Ball Watch has been saving lives since the late 1800s. Before the American watch brand came into the scene, there was no recognized standard time. It really was no big deal, except on the railroad where trains came and went along crisscrossed tracks loaded with thousands of passengers on board. In 1891, a couple of minutes’ timekeeping difference between two trains led to a devastating crash that took the toll of many, many lives near Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway. After that tragedy, the railroad was ready for some drastic changes. Ball watch was established by jeweler and Chief Time Inspector Webb C. Ball, the Ball Railroad watch was created to serve the train masters and officers, and the rail lines instituted a strict standard time measurement that synchronized time all throughout the roads with to-the-dot precision. Since Ball’s participation in the operations of the American railway, the train tracks have become a so much safer and enjoyable means for meaningful journeys.

 

Check out the enduring heroism of Ball Watches at Shreve & Co. in Palo Alto.

 

 

Reference: http://wornandwound.com/2011/07/27/brand-highlight-ball-watch/

Since 1891, Ball Watches had been the dependable partner for railroad masters, engineers, space mission teams, professional deep-sea divers, extreme-sportsmen and those in other environmentally demanding vocations. Ball Watch continues to wave its "accuracy under adverse conditions" flag high and proud with brilliant horological innovations in each of its pieces. Ball's Gas Light feature uses Self-Powered Micro Gas Lights that last up to 25 years and glow 100 times brighter than paint. Ball timepieces also thrive in the coldest and hottest places on earth. Ball’s specially-blended Swiss watch oil lets the watches operate in extreme conditions, even at temperatures as low as -40 degrees Celsius and as sweltering hot as 60 degrees Celsius. All the classic features – antimagnetism, water resistance, shock resistance, outstanding movement, are all a given in Ball watch.  If you are regularly involved in the most demanding exploits – or dreaming to be – here is the Swiss watch brand you can surely depend on.

 

Check out Ball Watch collections at Shreve & Co. In Portland, Oregon – authorized dealer for Ball Watches. 

 

 

Reference: http://www.ballwatch.com/html5/index.php?option=com_technology&task=26&lang=en_US

Richard Limeburner explores the extreme parts of the world that puts the Ball Watch "accuracy under adverse conditions" motto to the ultimate test. As an oceanographer & deep sea recovery expert, Limeburner makes frequent trips to the frigid zones of Antartica, where temperatures reach as low as 660 degrees celsius and turnadoes sweep the the vast ice land at 320 km an hour. In the freezing tundra, Richard conducts sensitive studies about animal responses to climatic changes. His tests that track ice motion and measure salinity require accurate timetelling from a hardy watch. In his three years of working in the Antartica, Ball Watch has been Richard Limeburner trustworthy companion. His other preoccupation takes Richard and Ball Watch diving into the depths of oceans to search for and recover sunken ships and lost American submarines. The daring and enduring spirit that accompanies Richard Limeburner in his extreme vocations makes him an honorary member of Ball Watch Explorer's club and testifies to the brand's outstanding performance in the harshest conditions man dares to face. For the different collections of Ball Watch fine chronographs, visit Shreve & Co. in Portland, Oregon.

 

 

Reference: http://www.ballwatch.com/html5/index.php?option=com_explorers_club&task=7&lang=en_US 

If you want to know the time, ask a railroad man. His time is accurate to the dot and three chances out of four, he is wearing a sleek Ball Watch. The history of railroad development and accurate timepieces are intermingled, and Ball Watches played a crucial role from the very beginning. Before trains were a common mode of travel, local communities kept local times. But when railroads were built and trains travelled back and forth different states, the need for Standard time arose for smooth railroad operations. Webb C. Ball was the first jeweller to use time signals in his chronographs, bringing accurate Standard time to his local Cleveland. A dismal train collision prompted Ball to implement strict standards forbidding time variations of 30 seconds among all railroad watches. This tradition of precision is still carried out today among the railroad workers and the Ball watchmakers. Accuracy is the continuing battle cry of Ball Watch. Their stylish timepieces are available in select jewelry dealers like Shreve & Co. at Post Street, San Francisco.

