The techniques known today as “hand finishing” were developed by Swiss-French watchmakers in the 19th century, when all watchmaking was done by hand. As the name implies, finishing covers the final touches given to every part of the watch movement, whether visible or not. It takes hundreds of man-hours to make sure every angle, every surface represents the ultimate expression of the craft of watchmaking.

Launched in 1992 by Messrs Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo, Bell & Ross – an anglicised amalgamation of their surnames – actually grew out of a university project, and hewed closely to tool-watch staples and a time-honoured “form follows function” ethos. The brand’s earliest pieces, for which it worked with honest-to-goodness tool-watch specialists Sinn, were pilot’s watches and dive watches with that tool watch sensibility as the backbone. But as befits a brand launched in the modern era (ie long after watches stopped being necessary for such professions), there has always been a post-modern, self-referential angle to Bell & Ross’s designs.

After the mechanical movement, with its constellation of tiny cogs and levers, dial-making is the hardest horological craft to master. Even the simplest dials involve dozens of processes, while the finest examples draw on hand crafts that have nearly died out. A few years ago, I remember speaking to Vacheron Constantin’s then-CEO, Mr Juan Carlos Torres. “I have seen so many crafts disappear during the past 30 years,” he lamented. “Engine-turned engraving almost disappeared, enamelling as well. At one point, there were only two or three decent enamellers left in the world.” The situation has improved little since: next time you look at your watch, consider that it’s not just the movement beneath that relies on a rare set of skills to create.

One of the things that keeps one interested in watches when, after all, the basic functions of telling the time and the basic engineering used to do so have not changed in centuries, is the sheer variety of approaches that are taken to meet the same needs. There are the stripped-back minimalist designs of the mid-20th century, the sci-fi futurism of HYT or Ulysse Nardin, the neo-industrial steampunk vibes of MB&F, or the utilitarian, military-issue tool watches of IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN, Bremont or Panerai.

The techniques known today as “hand finishing” were developed by Swiss-French watchmakers in the 19th century, when all watchmaking was done by hand. As the name implies, finishing covers the final touches given to every part of the watch movement, whether visible or not. It takes hundreds of man-hours to make sure every angle, every surface represents the ultimate expression of the craft of watchmaking.

Launched in 1992 by Messrs Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo, Bell & Ross – an anglicised amalgamation of their surnames – actually grew out of a university project, and hewed closely to tool-watch staples and a time-honoured “form follows function” ethos. The brand’s earliest pieces, for which it worked with honest-to-goodness tool-watch specialists Sinn, were pilot’s watches and dive watches with that tool watch sensibility as the backbone. But as befits a brand launched in the modern era (ie long after watches stopped being necessary for such professions), there has always been a post-modern, self-referential angle to Bell & Ross’s designs.