Bell & Ross And Renault F1 Release Fifth Collab
The Bell and Ross Renault F1 R.S.20 collection marks the fifth annual collaboration between the French watchmaker and the Renault F1 Team, delivering four racing-inspired chronographs that range from an accessible $4,400 entry point to a 20-piece, $194,000 flying tourbillon. The partnership, which began in 2016, has produced some of the most technically ambitious motorsport watches outside of a main F1 team's official timing partner.
The Four R.S.20 Models: Specs and Prices
The BR V3-94 R.S.20 opens the collection at $4,400. It is a 43mm round-cased automatic chronograph with a double subdial layout, rotating bezel, and black leather strap, limited to 999 pieces. Step up to the BR 03-94 R.S.20 and the same movement moves into Bell and Ross's iconic square case, also 43mm and limited to 999 pieces, at $6,500.
The BR-X1 R.S.20 raises the technical level significantly: a 45mm skeletonized automatic chronograph with a countdown bezel and the same double subdial configuration, limited to 250 pieces at $21,500. As Monochrome Watches details, the BR-X1 case is crafted in polished-satin titanium with ceramic and rubber inserts, giving it a weight and texture that reference the composite materials used in an actual F1 chassis.
The BR-X1 Tourbillon R.S.20: 20 Pieces, $194,000
The pinnacle of the R.S.20 collection is the BR-X1 Tourbillon R.S.20: a hand-wound, mono-pusher chronograph with a one-minute flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock. The movement is the BR-CAL.283, with 282 components, 35 jewels, 21,600 vph (3 Hz), and a 100-hour (four-day) power reserve. Only 20 examples are being made, priced at $194,000.
The tourbillon cage is shaped to incorporate Bell and Ross's ampersand logo, a detail that makes the complication both technically significant and immediately recognisable. The PVD-coated steel ring around the bezel and pushers references the paddle shifters on an F1 steering wheel. According to Quill and Pad's hands-on review, the 45mm titanium-and-ceramic case wears lighter than its dimensions suggest, and the open dial offers a genuine view of the movement's architecture.
Motorsport and Watchmaking: A Natural Pairing
The R.S.20 collaboration works because Bell and Ross and Renault F1 share a common design vocabulary: functional layouts, high-contrast legibility, and components selected for performance rather than ornament. The chronograph sub-dial placement mirrors a cockpit instrument cluster; the countdown bezel echoes a pit-lane timer. These are not superficial references: they reflect a genuine dialogue between two French engineering cultures.
For those interested in design-forward timepieces at a different price point, TheArsenale carries the Anicorn x TheArsenale designer watch, a collaboration piece that applies the same logic of purposeful design to a more accessible format. The Moon Time by Anicorn takes the concept further with a NASA-inspired limited edition. Explore the full TheArsenale watch collection for curated timepieces that sit at the intersection of engineering and culture.
