By TLex BALL Watch resurrect their historic diving watch from 1962 . . .
From BALL Since 1891, BALL Watch has been manufacturing timepieces that meet the most stringent criteria for precision, quality and reliability. Over the years, BALL Watch has also produced several watchmaking instruments specifically for deep-sea diving enthusiasts. In unveiling the new Engineer Master II Skindiver, BALL Watch has revived a vibrant part of its watchmaking heritage.
The first “BALL Skindiver” timepiece was designed in 1962 in response to the growing popularity of deep-sea diving in the United States where BALL watches originated. The launch of this new watch followed closely in the wake of the creation of the Underwater Society of America in 1959. This public diving organization aimed to promote the sport and diving education; it also organizes competitions. A practice dating back several thousand years, diving developed as a sport and method for exploring the seabed after the Second World War. It gradually split into two codes: scuba diving and skin diving or free diving.
For many years, BALL Watch has played a legitimate role as a pioneering designer of diving watches, especially through its extraordinary partnership avec Guillaume Néry the holder of many constant weight free diving world championship titles. This extraordinary human and technical adventure was the source of inspiration for the creation of an entire range of diving watches in the forefront of modern watchmaking technology. BALL Watch is proud to add to its Engineer Master II collection a new model that pays direct homage to its own history and that of deep-sea exploration. The Engineer Master II Skindiver has also been released to coincide with the golden jubilee of the launch of its first diving watch.
This timepiece audaciously combines an undeniably vintage design echoing the 1960s with contemporary watchmaking codes and techniques. With a diameter of 40.5mm and a height of 14.3mm, the stainless steel case and its rubber strap sit easily on the wrist while allowing total freedom of movement. Fundamental feature of any diving watch, water resistance to 300 meters is in particular guaranteed by the screwed caseback and screw-in crown. Robust, the Engineer Master II Skindiver has also been constructed to withstand shocks with a force of up to 5,000 Gs and magnetic fields with an intensity of up to 4,800 A/m. Synonymous with precision and exactitude, the ETA 2836-2 automatic movement delivers all the watch’s basic functions: hours minutes and seconds, as well as the day and date.
Another key feature of a diving watch, the black dial is devoid of any superfluous detail to ensure essential diving information is immediately visible. The time is instantly read from the stand-out dial graduation and digital indexes. Echoing its predecessor, the dial includes the original “Skindiver” inscription that appeared on the 1962 model.
Spaced at five-minute intervals, the dial indexes are paired with double micro-tubes of 3H luminous gas. Also applied to the hands, this state-of-the-art Swiss technology ensures the watch’s indications remain visible even in the darkness of the deep. Iconic feature of the high technical performance of all BALL watches, these micro tubes do not require any external source of light and are up to 100 times more effective than conventional luminescent paint.
The large rotating bezel fitted with a black aluminum ring makes also the dive time countdown time an easy operation. Its unidirectional rotation is a further guarantee of basic safety for any diving instrument as it prevents any accidental handling that would extend the dive time available before having to return to the surface.
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