Bell & Ross BR-X1 BRX1-SKTB-SAPHIR

Bell & Ross Ref. BRX1-SKTB-SAPHIR BRX1 Tourbillon Sapphire

A surprising and extremely limited sapphire tourbillon wristwatch with skeletonized movement, flying tourbillon, warranty, and presentation box, number 1 of a limited edition of 8 pieces. At the time of its release in 2017, very few manufacturers were using sapphire as a case material. By producing multiple pieces of sapphire to assemble the case, instead of milling a single piece of sapphire, Bell & Ross significantly reduced the cost of a sapphire-cased wristwatch. That being said, the original retail price was still a whopping $385,000 at the time of its release. Numbered 1 of only 8 pieces made, the BRX1 Tourbillon Sapphire features a well-balanced skeletonized tourbillon movement encased within nine pieces of sapphire comprising the case. None of these examples has ever appeared on the auction market, making this a world’s first. The present example comes from the estate of a noted collector of independent watches, and is accompanied with its full suite of accessories.