 40mm steel case with a water resistance rating of up to 100m features a satin finish that can be viewed on the case profile and caseback. These are perhaps the only parts of the watch that are not decorated, if one were to discount the sapphire crystal window that offers a glimpse of the BR-CAL.321 housed within and its 360-degree oscillating weight that powers it. The movement offers the watch an autonomy of 54 hours, and features timekeeping and date functions.

The Tattooed Dial Of The BR 05 Artline Dragon

In pride of place on the dial of the timepiece is the dragon’s face, its jaws open around a date window at three o’clock. Laser engraved details include the snake-like scales and flowing mane. Curved, black lacquered timekeeping hands stand out against the monochromatic tattooing on the dial. Incidentally, these hour and minute hands also serve as the dragon’s whiskers, cohesively fusing the theme of the watch to its function. A satin-finished rhodium-plated seconds hand sweeps around silently, unmistakeable for its finish, yet distinctly part of the dragon tattoo.

In pride of place on the dial of the timepiece is the dragon’s face, its jaws open around a date window at three o’clock. Black lacquered timekeeping hands stand out against the monochromatic tattooing on the dial

Hour markers sit discreetly on the flange, not disturbing the mystical artwork, and yet, legibility on the timepiece remains relatively uncompromised. The Bell & Ross logo at 12 o’clock also sort of blends in with the dial’s tattoo. The dragon’s lithe body seems to flow out of the dial and onto the bezel and case, extending all the way out onto the bracelet. Truly, the tattoo on this timepiece is outstanding—a work of art, indeed.

The Bell & Ross BR 05 Artline Dragon timepiece goes way beyond the Chinese year of the dragon, with the tattooed artwork as hero of the watch. This is a timepiece designed to command attention, much like the mystical creature that inspired its origins.