Unsurprisingly, one of the most fashionable new watches at Baselworld 2020 was launched by the replica Paris-based Bell & Ross. On your wrist, when you look at the watch from a few feet away, it’s hard not to think that it is pure gold. Enthusiasts, however, know that its wearers are more practical than flamboyant, choosing great design and aesthetics over sheer ostentation.
That doesn’t mean that the Bell & Ross BR V2-94 Bellytanker Bronze is a budget watch, but it sure costs less than if the case were in gold. Bell & Ross’s BR V2-94 case is 41mm-wide and paired with actual screw-down chronograph pushers and a matching crown. The rear of the fake watch has a bellytanker automobile motif printed on the exhibition caseback window, as this is part of the Bell & Ross Bellytanker watch collection that released not too long ago.
There is a Swiss ETA 2894 automatic chronograph movement with a lightly decorated movement visible through the rear of the case inside the BR V2-94 Bellytanker Bronze replica watch. The chronograph on the dial is laid out with only one subdial making it a 30-minute chronograph. A small circular window between 4 and 5 o’clock has the date using a discreet black-colored disc.
Black and gold with some hints of red mark the attractively designed Bellytanker Bronze dial. The gold-toned subdials are a great touch and remind me of the color palettes of certain Everose gold Rolex Daytona watch models. As mentioned above, the replica Bell & Ross didn’t choose oxidizing bronze but rather a stable bronze alloy. This is a crucial distinction because the bronze alloys that helped popularize bronze as a modern watch material do, as a matter of fact, “patina” over time. This fake Bell & Ross with a bronze case opted for a metal alloy that does not oxidize and subsequently patina. The watch will, of course, scratch, but it won’t start to get green or black over time. I prefer stable bronze, more often than not, and given that the BR V2-94 Bellytanker Bronze is going for a more chic look, I can understand Bell & Ross’ decision use stable bronze for the case.
Bell and Rose’s black calfskin strap is still a beautiful new deployment buckle complement. In terms of price, I can’t think of some other modern fake watches that have the traditional appearance of a classic sports watch design. As a limited edition of 999 pieces, the replica Bell & Ross BR V2-94 Bellytanker Bronze will be a sleeper hit from Bell & Ross, and I expect these to do well once enough people discover them.
