Not one to pass on an opportunity to connect with its aeronautical roots, Bell & Ross has once again teamed up with British Harley-Davidson customiser Shaw Speed and Custom to build the one-off Bell & Ross B-Rocket concept motorcycle. The duo first collaborated in 2011 on the Nascafe Racer, which took home awards from competitions in London, Dublin and Sturgis.
Certainly looks stunning, doesn't it? The one-off's styling was inspired by the American fighter jets and speed bikes of the 1960s. Striking design cues that hark back to the era include the bullet-shaped nose cone, flush wheels, rear fairings and the distinctive twin turbines on either side of the bike.
The rider sits low and flat to cut drag, and strips of padded leather on the fuel tank and the turbines where the chin and knees rest allow them to assume this position comfortably. A glass windscreen built into the nose cone enables them to see the road ahead.
The curvaceous rear section, complete with a tail fin emblazoned with the American flag, is handmade using more than 30 different steel pieces. The turbines, instantly evocative of jet engines, perform two functions – the right one feeds air into the V-twin engine, while the left cools the oil. Bell & Ross, of course, played its part too – it designed the rev counter that is built into the front fairing.
The release of the bike coincides with the launch of two new commemorative watches – the BR 01 and BR 03 B-Rocket. The timepieces feature satin brushed steel cases as well as black padded leather straps with red edging and lining modelled on the B-Roicket's seat.
The BR 01 is a chronograph with a large minutes counter as well as a smaller hours counter. A tachymetric scale is inscribed on the outer edges of the dial, and the small seconds counter at the three o'clock mark replicates the graphic display used in experimental vehicle testing.
The smaller, more elaborate BR 03 features a large date window as well as a power reserve indicator. Cutouts on the dial reveal the discs underneath that operate the date window, highlighting the complexity of the mechanism. The circular power reserve indicator at the six o'clock mark mimics a racing fuel gauge.
To further strengthen the connection to the world of racing, the matte black dials on the BR 01 and BR 03 B-Rocket feature graphics inspired by a motorcycle tachometer, and the red triangle that marks 12 o'clock echoes the triangles on the B-Rocket's rev counter and turbines. Both watches are water resistant up to 100 metres in depth and fitted with anti-glare sapphire crystal.
Want one of these watches? Better hurry – they will be limited to 500 pieces each. Last month, Bell & Ross introduced the aircraft instrumentation-inspired BR 03-94 Carbon Orange, which was also limited to 500 pieces.
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