Just two months into the new year, we have already seen the launch of several great timepieces with fabulous dials and interesting complications. But among the many three-hand watches, chronographs, and perpetual calendars, three new releases have stood out from the rest with their unusual dials; the Bell & Ross Cyber Skull Bronze, the Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black, and the Richard Mille 66 Flying Tourbillon.
Bell & Ross Cyber Skull Bronze
The latest in the Cyber Skull Bronze, this new watch from Bell & Ross reinterprets the sculpted case and the openworked dial in bronze. Limited to 500 pieces, the watch has the same Jolly Roger flag-inspired skull from the BR 01 Cyber Skull, but this time crafted in bronze, which is bound to lend the case and the skull a unique patina over time. The satin-finished and polished bronze case is 45 mm wide, 46.7 mm long and 13.7 mm thick. The dial is dominated by a skeletonised rose gold-plated brass skull with gilt metal skeletonised hour and minute hands displaying the time and the balance wheel at 12 o’clock. Adding a quirky twist to the dial, the ‘laughing’ skull’s jawbone moves when wound by hand. The bronze caseback has a transparent sapphire centre through the BR-CAL.210. hand-wound mechanical movement.
Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black
A watch face and dial can’t arguably get more futuristic and sci-fi-worthy looks than those from Urwerk. The brand’s latest, the Urwerk UR-112 Aggregat Back to Black, is no exception. Part of the brand’s Special Project line, the UR-112’s design was inspired by the Art Deco lines of the Bugatti Atlantic Type 57 that co-founder Martin Frei saw in American designer Ralph Lauren’s car collection. The time display is a departure from Urwerk’s signature wandering-hour indication, with digital jumping hours and trailing minutes housed within sapphire cylinders doing the job here. The display satellite prisms are mounted on a planetary gearing system and rotate on their axes. The digits are generously lumed, making it easy to read time at a glance at night. The watch is powered by the UR-13.01 in-house automatic movement with a 66-hour power reserve.
Richard Mille 66 Flying Tourbillon
Finally, we have the Richard Mille 66 Flying Tourbillon, a watch that showcases the pinnacle of haute horlogerie in a strikingly unique dial. The watch, which is limited to just 50 pieces, is a tribute to rock and roll. It is also an obvious nod to the so-called devil’s horn hand gesture, which according to the brand symbolises kinship and inclusion, with a pinch of rebellion and darkness. A human skeleton hand forming this popular rock and roll symbol, intricately sculpted in 5N red gold Genevan engraver Olivier Vaucher, takes centre stage on the dial. The curved tonneau case is 42.7mm-wide and 49.94mm lug-to-lug, with a thickness of 16.15mm. Powering the watch is the Caliber RM66 manual-wind movement with its flying tourbillon with variable inertia balance placed at the 12 o’clock position.
Whether you are looking for a revolutionary design, an intricate mechanism, or a masterpiece of haute horlogerie, these watches are sure to impress as each of them showcases the best of what modern watchmaking has to offer.
