New Bell & Ross 03-92 Bronze Diver

Just wanted to try my hand at a short review here since I haven't seen many of these out there. After agonizing over this decision, and only keeping one bronze piece at a time, yesterday I traded in my Carl Brashear Chrono for a new B&R Bronze Diver. It was not an easy decision as I really liked the Oris, but in the end for me the larger more robust B&R won me over. While I liked the versatility of the CB on mulitple straps, I have no use for a chrono function, and on a bronze diver I feel bigger is better. Additionally, while I love the blue dial of the CB, the green on the BR is striking, and while im not really a green guy, it is a common color way used with bronze divers. I likely would have preferred the previous BR bronze diver with black dial, but those are near impossible to find.

So, when I walked into the dealer yesterday and found they had 2 of these, I knew I was leaving with one the second I saw it. The new bronze case is finished superbly, and shines like a rose gold. The green of the dial and bezel insert is very nice, different from Rolex and PAM, very deep olive with gold accents. The fit and finish is excellent, as I would expect having previously owned B&R watches. I couldn't find the weight listed online anywhere, but I also tried on the stainless version, and I swear the bronze feels almost twice as heavy. Regardless of the weight, due to its wide/ flat stance and wide strap, it wears very comfortably and is not top-heavy at all. The 42mm case definitely wears larger than the measurements would have you believe due to the square case. The engraved stainless steel caseback is very nice and helps the watch sit flat on the wrist. The watch comes with both an olive grey suede strap, and a black rubber band which I prefer but both are very comfortable. I will also pick up a green canvas in the future. The movement is running very accurately as far as I can tell and winding is smooth with a nice rubber banded crown. It is all presented in a waterproof pelican case with all the paperwork, strap tools, and goodies you would expect. Overall Im very happy, and excited to see how the look develops as I wear it.