By Jovan Krstevski
Let us talk about a piece of American history through the Ball Watch brand. Know that the brand has ties to American Railroads so I am pretty sure that by now you are thinking of a railroad theme… well, this time it is actually about aviation.
As the brand expands their focus to a bigger scale, their new limited edition Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II watch commemorates the 115th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, told ya it is about aviation.
Moreover, the watch features 3-time zone GMT which is a classic take for this caliber. Where it truly catches the eye is on its curved external bezel with a green tritium gas tubes inlaid inside it which is pretty impressive to be honest. Right now, the brand also claims that this is the only watch in the industry featuring such tech on the bezel, I do not know about that but this is the first time I am seeing this stuff and it is very cool.
Additionally, Ball has also used yellow tritium tubes on the hour indices while blue Super-LumiNova is used for the numerals. In the dark, the design achieves a cool synergy of colors, I like it. There is also a cool 12-hour scale on the outer ring of the dial which is used for tracking another time zone. What impresses me though is the tech that Ball has put into this watch such as the special crown protection system, a reinforced buckle on the bracelet, and a COSC-certified movement that resists magnetism to 4,800 A/m. And because this is a limited edition, the Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II is available in blue and black bezel exclusively.
The exclusive black and blue bezel is really cool especially in the dark and to be honest they look very professional. I happen to dig the tritium insert in the bezel which gives the watch a very distinct look and a playful stance. As for its durable case construction particularly the gas tubes, only time will tell but for now, let’s enjoy what we have. If you have this watch, do not test it though. And at 42 mm, the watch looks sporty and classy at the same time thanks to its 13.85 mm thickness.
Furthermore, the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II looks like a first in the slew of dual-color-bezel GMTs that we are seeing right now. While being complicated watches, these watches also offer practicality in terms of value and price. When it comes to Ball’s pricing, it is quite unique since the watches are offered on pre-order with discounts but then the prices are increased once the release date arrives – talk about shock prices. Nevertheless, the AeroGMT II is available for $1,970 on rubber and $2,040 on the steel bracelet and of course speaking of increased pricing it becomes $3,020 and $3,140 respectively on the official release date – pretty weird to be honest. Visit Ball here.
