Bell & Ross has expanded its series-within-a-series of BR 03-92 Lum models, whose intensely luminous dials take inspiration from the nighttime lights on airport runways (Lum is short for the French “lumière,” or “light”), with the new BR 03-92 Grey Lum.
The watch’s 42-mm case, in the French-Swiss watch manufacturer’s emblematic cockpit-clock “circle in a square” configuration, is made of satin-polished stainless steel. Its new anthracite gray, sunburst-finish dial shines with extreme luminosity in darkness, thanks to the application of green-tinted SuperLumiNova C3 to the big, Arabic numerals (at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock); big stick indices (at the other hour positions); and the skeletonized hour and minute hands. A very unobtrusive date display appears in small, circular window at 4:30.
Inside the 100-meter water-resistant case, behind a solid caseback, ticks the self-winding BR-CAL 302 movement, built on a Sellita SW300-1 base, which provides the watch a 42-hour power reserve, a hacking seconds function, and a quick date change.
The Super-LumiNova C3 used on the dial of the Grey Lum model — as well as on all the previous models in the series, which began in 2017 with the BR 03-92 Horolum — is reminiscent of the tritium used on vintage military pieces, but lacks the potential toxic effects of that mildly radioactive substance. The green photoluminescent glow it emits is not only uncommonly bright but also longer-lasting than that of traditional Super-LumiNova.
The BR 03-92 Gray Lum is attached to a gray-green calfskin leather strap, echoing the hue of the luminous dial elements and fastening to the wrist with a steel pin buckle. Bell & Ross also offers an additional strap made of ultra-resilient fabric with velcro. The Bell & Ross BR03-92 Nightlum retails for $3,800.
