Hey, so you know how earlier today we gave you a hands-on look at what the relaunched Ballast watches are going to look like? Well, coincidental as it may be, Touch of Modern has a sale running on a bunch of the current Ballast models. They may not have that slick bezel interface, but a lot of the styling cues remain the same, with pricing starting off at $159.
We have reviewed watches from all variety of brands, and it is interesting to see the differences when you compare watches that come out of the same family (of brands). Take, for instance, Ballast, who would count Earnshaw and AVI-8 as stablemates. Looking across the lines at a high level, there is no sense of “badge engineering” going on. No, the watches are different, and each brand has their own style. Then you get to something like the Ballast Trafalgar, and you really do have something different.
Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of sampling a variety of different watches from Ball, with quite a few different styles in play. For all of that variety, I had yet to go hands-on with anything from their Engineer line (Engineer II, yes, but not Engineer). Well, we saw fit to rectify that particular oversight, and got to spend some time with the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon.
I will be the first to admit – I am a sucker for watches that include tritium tubes. While many of them definitely hit more of a tool- or sport-watch feel, there are ones out there that take things in a more classic, or even dressy, sort of a style. I like that juxtaposition of a classic bit of watch styling mashed up with, well, atomic age technology for illuminating the watch at night. While they live in the luxury end of the segment, the watches from Ball certainly fit that bill, and their latest, the Ball Watch Trainmaster Cleveland Night Express, looks to be another interesting iteration.
When it comes to the watches that Ball Watch has on offer, it is like a double-edged sword, at least to me. What first drew me in to the brand was the Engineer line, with its bold styling and use of multi-colored tritium tubes. As I have spent time with the brand’s wares (and refined my own tastes), I have come to realize that I prefer things a bit more subdued (such as with the Ball Watch Engineer II Marvelight or Trainmaster Kelvin. That all said, I think another great – and entry-level – option from the brand would be the Ball Watch Night Train DLC.
Ball is a brand that first caught my eye a few years back for its use of tritium tubes in a variety of ways across their catalog. They are not just a one trick pony, though. In the last year or so, they have introduced quite a bit of technical innovations to their watches and movements. One of the latest ones that will be coming down the pike is the Ball Engineer II Magneto S Watch.
When you think tritium-equipped watches, there are likely a few brands that jump immediately to mind. That aside, what sort of watch do you picture in your head when you read the words “tritium watch”? Probably something that’s at least sport-oriented, if not outright “tacti-cool”. As you should be well aware, that’s not the only choice we have. You can definitely have a very refined look, along with tritium illumination, as the Ball Fireman Storm Chaser Pro proves.
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