WATCH & JEWELRY /
SIHH＆BASEL
March 30, 2015
Ball Watch | Celebrating 120 Years with Incredible Value Models! Heavy-Duty Classics Steadily Enhanced
Ball Watch
An Astonishing Value Model Appears to Commemorate Our 120th Anniversary!
Our Heavy-Duty Standard Models Are Steadily Upgraded
Ball Watch's brand recognition has steadily increased year after year, thanks to its quality and value that far exceed its price. The brand's conscientious product development, with specifications that have improved dramatically beyond its name recognition, is highly regarded in the watch industry. This year, to celebrate the brand's 120th anniversary, a gold case model with an astonishing price has also been unveiled.
Reporting and text by Yasuhito Shibuya
Product Quality Evolves Significantly Year by Year
Since the 1990s, the watch world has seen numerous revival and regeneration projects breathing new life into venerable brands with rich histories that had fallen into decline or dormancy. Some of these efforts, however, are merely namesakes with little substance. Yet, other watch brands, driven by the passion of those involved and new technologies, have become increasingly attractive with year-on-year product upgrades. Ball Watch, with its roots in 19th-century American railroad watches, is precisely such a "rising tide" watch brand.
Since its revival began in the 2000s, the company has focused on developing high-performance mechanical wristwatches that are reliable even in harsh environments, through aggressive adoption of technology and development. Among its most compelling technologies is the "Micro Gas Light" technology used for the hands and indices. By encapsulating a safety-enhanced, powerful self-luminous device—tubes coated with fluorescent material and filled with radioactive tritium gas—into the hands and indices, the time can be clearly read in any darkness. Together with the company's patented "Springlock®" system, which protects the crown, a common weak point of wristwatches, these features have become the unshakeable icons of Ball Watch.
A Classic Model Appears to Commemorate Our 120th Anniversary
Despite this, Ball Watch unveiled an unusually standard and classic model at Basel Fair 2011. It is the "Trainmaster One Hundred Twenty," a three-hand model with a rose gold case, commemorating the brand's 120th anniversary. What is most astonishing is its price. Despite its luxurious specifications—an automatic movement, see-through case back, rose gold case with a rose gold buckle, rose gold indices, and a crocodile strap—it is scheduled to be released for around the mid-500,000 yen range.
Furthermore, the standard "Engineer Hydrocarbon" diver's and heavy-duty watch, a certified chronometer, has been upgraded with a ceramic bezel. It also features a telemeter with shock resistance.ChronographA new black version of the "Storm Chaser" has also been released, featuring a black DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coating on the case for enhanced durability.
All models offer quality and functionality that far surpass their price points.
We encourage anyone looking to acquire a new standard watch or a new sports watch at the most reasonable price possible to experience these timepieces firsthand.
Trainmaster One Hundred Twenty
2011's Best Value Standard Gold Watch
This standard watch, with its three hands and calendar, features a rose gold case and automatic movement in a size under 40mm, perfectly fitting current trends. It achieves a price in the mid-500,000 yen range, less than half that of comparable models from renowned brands. Its face, with a chic gray dial and rose gold indices that emit a noble luster matching the case, will add a captivating accent to any suit. It will undoubtedly provide an exceptionally elegant touch to casual wear as well. Notably, while being a standard watch, it incorporates the brand's signature Micro Gas Light technology in its hands and indices, ensuring reliable time readability even in darkness, just like its sports models.
Automatic movement, 39.5mm rose gold case, crocodile strap, see-through case back, screw-down crown, 50m water resistance, ¥567,000 (estimated retail price). Scheduled for release in December.
Ball Watch Japan
Tel. 03-3221-7807
http://www.ballwatch.com/