To be honest, we’re not sure if this is supposed to be parked under watches or food because it’s quite frankly a bit of both. That’s the conundrum faced when approaching Bell & Ross’ new collaboration with renowned pastry chef, Julien Dugourd which resulted in a truly sweet version of the BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze.

That’s the tricky thing about collaborations is that oftentimes, it merges the elements from different genres or industries. This time around, we see Bell & Ross enter the world of desserts with the help of Dugourd, who has meticulously designed a pastry version of the Bell & Ross timepiece.

Time For Cake

Admittedly, the BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze x Julien Dugourd is a sweet way to celebrate the arrival of Bell & Ross’ latest. A great lover of watches and friend of the Maison, Dugourd has created a chocolate-caramel cake using the stylistic codes of the new BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze.

A pure indulgent exercise orchestrated in the brand’s image, the pastry chef’s approach to creating a sweet creation based on the Cyber Skull proved to be both challenging as it was pleasurable. “I’m a fan of aviation. The BR 01 watch, which is directly reminiscent of a cockpit clock, particularly speaks to me,” explains Dugourd, whose watch collection is mostly made up of Bell & Ross, including his guilty pleasure of two Cyber Skull models.

However in the case of the BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze, the pastry chef would perhaps find the perfect muse. An exemplary piece when it comes to sophisticated watchmaking, the timepiece is equipped with an animated automaton that triggers the movement of the lower part of the jaw.

This detail says a lot about the attitude of this unusual timepiece, offered in a limited edition of 500 pieces.  The subtly faceted bronze case of the BR 01 Cyber Skull Bronze (45×46.7mm and water resistant to 50 metres) houses a very special mechanical hand-wound movement: the BR-CAL.210 calibre. Its decoration and finishes are particularly worked.

A Timepiece To Be Savoured

If the BR 01 Cyber Skull has a highly sophisticated design, the cake created by Dugourd is no less complex, with a composition of several layers to form a sandwich-type watch case. According to the pastry chef, the cake serves as a faithful reproduction of the timepiece in pastry, which can be found in the window of his new boutique in Nice.

The base of the cake consists of a Caribbean crisp, on top of which a chocolate biscuit is fixed, delicately coated with caramel. The two are surrounded by chocolate mousse. However to replicate the look of the timepiece, particularly its stunning case, required a more in-depth approach.

Bell & Ross relied on bronze – on one of the oldest alloys in the world, with a combination of copper and tin. It’s a material that conveys emotion, especially because of its natural properties, allowing oxidation to change its appearance over time for a unique finish.

To replicate this in confectionary form, Dugourd embossed the cake with cocoa butter before colouring it with a blend of chocolate, caramel and natural ingredients to create a bronze effect.  Last but not least, a small chocolate wafer sprinkled with gold duplicates the skull emblem, which sits on two shin bones, renders this delectable pastry complete.

(Images: Bell & Ross)