Every now and then, we come across something that stands out amidst a sea of commonplace releases. With illustrations of dragons flooding out eyes each time the dragon year comes around, it’s always refreshing to witness a unique interpretation of anything dragon-themed. And what’s being shown here, is definitely one that caught my eye.

Starting off with the design. Instead of engraving a dragon solely on the dial, Bell & Ross decided to do more. The laser engraving technique is applied on the dial, case and bracelet of the watch. Is it a bold move? Yes. Is it over the top? Not really if I’m being honest. As someone who appreciates clean and minimal aesthetics, I find that there’s a sense of tranquility in the bold design language. Sort of like how unequal length headers on a boxer engine might sound great to someone who appreciates silence. Moreover, there’s a sense of continuity in the design. With the dragon theme seamlessly flowing throughout the entire watch instead of being confined to the dial alone, it adds a lot of visual balance. And that’s impressive for a piece like this. As a matter of fact, the engravings encourage you take a closer look instead of having a repelling effect. Looking at it from afar, the engravings make the watch appear as if the entire piece is a shade of grey but the closer you go, the more you notice. That’s cool.

Now here’s my favorite aspect of the BR 05 Artline Dragon, the duality in how it looks versus how it wears. Honestly, the first thing that came to my mind when I first saw images of this timepiece was “okay, that’s loud”. But that changed real quick. When worn on my 16cm wrist, the 10.33mm thick BR 05 case fits like a glove thanks to both the thickness and short lug-to-lug length. Here, 40mm feels just right. Hats off to Bell & Ross for deciding to use this case as the canvas. Had the case been larger, it might have lost some of its elegance which I really adore on the Artline Dragon.

All in all, the 99-piece limited edition BR 05 Artline Dragon pleasantly surprised me with how long it has stayed in my mind for the all the right reasons. It’s bold, has character, is adventurous and on top of that, still manages to be elegant on the wrist. A well-executed watch by all means. At 37300 MYR, its price point definitely puts it up against a lot of competition, but one thing’s for sure, it’s not everyday that you get to see something like this.