Watch Paparazzi

Politician Emmanuel Macron spotted wearing Bell & Ross

Emmanuel Macron was photographed at what appears to be the Élysée Palace wearing a Bell & Ross BR V1-92 with a blue sunburst dial, steel case, and dark leather strap — a watch that costs roughly €1,500 retail and carries more symbolic weight than its price suggests. For a head of state who has been previously criticised for luxury spending, the BR V1-92 reads as a calibrated, image-conscious choice.

The BR V1-92 is part of Bell & Ross's Vintage collection, first introduced in 2017 as a deliberate departure from the brand's square, aviation-instrument BR 01 and BR 03 lines. The round 38.5mm stainless steel case houses the BR-CAL.302, an automatic movement based on the Sellita SW300, offering 38 hours of power reserve and beating at 28,800 vph. The blue sunburst dial features applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9, baton indices, sword-shaped hands, and a date window at 4 o'clock — all hallmarks of the mid-century pilot's watch aesthetic Bell & Ross so fluently interprets.

Among collectors, the BR V1-92 occupies an interesting niche: it is accessible enough to be a first serious watch, yet coherent enough in design language to satisfy those who appreciate the brand's aviation DNA. The blue dial version in particular has proven popular — the colour echoes the tricolore without being literal about it. On grey markets, the piece trades close to or slightly below retail, reflecting its position as a well-regarded but widely available reference rather than a trophy piece.

Bell & Ross was co-founded by Bruno Belamich, a French designer, alongside Swiss watchmaker Carlos Rosillo in 1992. The brand's design headquarters remain in Paris, lending it a genuinely Franco-Swiss identity. For Macron, choosing a Bell & Ross rather than a Patek Philippe or a Richard Mille communicates accessibility and professional seriousness — the watch of a working official, not a collector or a financier.

At a retail price of approximately $1,800 USD, the BR V1-92 Blue sits well below the luxury threshold that generates headlines, which is almost certainly part of its appeal on the presidential wrist. It is a thoughtful, legible, and nationally resonant choice — and in politics, that is rarely accidental.