The sand dunes of Dakar lay the foundation for a collaboration dedicated to speed and durability as Bell & Ross became the official timekeeper of Defender Rally with the BR-X3 Black Titanium for the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), where they won the Stock category during Dakar 2026.
Displaying the similarities between the two brands through the three pillars that describe them — precision, endurance, and performance — the partnership pairs a watch and a rally car that follow the same design logic, with each pillar having a concrete counterpart in the BR-X3 Black Titanium.
Precision starts with the BR-CAL.323, an automatic calibre developed by Kenissi exclusively for Bell & Ross. It is COSC certified, runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour, and produces a 70-hour power reserve. Those figures suit a competition where a stage can be decided by a few seconds. Defender applies the same thinking to the Dakar D7X-R, which is engineered around function and exact tolerances.
Endurance is handled by the case. Measuring at 41 mm across and 13.3 mm thick, it is built from micro-blasted grade 2 titanium in a layered “sandwich” format. Two grey plates hold the components together, a black band runs between them, and four screws secure the plates, middle case, bezel and case-back. Titanium is about one third lighter than steel and resists corrosion and scratches, which is useful in Saudi sand and heat. The screw-down crown has a guard with a black DLC finish, and water resistance is 100 metres. Bruno Belamich, co-founder and creative director, sees the same bold, purposeful lines in the D7X-R.
Performance depends on legibility. The X-shaped dial frames a date window at 3 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 9 o’clock. Skeletonised hands and Baignoire-style indices carry white Super-LumiNova X1, and an anti-reflective sapphire crystal limits glare under strong sun. The reserve of roughly 70 hours matches the three days shown in the date display, so the watch keeps time through a rest day. The openworked black rubber strap reduces weight and improves airflow on the wrist.
Bell & Ross already has a record in aviation, diving and motorsport, and this partnership extends it to rally-raid. Both brands build instruments, and both expect them to keep working when conditions are at their worst.
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