May 1, 2012 |
In much the same way that London is to be “master” of the Olympics this year, so Bell & Ross is a master of watches. Notice our lack of inverted commas around that word when applied to Bell & Ross. Unlike London. Well, that international sporting event in its hands is gonna be a bit of a nonstarter, isn’t it? The whole thing has escandalo written all over it. Unlike the new Bell & Ross WW1 heritage style wristwatch. So, we have signed up to be part of the sporting celebrations on the proviso that we are accompanied at all times by a reliable sidekick, such as the one seen here. Being military inspired means that this baby will be organised when we aren’t. There will be many a pitfall that will befall us come June, the main two being punctuality and orienteering. This is London: we already know that public transport won’t work and that making the curling finals on time may prove problematic when instead of reaching Stratford, we are forced off the Tube in, say, Hendon. Therefore, we will make sure this face is strapped to our wrist. Having taken inspiration from the navigation watches used by military pilots following the First World War to calculate their direction and speed, the fluorescent triangle at 12 o’clock will enable us to immediately get our bearings. We can use it in much the same way as we would a compass, while the second hand will help us to calculate the optimum speed of travel to make it to our seat on time. We realise some kind of mathematical equation might have to be involved in this somewhere, but we’re sure it must be easy as pilots in battle hardly have time for long division. And we can always have said mathematical equation engraved onto the back of the face, which brings us to our next point… The size of the face: perfect face-to-wrist ratio. You could hold it at arm’s length and still be able to tell the time. The face, you see, is black with sand-coloured markings, which makes the numbers on it stand out. No squinting here. It also just happens to be set in a matt steel case and affixed to a distressed military-green leather strap. When channelling military precision in your daily dealings, we find military colouring is quite helpful. It makes your brain go into commander overdrive. We’ll be at the curling final before the athletes themselves, despite their use of VIP lanes. It’s all about the planning with military precision. It also looks good on our wrist. Unlike an Olympics ticket, which will probably tear in the rain.
by Natalie Dembinska
