During Baselworld 2013, Bell & Ross unveiled several novelties and this coveted Vintage WW1 Régulateur in Pink Gold is one of them. The Vintage WW1 Régulateur is a limited edition watch comprised of only 99 pieces in pink gold —extremely difficult to find, but we were lucky enough to find one.

A 'régulateur' a.k.a. regulator, is a watch with non-coaxial hour and minute hands, which means, that the hour and minute hands do not share the central pinion position on the dial but are independently placed. On regulators, the minute hand is traditionally the most important hand and it is typically placed on the central pinion at the center of the dial.

The Bell & Ross Vintage WW1 Régulateur in pink gold, pays homage to the simplicity and elegant lines of 'régulateurs' from the early days of watchmaking.  

This time, we'll do the full review all the way from the unboxing of the watch. The watch is presented with double boxes and an elegant highly polished lacquered wooden box with the '&' logo. 

The polished case in pink gold —the markings on the case refer to it as red gold— measures 42 mm and weighs approximately 40.7 grams according to Bell & Ross. The round bubble shape of the case and the anti-reflective coated domed sapphire crystal are the perfect combination for an unparalleled vintage look. The strap is fastened to the case through wire shaped lugs that enhance the vintage appearance of this watch.

The case back is finished with a 'guilloché' pattern that is very unique and that is known as 'barleycorn'. The engravings on the case back include the limited edition information, as well as the traditional markings on solid gold pieces. The crown completes the vintage look of this timepiece and is engraved with the iconic '&' Bell & Ross logo.

This beautiful timepiece is fitted with a very supple brown alligator strap that features a nicely finished pin buckle marked with the '&' logo in a very elegant and discreet way. The buckle is highly polished and weighs 6.5 grams.

The dial on this watch is a gorgeous silvered opaline dial with snailed counter and anodized blue steel hands. The contrast between the hands and the dial is just superb and eye-catching. The dial is really more beige than silver and its hues vary depending on lighting conditions. With a small independent hour register at 12 o'clock and a small running seconds register at 6 o'clock, the dial appears very well-balanced and clean. The beating heart inside this model is the Dubois-Depraz Index-adjuster automatic movement.

Considering that gold watches tend to be top heavy, it was surprising to see how comfortable this watch wears and how lightweight it feels. Perhaps, we are just so used to wear watches weighing more than 160 grams that we could tell the difference immediately. The watch wears more like a 44 mm watch and sits high on the wrist due to the shape of the case. With its traditional and timeless design, this watch is a must have for serious collectors.

If you are looking for a well crafted pink gold watch that can be a good conversation piece, this unique and hard to find watch won't disappoint you.

Sticker Price $22,000 USD. For more info click here.