Bell & Ross has unveiled the Alpine F1 Team watch collection, produced in partnership with the Alpine Formula 1 racing team — the first such collaboration since the re-branding of the squad, formerly known as the Renault Formula 1 team, and it’s sixth overall in the co-branded series. Each of the new models — all chronographs, as in previous editions of the series — carries the A521 reference number as part of its official name, in a nod to the current Alpine A521 single-seater, and all three are poised to adorn the wrists of the Alpine team members throughout the 2021 Formula 1 season.
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BR V3-94 A521
Leading the collection is the BR V3-94 A521, which features the brand’s recognizable Vintage collection aesthetic, and like previous models uses a sporty, rounded case that is prominent on the wrist at 43 mm in diameter. The polished- and brushed-finish steel case also features thick lugs, modern-style stepped pushers, flat-edged guards protecting a screw-down crown, and a bidirectional steel bezel with an anodized black aluminum 60-minute insert.
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On the dial, the racing-inspired, black-and-blue colorway of the Alpine F1 team dominates. Along an outer curved edge, a tachymetric scale is placed, while the primary timekeeping features reside on the dial proper, with highly legible Arabic numerals for the hours, openworked subdials for running seconds and a 30-minute chronograph counter, a subtle 4:30 date window, and the unique handset which includes an Alpine logo- counterweighted chronograph seconds hands. Powering these hands is the automatic BR-CAL.301 (based on an ETA 2894-2), capable of a 42-hour power reserve and showcased behind a sapphire caseback.
![](https://www.watchtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/L28-11-BRV3-A521.jpeg-1600px-1024x838.jpg)
BR 03-94 A521
Joining the round-cased model are two chronographs in Bell & Ross’s signature square-cased “Instrument” style. The BR 03-94 A521’s quadrilateral steel case has alternating satin and polished finishing for a luxuriously sporty look. “Toggle” chronograph pushers with a black PVD finish flank the crown on the right side, each of them reminiscent of the paddles found on the steering wheels of racing cars. Atop the surface is a bidirectional bezel, its symmetry ensured by the brand’s signature four screws at each corner of the steel frame.
![](https://www.watchtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BR03-94-A521.png-1600px-515x1024.jpg)
On the dial, we find an overall very similar configuration to that of the BR V3-94 A521, with openwork subdials and blue accents; the foremost difference comes in this model’s moving of the date window to 6 o’clock from the 4:30 position, thus granting this display a more prominent placement. The watch contains the same automatic movement as its Vintage-collection sibling, the automatic BR-CAL.301.
![](https://www.watchtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/L28-06-BR03-A521.jpeg-1600px-1-1024x971.jpg)
BR-X1 A521
Rounding out the A521 series is the avant-garde BR-X1 A521. This watch is 45 mm in size, in the brand’s distinct squared silhouette, and composed of titanium and ceramic with rubber inserts. This is the most rugged-looking of the watches in this year’s collection, featuring a more rubber-accented case, experimental “rocker” chronograph pushers, and an updated bidirectional bezel complete with a rotating PVD bezel ring with an independent time marker.
![](https://www.watchtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BR-X1_A521.png-1600px-1-548x1024.jpg)
The dial of the BR-X1 A521 is distinguished by its skeletonized aesthetic, its exclusively blue tachymetric scale, and its futuristic styling. Like the other two models, it features a 3 o’clock running seconds subdial, a 9 o’clock 30-minute counter, and a 6 o’clock date window. The modern model features the automatic BR-CAL.313, a skeletonized and more luxurious version of the BR-CAL.301, but nonetheless a movement that boasts generally the same overall specs, including a 28,800-vph frequency and 42-hour power reserve.
![](https://www.watchtime.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BRX1_A521_PERSP.jpeg-1600px-819x1024.jpg)
Pricing and Availability
Each of the models in the Alpine F1 A521 reference series are available as of July 2021, via Bell & Ross and its authorized boutiques, with pre-orders starting now. The BR V3-94 A521 is limited to 500 pieces and marked at $4,400 on a strap and $4,700 on steel bracelet; the BR 03-94 A521, also limited to 500 editions, is priced at $6,400; and the BR-X1 A521 is limited to 50 total editions at $21,500.
To learn more, visit Bell & Ross, here.