Dubai Watch Week has always been a celebration of watchmaking excellence, but this year, the energy felt different. Among the industry’s most anticipated launches and conversations, Bell & Ross co-founder Carlos Rosillo arrives with a quiet confidence. It has been nearly three decades since the Maison first entered the Middle East, building its story alongside generations of collectors. Today, as Rosillo explains, it has become a cultural anchor for the brand, and Dubai Watch Week is a key event for the Swiss watchmaker.
“I think that the most important thing is having direct contact with our clients,” Rosillo says. “Here, in the Middle East, collectors want to talk directly to the people who are making the watches. So having this direct contact means that you can share the passion, and the emotions, and they are really knowledgeable.” That sense of informed appreciation is precisely why Bell & Ross chose Dubai Watch Week to unveil its newest horological statement: the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor, the Maison’s most ambitious expression of high watchmaking to date.
Before we arrive at the watch itself, Rosillo reflects on the Middle East’s central role in Bell & Ross’s global growth. “We have been in the region for a long time, almost since the beginning, so 30 years ago,” he notes. Much of this journey has been shaped alongside Seddiqi & Sons, the UAE’s most established watch distributor. “With Mr Seddiqi and the team, we have taken an important step because having a good distribution is very important. Having a nice setup in the boutiques is very important. So I think we have a good base for the brand.” Yet the future promises even more. Rosillo hints at a major partnership set to be revealed next year, something widely recognised in the region and designed to speak to a broader audience. “We have an amplifier that will speak to the region… It’s a partnership that will be disclosed at the beginning of next year. It’s very chic with a very famous brand,” he teases.
A combination of technical mastery and emotional storytelling sets the stage for the BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor, a watch that pushes Bell & Ross into new territory. Far removed from the utilitarian, cockpit-inspired instruments that built the brand’s reputation, the X3 signals a climb toward haute horlogerie. Launching it in Dubai was no coincidence. “Because here there are a lot of collectors,” Rosillo explains. “Making sure that the launch is here or there depends on the production side… but in terms of momentum, it was the right momentum.” For a piece of this complexity, timing and audience matter.
And what an audience the BR-X3 commands. The watch is an architectural revelation: a square movement with a flying tourbillon, framed not by a traditional case but by two layers of sapphire that form a crystalline sandwich around the calibre. “Having a square movement is not frequent,” Rosillo says. “Having a square movement with a tourbillon is unique. It’s a flying tourbillon, very slim because it’s a micro-rotor… You just have the movement, and the two sapphires.”
Collectors walking past the display at Dubai Watch Week stopped almost instinctively. The piece is undeniably technical, yet quietly confident, not oversized, not flashy, but a showcase of mechanical purity. “Even though it’s bulky, it’s not too big, it’s not blingy,” Rosillo notes.
The BR-X3 Tourbillon Micro-Rotor is a statement of identity. The Maison has long operated across three distinct segments: playful dashboard-inspired designs, elegant urban timepieces, and the high-watchmaking creations that showcase its deepest technical capabilities. The X3 sits squarely within this third universe, pushing the brand into a space defined by mastery, precision, and engineering purity.
There is also a quiet but meaningful validation that comes with launching a watch of this calibre. As Rosillo shares, peer recognition in the industry is a powerful measure of success. “It means a lot when your colleagues say, ‘Wow, brilliant.’ In watchmaking, of course, there is competition, but there is also common respect for people who appreciate the beautiful work. And having this common respect from great watchmakers means a lot.”
That respect is strengthened by Bell & Ross’s steadfast commitment to its own identity. In an industry often swept up by loud marketing and rapid-fire launches, Rosillo sees value in clarity and intention. “Staying faithful to who we are is very important because you feel good in your shoes,” he says. Independence gives the brand the freedom to choose its rhythm, adapt to shifting economic climates, and protect its philosophy. “Selling is just the result of the previous actions… if there is too much pressure to sell, I think it’s another business.”
This approach proved especially significant during a challenging global year. “The economy has been struggling,” he acknowledges, “but we have been able to face that because we have a rhythm that allows us to cope with it. We are flexible, we have a good team, we can cope with good or bad momentum, keeping who we are.”
Being recognisable at first glance is part of that strength. The square case has become Bell & Ross’s signature. Instantly identifiable, even from across a room. “It’s important to be recognisable at first glance. When you see the watch, you don’t have to mention the name. You understand. And there are not many brands, even long heritage brands, that have that very distinct look.”
That distinctiveness also shapes how the brand thinks about expansion, particularly into the women’s segment. Rosillo’s wife, Barbara – one of the brand’s earliest female customers – joins briefly in the conversation to share her own preference. “I prefer the bigger size dials,” she says, acknowledging that bold designs have long appealed to female collectors in the region.
But Bell & Ross is preparing to take a dedicated step forward. “Next year we’re probably going to make one watch that combines different elements, but it will target more women with their tastes,” Rosillo reveals. He references the poetic Diamond Eagle with its constellation motif as an example of how the brand has already explored more delicate storytelling. The new creation will deepen this direction without losing the clarity of the Bell & Ross design language. It’s a gradual evolution.
As the conversation closes, Rosillo returns to the idea of energy and presence, two themes that seem to guide both his leadership and the brand’s trajectory. “When you get older, you don’t have as much energy as when you were younger, but you know how to control the energy,” he reflects. “To make sure you don’t waste it, and to feel comfortable using it in the right way. And I think this is very important because in the end, this makes you happy. If you’re happy, then you share happiness.”
By Lindsay Judge
