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Kcore

"Death from Above" a Tribute

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Kcore

I never thought I would buy a quartz rep let alone write a review on one. Don't misunderstand, I do own a number of gen quartz wrist watches, it's a quartz rep I'm talking about.

 

When a few skull dial watches started to appear recently from manufacturers like, Richard Mille, Hublot, Perrelet, Romain Jerome and a select few others, I fell in love with this idea. However could I actually wear a $200K Mille. simple answer, NO WAY! That's when I saw Bell & Ross' new BR 01 tribute to the U.S. army, 101st Airborne. A $5K watch I can do :)

 

The B&R BR 01 tribute rep I bought was VERY inexpensive. It was a "one of" deal from WI for $50 USD, yep $50. It was a Japanese quartz but for such a cool watchfor $50, quartz was OK with me. I nhad to have it.

 

OK the rep specs:

Movt: Japanese Quartz

Case size: square - 46mm X 46mm ( 50mm with crown)

Case thickness: 7mm

Bezel: Skull outline & Crossbones!

Dial: Black with a White/Gray VERY COOL skull with wide open mouth w/ teeth

Hour/Minute Hands: Silver/Gray color Airborne daggers

Case: SS with thick PVD coating

Case back: same PVD coated SS with Airborne skull/crossbone insignia

Bracelet: B&R 01 shape very soft feel rubber ( doesn't collect dust) - 24mm between lugs.

Buckle: 23mm for spring bar and about 31mm wide. Same thick PVD coated SS with BR insignia

 

The watch has heft! While it's no light weight, it is very well balanced on the wrist. I've been wearing it daily and don't even notice it's on, seriously. I was apprehensive at first about it's size. I have a Santos 100 and I know in general square watches wear big, especially Bell & Ross. They look HUGE in the pics and in person. I also have an average size wrist ( maybe on the small size) at 6.75". Let me say this B&R at 46mm X 46MM IMO, fits me perfectly, not too large at all.

 

So far this rep is keeping spot on time. Well, it's a quartz and other than the cheapest ones, most do keep good time. I must say, without a second hand I wasn't sure the watch was working at first.

 

The rubber strap is soft and very comfortable. The buckle is nice & wide and feels very sturdy. There are 8 rectangular holes in the long end of the strap and I'm wearing it on the 3rd from the top. Hardly any trailing tail. Just like I like it too.

 

OK, so far this rep gets raves BUT, how in heck do you change the battery? That's the question. The case is solid and doesn't open from the back. That leaves removing the top of the watch which has 4 screws on the crossbones. But i beleive that would mean the battery is under the dial and we know if the dial has to come off so do the hands and so does the crown/stem too! OH MY!!! will a battery change cost me 2X more than the watch? Anyone know the answer? Please let me know.

 

What is this rep lacking: LUME, LUME, LUME!!! I can't believe this rep has zero lume!

The gen's skull face dial is all luminescent and it really glows.

The gen comes on a black calf skin strap, has a full AR sapphire crystal, screw down crown and is rated 100mm WR. Oh and the movt. isn't quartz, it's a mechanical automatic.

 

At this years Basel watch show, this B&R got beat up a lot. Most reviewers said B&R were going for "street cred" and not for a quality watch or trying to show boat for the military crowd. Personally, I don't buy any of that crap! i think this is a cool watch paying tribute to a top military division.

 

OK, here are the pics:

 

BampRskull1_zps99925c9f.jpg

 

BampRskullback_zpsa716c6f2.jpg

 

 

 

BampRskull2_zps70a9dcd5.jpg

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Rockzz22

Looks good

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BentleySharp

Very "Black Metal". I am picturing you playing guitar in a death metal band, maybe with white face makeup, wearing black leather pants with smoke and pyrotechnics exploding all around you. The singer, his long black hair whipping around his head, growling words like a rabid bulldog into the microphone in front of a crowd of angsty, black clad, youngsters, violently banging their heads up and down to the droning ear-drum-hemorraging noise pulsing from the amplifiers behind you.

Just my first impression :)

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Kcore
Looks good

It does and it is!

Thx Rock

 

 

Very "Black Metal". I am picturing you playing guitar in a death metal band, maybe with white face makeup, wearing black leather pants with smoke and pyrotechnics exploding all around you. The singer, his long black hair whipping around his head, growling words like a rabid bulldog into the microphone in front of a crowd of angsty, black clad, youngsters, violently banging their heads up and down to the droning ear-drum-hemorraging noise pulsing from the amplifiers behind you.

Just my first impression :)

 

Sorry Bently - couldn't be further from reality. Black ops perhaps, not metal. Well maybe a bit of Bloody Sabbath, Black Sabbath ;)

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