 

 

Reference: http://www.ballwatch.com/html5/index.php?option=com_company&task=history

“Accuracy in Adverse Conditions” – this is the motto that has set the ball rolling for Ball Watch. This corporate mission attends to those individuals are not just on-the-go, but those that are truly working, living and playing in difficult conditions in the planet. Accuracy is hard to achieve and Ball Watches rarely falter as they are equipped with the patented BALL-engineered self-powered micro gas light technology. This lights ups brightly for at least 25 years. Ball Watches also come in 7,500 G force shock resistance and a -40 degree Celsius temperature rating, and a patented crown protection system to boot. The founder Webb Clay Ball became the vice-president of the Hamilton Watch Company and focused his efforts to develop tellers of time for railroads. This was inspired by a collision between trains in Kipton, Ohio. This was all caused by the stopping of the engineer’s watch. The railroad officials commissioned Webb C. Ball to be their Chief Time Inspector. And from this day on, his quest of the precision is being continued by the company he started. For accurate watches that function under adverse conditions, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Ball Watch.

 

 

References: http://www.ballwatch.com/html5/index.php?option=com_main&lang=en_US

http://www.ballwatchusa.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webb_C._Ball

Ball Watches came from a tradition of precision. 1891 saw the dismal collision between Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway trains at Kipton, Ohio because an engineer’s watch stopped working. The aftermath? Webb C. Ball was assigned to be the Chief Time Inspector. He instituted standards for time-telling precision and a meticulous inspection system for railroad chronometers. After a while, Webb C. Ball’s original jewelry business back in Cleveland became the Ball Watch Company; a company dedicated to providing accurate and durable watches even under difficult conditions. Ball technology features the 3H micro-powered gas lights that can glow up to 100 times brighter than any luminous paint and will last for 25 years. With safety in mind, Ball Watches are also made to be antimagnetic. Brief contact with a man-made magnet will easily affects the accuracy of magnetic pieces. Ball Watches are also shock resistant, water resistant, and scratch resistant—covered by DLC making the materials almost as hard as diamond and smoother than Teflon. Having high cold temperature endurance (made for expeditions in the North & South Poles) and the Ball Crown protection system, Ball Watch Company easily cuts it as one of the manufacturers of the world’s most durable watches. These watches are always tested in adverse conditions by Ball Explorers who travel the world to test themselves in the watches; from the Himalayan Mountains to the Skylab in space. Ball Watches are made to endure.  For classy and durable Ball Watch pieces, visit Shreve & Co. – authorized dealer for Ball Watch.

 

References: http://www.iwc.com/en/collection/pilots/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Watch_Company

http://www.foxsgemshop.com/seattle/watches/11-about-iwc-watch-company.html

 

If yes, the engineer was probably wearing a Ball Watch.  Although it is a big “probably,” train schedules and the Ball Watch founder had first crossed path more than a century ago that would define the brand’s signature today: sturdy, reliable, accurate timepieces. Its founder, Webster Clay Ball, who had an apprentice in jewelry making, was commissioned in 1891 by U.S. railroad officials to establish precision time-keeping after an engineer’s watch malfunction and caused a train collision in Ohio. Prior to that, Webster had already built a reputation for precision movement; he was the first jeweler to bring the city of Cleveland in sync with the Standard Time in 1883 using the U.S. Naval Observatory’s time coordinates. Ball used strict manufacturing process and materials to achieve sturdy, precision-grade timepieces and, soon, the Ball Watch brand was born. Today, a Ball owner enjoys an accurate movement, antimagnetic, water-resistant, and shock-resistant timepiece that uses a 5-position reference and the physics of isochronism, the ability of mechanical parts to keep consistent movement despite varying external forces. A Ball watch is valued by sports people and, yes, train operators who demand accurate movement to keep their run schedules on track.

 

Shreve is an authorized dealer for Ball Watch.

 

Image: Ball Watch Engineer Hydrocarbon Trieste Chronograph

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webb_C._Ball