2024 will be the Year of the Dragon. According to Chinese astrology, those born under the Dragon have a character that is active, strong-willed, confident, enterprising and lucky. The new BR 05 Artline Dragon watch takes on this bold personality, with exclusive laser engraving reminiscent of a tattoo. The BR 05 Artline Dragon moves into a whole new field by adopting graphic codes linked to the art of tattooing. Playing on light and shadow through the relative fineness and thickness of each stroke, this line work is crucial to transcending the realm of drawing to that of a metal tattoo.
According to Chinese astrology, the year of the Wood Dragon will begin on Chinese New Year, which lands on 10 February 2024 – also known as Spring Festival. The dragon is more than a mythical creature; it is a major cultural and spiritual reference. It evokes power because it actively participates in the world’s equilibrium. Bringing rain for the crops, the dragon is an omen of life. To create the motif on the new BR 05 Artline Dragon watch, Bell & Ross has invoked highly symbolic natural elements, such as the sun and moon, as well as references to flora and fauna, as with the swallow motif. In popular culture, the dragon is the marker of strong, courageous, powerful individuals, but it also symbolises benevolence, prosperity and luck. The dragons of Asian mythologies bring good news.
On the BR 05 Artline Dragon’s dial and integrated bracelet, the decorative motif is finely engraved. The ancestral technique of engraving has been practised in China for more than a millennium. In watchmaking, engraving is traditionally considered the first non-functional enrichment of a timepiece. With its new BR 05 Artline Dragon, Bell & Ross pays homage to Chinese culture and its art of engraving, while pushing its mastery of watchmaking techniques a little further. To produce the BR 05 Artline Dragon’s case and links on the integrated bracelet, an exceptional laser engraving technique is used. For the bracelet, this means engraving each link individually before assembly. There is no room for error: perfect precision is required to make sure the pattern is not distorted. Each link is a feat in itself, with continuity of design ensured from one component to the next.
