Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Bell & Ross · Vintage
Bell & Ross Vintage 36 mm Salmon Ceramic
Reference 40458OR.68
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Bell & Ross
- Collection
- Vintage
- Model
- Bell & Ross Vintage 36 mm Salmon Ceramic
- Reference number
- 40458OR.68
- Year / era
- 2003 · 2000s — modern production
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- High-beat automatic
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Dial type
- Salmon
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 300 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 36 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Ceramic
- Bezel
- Bidirectional 24-hour Cerachrom
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Salmon
- Hands
- Blued steel Breguet-style hands
- Indexes
- Diamond-set hour markers
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 300 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 53E — High-beat automatic
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 36,000 vph (5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 25 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Perpetual calendar, leap year
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2003 – 2010
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
Emmanuel Gueit
Emmanuel Gueit came from a family of Geneva jewellers and was barely into his twenties when he drew the oversized Royal Oak Offshore in 1993 — a watch the house's traditionalists resisted and collectors turned into an icon.
Historical significance
Bell & Ross Vintage 36 mm Salmon Ceramic sits within Bell & Ross's Vintage line, introduced in 2003. It carries the house codes established since 1992 — ceramic case, salmon dial and high-beat automatic — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Bell & Ross
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1992
- Founder
- Bruno Belamich & Carlos A. Rosillo
- Headquarters
- France
- Tier
- Premium
- Major collections
- BR 03, BR 05, BR V2, BR-X1, Vintage
- Signature technologies
- Certified chronometer regulation · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- Automatic chronograph · High-beat automatic · Spring Drive · Automatic, Swiss lever escapement
- Notable watches
- Bell & Ross BR 03 40 mm Salmon Grade (2004) · Bell & Ross BR 03 37 mm Skeletonised Sapphire (1992) · Bell & Ross BR 03 38 mm Black Ceramic (1992) · Bell & Ross BR 03 42 mm Ice Grade (1992)
Brand history
Bell & Ross has spent more than 34 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's BR 03, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Bruno Belamich & Carlos A. Rosillo established Bell & Ross in 1992, working from France at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Bell & Ross calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1992
Bruno Belamich & Carlos A. Rosillo founds Bell & Ross in France.
2024
Bell & Ross continues to produce BR 03, BR 05, BR V2 and other icons in limited numbers.