Bell & Ross Goes Back to the Bronze Age With a Bold New Dive Watch

It has always baffled me that the watch industry isn't more into square watches. Certainly, a handful of brands have created a unicorn or two, but these are rare departures from the overwhelmingly circular norm. Bell & Ross is a refreshing exception. Founded in 1992 (basically last week in industry terms), it gained early acceptance among watch fans for its no-nonsense, military-inspired tool models informed by the high-visibility readouts of airplane instrument panels. But its reputation was made in 2005 with the launch of the iconic BR 01 Instrument, a seriously chunky and eye-catching square timepiece that has largely defined the brand ever since.

BR 03-92 Diver by Bell & Ross, bellross.com

One of the newest variations on that look is the BR 03-92 Diver in bronze, a material that was used for centuries in ships because of its great resistance to corrosion. It also looks like gold (at a fraction of the price). Very unlike gold, however, bronze develops a darkening patina over time that varies in response to its environment. So each of the 250 watches in this limited run, made exclusively for the U.S. market, will cultivate its own utterly unique look.

Prop styling by Margaret MacMillan/Hello Artists

This story originally appeared on Esquire.com. Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.