In 2009, Bell & Ross launched the first ever BR 01 “Skull” as a tribute to the legendary parachutists of the Second World War. I know, the next question you have will probably be, “so why skulls, then?” Well, that’s because these “fighters” have traditionally been known to wear skulls on their jumpsuits with the inscription “Death from Above” as a symbol of their courage, to intimidate their opponents, and at the same time, it also serves as a sort of talisman to ward off bad luck. So I guess now we know where these Jolly Rogers (the skull and crossbones motif) that we usually associate with pirate ships come from, and the reason why they’re often spotted on military equipment, uniforms, and aeroplanes.

Bell & Ross later came up with several editions of the BR01 Skull: the “Skull Bronze” in 2015, and the “Burning Skull” in 2016. This year the brand recently unveiled the BR01 Burning Skull Bronze in Hong Kong, with the same skull and crossbones motifs along with several emblematic symbols such as the heart, rose, scythe, and hourglass, and the squiggly lines on either side of the skull to represent the “fires of hell” embedded into the engraved tattoo-like design. Like its earlier editions, and in true Jolly Roger fashion, the swords serve as the “hands” on the watch that are juxtaposed against the three-dimensional bronze skull.

Limited to just 100 pieces worldwide, this 46mm BR01 Burning Skull Bronze retails at HKD63,000

Image courtesy of Bell & Ross