Look closely at every BALL timepiece and you’ll see two boldly emblazoned letters: RR. Railroad. This enduring heritage stretches back more than 130 years to the age of powerful locomotives, burgeoning freedom and the obsession of Webb C. Ball, whose watchmaking expertise and high standards of precision revolutionized watchmaking and timekeeping forever.
BALL Watch company was literally founded by accident. Following a tragic 1891 Kipton, Ohio head-on train collision, American railroad companies appointed Webster Clay Ball "Chief Time Inspector" to supervise newly synchronized timing protocols. This standardized "railroad time" efficiency originated the popular "Be on the Ball" proverb and inspired the future Swiss Society of Chronometry (COSC) which governs the highest watch timing certification standards today.
At his death, Webb C. Ball had contributed more than any other person in creating the performance and accuracy requirements for railroad watches. His work in crafting the most precise timepieces and instituting an inspection system was imperative and extraordinary. It not only improved railroad operations, it was an essential part of timekeeping’s foundation. Today functionality remains a top priority, so BALL will go to special lengths to work special technologies into its timepieces and it is one of few brands to use tritium gas tubes to light up the timepieces. With this heritage, BALL is continuing its role today as a key protagonist in the evolution of watchmaking history.
Despite many prestigious watch brands having evolved from the epicentre of watchmaking in Switzerland, BALL Watch Company tells its story from across the pond. The American watch manufacturer is not only recognised as having played an integral role in the standardisation of accurate timekeeping across the United States, but also for the development of its luminous technology, which has set benchmarks across the watch industry.
Some of Ball Watch Company’s most popular lines include the Engineer watches, the Fireman watches and the Trainmaster watches. Amongst many technological innovations, the brand can claim ownership of its self-powered micro gas tube. Ball Watch Company use Swiss Laser Technology to achieve this feature. Its long life brightness succeeds standard watch dial luminosity by 100 times, promising a life span of 25 years. Electrons emitted by tritium sealed inside the hollow mineral glass tubes activate luminescent material applied to the interior walls, giving off a cold light for incredible nighttime readability.
