Watch manufacturer Bell & Ross has designed collections of timepiece instruments that pay tribute to five key periods in the history of aviation
and their technological breakthroughs, from 1900 to the present day. As always, it is a matter of respect: first, for the military specifications, from which Bell & Ross watches borrow their rigor and high standards in terms of readability, functionality, precision and waterproofness; but also for the codes passed down from each period, conscientiously updated to create timepieces that are modern, yet faithful to those that inspired them. The VINTAGE collection’s new line of SPORT HERITAGE watches is a special homage to the 1960s, a period of intense creativity and numerous innovations, including Dassault’s famous Mystère-Falcon 20, the best business jet of its time.
Dassault Aviation is another story about heritage. The excellence of Falcon aircraft is the outcome of groundbreaking technology the company acquired in designing and manufacturing fighter jets. In the early 1960s, Avions Marcel Dassault worked on the development of a small, twin-engine, 10-seat business jet, the Mystère 20, which made its maiden flight on 4 May 1963 and immediately met with tremendous commercial success as the Falcon. This was the first chapter in an amazing saga that continues today with the Falcon 7X generation jets and the delivery of its 2,250th plane. Bell & Ross, the benchmark in aeronautical watches, shares Dassault’s values of innovation, quality and reliability, so it was only natural for both great companies to team up to celebrate the Falcon’s 50th anniversary and the launch of the VINTAGE SPORT HERITAGE line. Bell & Ross has created two limited editions, the VINTAGE FALCONS, to mark the outstanding jet’s 50th anniversary.