When Bell & Ross introduced the BR01 line a few years ago, few 'visionaries' in the watch industry could predict the success of the distinctively square instrument watch.
The variations available in the BR 01 configuration are hard to keep track of. Assuredly, every finish, dial treatment, and hand and marker color is well represented. To me, one of the most interesting options is the 'Phantom' treatment. There's something about wearing a huge (46mm square) 'instrument' watch and at the same time wanting to keep it's display 'stealthy' that I'll admit to being sort of drawn to. The BR 01 Phantom has a stainless steel case that's been coated with black vacuum carbon to dramatically reduce it's 'signature' (and glare). The markers, indicators, and hands are all coated with a very dark gray luminous substance that, while by day contrasts only very minimally with the black field of the dial, still fluoresces white at night.
The BR 01 Instrument Phantom uses an ETA Caliber 2894-2 automatic movement as it's power-plant. This is, of course, a readily available and popular movement so finding service and parts is an easy proposition anywhere in the world.
In use, the Bell & Ross vacuum carbon coating holds up very well and seems to be a little bit more durable than a lot of PVD / DLC coatings. The chronograph functions are displayed in the customary arrangement on the dial and controlled by rectangular pushers on either side of the crown.
Despite their size, all of the watches in the BR 01 line are comfortable on the wrist and easy to wear.
Of course, the only downside of the 'phantomization' of a BR 01 is that the dramatically reduced contrast between the markers/hands and the dial makes it more difficult to read the time with a casual glance. Luckily, the gargantuan size of the whole setup compensates somewhat for the difficulty.
If you're buying an 'instrument watch' because you really want or need the form of your watch to take a back seat to it's functionality, you'd do well to look past the 'Phantom' and choose a more traditional BR 01; but if you like a generous portion of form with a 'tool watch' footprint, it's tough to find something more exotic than the BR 01 Instrument Phantom Chrono.
