The Patrouille De France is an elite unit of the French Air and Space Force that’s established itself as a prominent aerobatic display team for the past 70 years.
Founded in 1953, the Patrouille De France has built their reputation on the skills and excellence of the pilots that are chosen from among the best fighter pilots in the world. A symbol of the ability of the armed forces, the Patrouille De France is also an ambassador of the French Style throughout the world.
The long-standing success of the Patrouille De France is thanks to the meticulous preparation, precision, and execution of the fighter pilots. It’s certainly no coincidence that the Patrouille De France has been renewed for 70 years. These same values and heritage are applied by Bell & Ross as well, as they dedicate a limited edition BR 03 instrument timepiece to celebrate this special anniversary.
Carlos Rosillo, President and co-founder of Bell & Ross states in regard to this partnership that “By becoming a partner of the Patrouille de France, Bell & Ross associates itself with the values of this prestigious unit of the French Air and Space Force and also becomes an ambassador of French military aeronautical excellence. The BR 03-92 PATROUILLE DE FRANCE 70TH ANNIVERSARY seals this date with a unique timepiece, which is the result of a rich and prestigious history between the House of Bell & Ross and military aviation.”
The Patrouille De France is known to many for the skilled pilots that perform the daring maneuvers, however, the minds and hearts of many are also marked by the exceptional aircraft. The likes of the Thunderjet (1953), Aphajet (1981), Ouragan, Mystère IV, and Fouga Magister, these aircraft are being paid homage to by Bell and Ross on the case back of the BR 03-92 Patrouille De France 70th anniversary timepieces.
Bruno Belamich, Creative Director and co-founder of Bell & Ross says that fitting these aircraft into the case back wasn’t easy as he states “For the tribute to be fitting, a few challenges had to be overcome. “The silhouettes of the 5 aircraft that have flown since the creation of the Patrouille de France in 1953 are engraved on the back of the watch. It was somewhat complicated for the artistic department to ensure that the 5 aircraft ‘fit’ on the case back.”
The BR 03-92 Patrouille De France 70th anniversary comes in an ultra-light square-shaped case (42mm x 42mm) made from high-tech ceramic. The case is given a black coating so that it accentuates a perfect contrast against the bright-coloured dial. The case is also rated to a water resistance of 100m.
Limited to 999 timepieces, this special timepiece was given a very luminous shade of blue for the dial colour. This particular shade of blue was chosen because it evokes the colour of the Alpha Jet of the Patrouille De France. The blue dial features contrasting white Arabic numerals along with white hands. A subtle date window is also located between the 4 & 5 o’clock hour markers. At the 3 o’clock position of the dial, the logo of the 70th anniversary of Patrouille De France is shown, while at the 9 o’clock position, the insignia of the team is displayed.
The engine behind this timepiece is Bell & Ross’s automatic mechanical movement caliber BR-CAL 302. Operating at a frequency of 4hz (28, 800 VpH), this movement is able to put out a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. The timepiece is offered in either a blue calfskin leather strap, which matches the dial beautifully, or an ultra-resilient black synthetic canvas fabric.
A timepiece dedicated to pilots, designed with pilots. The Bell & Ross Patrouille De France 70th anniversary timepiece was created with the primary goal being to provide the pilots with the right tools to serve their mission. Incidentally, the design carries quite the flair, with the beautiful blue dial standing out from the crowd, much like the highly skilled pilots of the Patrouille De France.
Reference: BR0392-PAF7-CE/SCA
Specification
- Case: 42mm
- Case Material: Microblasted black ceramic.
- Dial: Blue. Patrouille de France logo at 9 o’clock. 70th-anniversary logo at 3 o’clock. White transfer numerals and indices coated in Super-LumiNova®. Hands coated in Super-LumiNova®.
- Crystal: Sapphire with anti-reflective coating
- Water resistance: 100m (10 bar)
- Movement: BR-CAL.302. Automatic mechanical.
- Power reserve: 38 h
- Strap: Blue calfskin and ultra-resilient black synthetic canvas fabric.
