The worlds of aviation and motoring have always spoken to watchmaking. They’re the same: precision engineering wrapped in functional elegance. It makes perfect sense, then, that for its newest horological creations, French watchmaker Bell & Ross would turn to both realms simultaneously for inspiration. It’s a story of both high adventure and thoughtful reflection.
The saga begins at the end of World War II with American soldiers returning home — many of them restless for new challenges. A racing enthusiast named Bill Burke, who had served in the South Pacific, was one of them. Inspired by the aircraft he’d fought alongside, Burke took the shape of sleek, aerodynamic external fuel tanks from fighters and converted them to fantastically streamlined racing cars.
He purchased a spare drop tank from a P-51 Mustang and installed wheels, a hulking V8 and all the hardware necessary to turn an aviation fuel tank into a racecar. He then ran his machine at the legendary desert raceway, the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Soon, so-called “Bellytankers” were a common sight at the flats; the success inspired Burke and others to hone the concept further and further.
