Funny bones

A dark new timepiece from Bell & Ross laughs in the face of death.

A watch both bold and macabre, the new Bell & Ross BR 01 Laughing Skull might just remind you to live your life to the fullest and laugh in the face of death. Made from micro-blasted steel, the skull-shaped dial rests in a 46mm guilloché case decorated with a Clous de Paris finish. But there's a surprise (spoiler alert) – it's the first in the watchmaker's line of death's head timepieces to feature an automaton. As you wind the timepiece, the skull's mandible moves up and down – real horror show. It may sound disquieting, but those of a fearless nature will know the skull and bones emblem has been used for centuries by warriors to remind them of their mortality. This one just does it with a chuckle.