Bell & Ross has brought its Patrouille de France partnership into the BR-X3 family with a 250-piece limited edition that leans fully into the French aerobatic team’s colours and aviation identity.
The BR-X3 Patrouille de France takes the brand’s latest 41mm square case architecture and dresses it with blue anodised aluminium elements, black dial layering and small squadron-specific details that reward a closer look.
A BR-X3 case with squadron-blue hardware
The 41mm by 41mm case keeps Bell & Ross’s familiar circle-within-a-square instrument-watch layout, but the BR-X3 construction gives it a more technical edge.
Satin-finished and polished steel forms the main case, while a blue anodised aluminium bezel ring and matching side pillars bring in the Patrouille de France visual signature without turning the watch into a simple colour exercise.
At 13.3mm thick, with a screw-down crown, crown guards, sapphire crystal and 100 metres of water resistance, it remains a practical sports watch rather than a display-only commemorative piece.
Alpha Jet details on a layered black and blue dial
The dial uses a three-plate construction with a matte black base, blue and white skeletonised appliques and a black upper insert, giving the watch more depth than a conventional printed pilot dial.
The blue tones are intended to echo the Alpha Jets, helmets and flight suits associated with the Patrouille de France, while the squadron insignia sits at 6 o’clock.
Bell & Ross adds a power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock in the colours of the French flag, and the central seconds hand carries an Alpha Jet-shaped counterweight.
Polished rhodium-plated applied indexes, skeletonised hands and the main markers are treated with white Super-LumiNova BGW9 Grade X1, which glows blue in low light.
Kenissi power inside the square case
The BR-X3 Patrouille de France is powered by the BR-CAL.323 automatic movement, a Kenissi-produced calibre developed for Bell & Ross.
It is COSC-certified, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers a useful 70-hour power reserve, with hours, minutes, seconds, date and power reserve indication all integrated into the display.
The movement is visible through a sapphire caseback decorated with the Patrouille de France logo, reinforcing the limited-edition identity without crowding the dial further.
Two straps and a 250-piece production run
Bell & Ross supplies the watch with two straps, an openworked black rubber strap and a sky-blue synthetic fabric strap that more directly references the aerobatic team’s flight suits.
Both are paired with a satin-finished and polished steel pin buckle.
The Bell & Ross BR-X3 Patrouille de France is limited to 250 pieces and priced at EUR 7,900.
It should appeal most to collectors who like Bell & Ross’s aviation design language but want something more layered and technical than the classic BR-03 formula, with enough squadron-specific detailing to make the limited edition feel properly connected to its theme.
