Watch Review: Bell & Ross WW1 Guynemer – A worthy tribute to Captain Georges Guynemer
At this year's Baselworld Bell & Ross introduced the WW1 Guynemer, a limited edition piece created in honor of the French WW1 Flying Ace Captain Georges Guynemer. Bell & Ross launched the WW1 collection in 2011 as a vintage themed line of timepieces which celebrates the military watches of early 20th century.
I recently had the opportunity to test out this latest addition to Bell & Ross's WW1 collection, over a one week period. In this article I will provide an in-depth look into this exclusive timepiece and explain why it is a worthy tribute to the legendary French Flying Ace, Captain Georges Guynemer.
The Great War
100 years ago the world saw its great economic powers engaging in a major armed conflict for 4 years. The global conflagration, which came to be called World War One, ushered in the era of modern warfare.
Military Aviation came of age in World War One which saw the large scale use of aeroplanes in warfare for the first time in human history. With the growing importance of aviation in the Great War, the role of watches as navigational instruments began to gain recognition. One of the primary use of navigational timekeeping instrument being to allow synchronized air attack.
In the world of horology, World War One also ushered in a shift in thinking. Soldiers fighting in the trenches of war favoured a new rapidly accessible timekeeper over the traditional military pocket watch. The trench watch is a hybrid design combining the features of the traditional pocket watch with the convenience of strapping a time instrument onto one's wrist. The early trench watches were adapted from smaller pocket watches by welding on wire lugs to the watch casing and strapping these timepieces onto the wrists for convenience. Thus the predecessor to modern wrist watch was thus “born” in the trenches of WW1.
Enter Bell & Ross
In 2014, as the whole world mark the centenary anniversary of the Great War, Bell & Ross has seized a moment in history to pay tribute to the military aviation watches of World War One and the French WW1 Flying Ace Captain Georges Guynemer by releasing the WW1 Guynemer Limited Edition timepiece.
Captain Georges Guynemer – Legendary World War One Flying Ace and French National Hero
The military exploits of Captain Georges Guynemer during the Great War was legendary and he was the first French Flying Ace to achieve 50 aerial combat victories and was ultimately responsible for bringing down 53 enemy aircraft during the Great War.
For his bravery and aviation skills Guynemer was awarded the French Legion of Honor at the age of 21 and was widely celebrated by the French Press. At the time of his early death (at the age of 22) he was a French National Hero, an icon to the French Nation ravaged by the war. Amongst his great legacy are the famous words, “Until one has given all, one has given nothing.” which continue to inspire the French Military to this day.
The Bell & Ross WW1 Guynemer
The WW1 watch design pays tribute to the pilot watch design of the period by adopting a 45mm circular case with angled wire lugs welded onto the casing at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions. A modern approach was adopted for the wire lug design which is hollow in the centre, allowing spring bars to mounted between the lugs. This innovation greatly simplifies the act of strap changing.
The stainless steel case features a glass bead blasted finish with grey PVD coating which greatly enhances the vintage appeal of the timepiece.
The screw down case back is etched with an image of Guynemer, a fitting reflection of the French National Hero and his unrivaled courage and selfless enthusiasm over the battle fields of World War One.
At the 3 o'clock position is the non screw down knurled oversized crown designed to facilitate hand winding of the timepiece by a heavily gloved Pilot. As befitting a Bell & Ross fine timepiece the crown is signed with the elegant symbol "&". In spite of its aviation nature the watch case has a water resistance rating of 50m.
The exquisite opaline dial is decorated with 12 printed Arabic numeral markers, each painted with beige colored Superluminova. The fonts were faithfully reproduced from the typeface used in the number "2" painted on the side of Guynemer's aircraft. The dauphine shaped hour, minute and second hands are rightly proportioned and have been heat treated the traditional way to achieve the blue hue. The hour hand reaches to the arabic numeral hour markers and the minute hand is long enough to reach the outer minute track which surrounds the periphery of the dial. The delicate thin second hand is counterbalanced by a heart shape at the opposite end. The skeletonised hour and minute hands are filled with beige colored Superluminova. The use of luminous paint on the markers and hands provide the watch with good legibility during low light condition which hark back to the days of the Great War when lume was first used on watches to enable time to be read during nocturnal military operations.
The watch is equipped with a dome shaped scratch resistant sapphire crystal which is treated with anti-reflective coating.
The symbol of the Cigognes (Red Stork) is proudly emblazoned on the dial at the 6 o’clock position. The Cigognes is the symbol adopted by Guynnemer’s No. 3 Squadron, known as the "Storks Squadron", the French Air Force fighter unit credited with the most victories during the 1914-1918 war. Similar to the Arabic numeral fonts, the Cigognes (Red Stork) symbol is faithfully reproduced from the Guynemer's original SPAD S.VII, nicknamed "Vieux Charles", which is preserved at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace.
A week on the Wrist
Wristshot of the WW1 Guynemer Prototype
One of my favorite features of this watch is the unique grey PVD coating on top of the bead blasted surface finish of the casing which is visually appealing and at the same time evokes a distinctive vintage feel on the wearer's wrist.
Despite its modern 45mm case diameter the WW1 Guynemer is very comfortable on my 6.75 inch wrist, thanks its angled wire lugs and relatively thin casing (9.5mm thick). In terms of wearability it slips easily under my shirt cuffs making it a great watch to wear for work.
The hidden spring bar mounts between the lugs greatly enhances the versatility of the watch by allowing and simplying the changing of leather straps. I can easily envisage building up a strap collection with this luxury timepiece.
The white colored opaline dial is not only versatile but also greatly enhance the legibility of the watch by providing an elegant clean look. I find that the fonts on the Arabic numeral hourly markers and the dauphine shaped blued hands adds a touch of vintage nostalgia to the timepiece. The bezel free case tends to magnify the dial on the wrist, enabling time to be read with little distraction.
I do not miss the date function and in fact the absence of the date window allows the designers to balance the different elements of the dial into perfect visual symmetry. Overall I find the aesthetics of the watch very appealing.
The watch is powered by the venerable ETA 2892 automatic calibre. You can expect years of reliable service from this workhorse of a movement. After a week on the wrist I find that its accuracy is well within specifications at approximately +3 seconds a day.
The signature tanned calf skin strap is soft and wraps comfortably around my wrist. It has a high quality look and feel to it and is very well made. I like the grey PVD finish of the tang buckle which is also very well designed and easy to use. Overall the watch scores high points in terms of wearability.
Conclusion
It is no secret that I am a fan of Bell & Ross timepieces, having the BR01-92 Heritage, BR02-92 Orange and the BR126 Original Carbon Chronograph in my personal collection. As such I was very excited when I first learnt of the opportunity to test out the WW1 Guynemer, and I am glad to say that at the end of the week I have not been disappointed. I have thoroughly enjoyed my short time with the WW1 Guynemer and it will be with a heavy heart when I finally return it to FJ Benjamin Luxury Timepieces. On the wrist the watch is very comfortable and extremely wearable, equally versatile during office hours as well as during Happy Hours.
While the WW1 Guynmer is obviously inspired by military timepieces of old, Bell & Ross has intelligently added modern features to the watch which do not in any way diminish its vintage appeal. In my final assessment, the WW1 Guynemer from Bell & Ross is a unique timepiece for the discerning collector who would appreciate the rich aviation history of World War One symbolized by Captain Georges Guynemer. This special commemorative retro pilot timepiece is available in a Limited Edition of 500 pieces only further enhancing the exclusivity of the watch.
