BELL & ROSS AND S.T. DUPONT TURN THE BR-05 CHRONOGRAPH INTO A RITUAL OF LEISURE
A 150-piece BR-05 Chrono brings Bell & Ross together with S.T. Dupont, pairing a two-tone automatic chronograph with a Ligne 2 lighter, cigar cutter and Macassar ebony humidor.
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Luxury collaborations work best when the partners share more than a logo. Bell & Ross and S.T. Dupont arrive at their first major watch collaboration from different traditions, yet meet around the same idea: finely engineered objects designed to make a ritual feel more considered. The result is the BR-05 Chrono S.T. Dupont, a limited edition of 150 presentation sets that treats the chronograph not as an isolated object, but as one element in a broader world of leisure.
A warmer interpretation of the BR-05
The BR-05 is Bell & Ross’s most metropolitan collection, retaining the architectural geometry associated with the brand while softening the military-instrument language of its square-cased classics. For the S.T. Dupont edition, that urbane quality is amplified through a two-tone steel and 18-carat rose-gold case and a rich brown sunray dial.
At 42 mm across and 14.25 mm thick, the watch has deliberate presence. Rose-gold-coloured hands and applied markers are filled with beige Super-LumiNova, while the Bell & Ross signature sits at 12 o’clock and the S.T. Dupont name appears at six. The palette is unusually warm for Bell & Ross, evoking polished wood, leather and the amber tones of a cigar lounge rather than an aircraft cockpit.
A serious chronograph beneath the atmosphere
The collaboration is not merely cosmetic. Inside is the automatic BR-CAL.326 integrated chronograph calibre with a 60-hour power reserve. The layout uses a 30-minute chronograph counter at three o’clock, small seconds at nine, central chronograph seconds and a date display. Water resistance is rated to 100 metres, maintaining the practical robustness expected from the BR-05 family.
Two configurations are offered within the 150-piece edition: an integrated two-tone bracelet or a brown calfskin strap with an alligator-style pattern. The bracelet gives the watch a more architectural feel, while the leather strap pushes the object closer to the world of S.T. Dupont’s traditional accessories.
The box is part of the product.
Where the partnership becomes particularly coherent is in its presentation. Each set includes a Macassar ebony box lined with Spanish cedar. It is not simply packaging; it is a functioning humidor capable of storing up to 50 cigars. Alongside the watch sits an S.T. Dupont Ligne 2 lighter and cigar cutter, finished to echo the steel-and-gold language of the chronograph.
The gesture turns ownership into an experience. A watch, lighter, and cutter are all small mechanical objects whose appeal is heightened by touch, sound, and repetition. None is necessary in the strictest sense. That is precisely why the quality of their execution matters.
Hedonism with discipline
Bell & Ross has explored cigar culture before, but S.T. Dupont gives the idea greater authenticity. The Parisian house, founded in 1872, has made the lighter a luxury object in its own right. Bell & Ross, by contrast, built its reputation on clarity, precision and functional form. Together they create a product that is more relaxed than either brand’s usual proposition without becoming frivolous.
The BR-05 Chrono S.T. Dupont is therefore less about novelty than about alignment. It demonstrates how contemporary horology can expand beyond the wrist without losing mechanical credibility, and how a collaboration can feel convincing when every component belongs to the same ritual.
