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Mostly good IMHO - but I would prefer day-date at the same angle (or lose the day)
Bracelet looks great - and (if up to usual Ball standards) - will be made to last
z
I think so. This one is based on a old Ball watch Skin Diver from the 70's, and it also nods to the Omega SM300. It's brought up to date with new style flat tritium tubes, sapphire crystal and a ceramic bezel. All this is put together with a retro case and bracelet, the watch is 40.5mm but wears very much like a SMP, and is going to be very comfortable on the wrist.
Movement:
Automatic caliber ETA 2836-2
Functions:
Hours, minutes, sweep seconds and date
15 double sized micro gas tubes on hour, minute, second hands and dial for night reading capability
Shock resistance:
5,000Gs
Water resistance:
300m
Antimagnetic:
4,800A/m
Case:
Stainless steel
Ø 40.5mm, height 14.3mm
Illuminated unidirectional rotating bezel with black aluminium ring
Anti-reflective convex sapphire crystal
Screwed-in crown
Band:
Stainless steel bracelet with folding buckle
Dial:
Black
My first impressions are good, but I could have lived without the day function, anyway here are the photos.
Mostly good IMHO - but I would prefer day-date at the same angle (or lose the day)
Bracelet looks great - and (if up to usual Ball standards) - will be made to last
z
Congrats on your latest. I also really like the look of that, but as has been said on here before the split day/date is a bit of a head scratcher. As you said in your post could do without the day. Would like to see one in the flesh to judge for myself.
Enjoy.
I quite like the day/date on these. It's different - and that's quite nice in these days of uniformity.
Have to say these Balls are rather growing on me (no pun intended).
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
The use of the flat tritium tubes will now encourage me to keep my eye on the brand. Previously, although pretty unique, they were a bit, well, naff.
Not sure about this one for me, looks quite big on you Paul, but if it wears like an SMP then good stuff. The bracelet does look a cracker.
Hi
That's surprisingly nice, I say surprisingly as I would have never touch Ball with a yard stick.!
Flat tubes
Lume dial
...but I would drop the day and that naff "other end of the second hands".
Thanks
deano
Like it a lot.
I have only just read this thread and these are the first real pics I have seen of the watch and I am afraid that just like you the end links jumped out as me as being not quite right :-(Originally Posted by WingTsun
Something about them just doesn't look right which is a shame as I like the rest of the watch! Looks great on the rubber!
Essentially though a great looker and something I would be happy to wear? Hopefully you are happy with it CH especially after the balls up with it being sent to the wrong AD. Ball seem to be a bit like Oris in that they produce great watches at a reasonable price with their own unique touches which distinguish them from most other brands which in my book is no bad thing :-)
Enjoy it CH and bullocks to what anyone else might think as ultimately so long as you are happy that is all that matters.
Regards
Paul
Last edited by gingerboy; 6th October 2012 at 21:50.
More Balls
I was having a look at a LE Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Trieste the other day (courtesy of Dougie Melville of this parish) and I was impressed.The case seemed well engineered and the the bracelet clasp was a really solid bit of structural steel. If this Skin Diver shares the same qualities it will be a very nicely executed watch
flat tririum good, seamaster homage, end-links & day date split bad.
still, less bad than previous offerings.
I think it's a fine looking watch. I'd be happy to wear one. The flat Tritium looks great.
I really like the look of this one. I often find the usual Ball styling a bit too much, but this has a nice classic feel. I bet it would look great on Isofrane or NATO.
Great pick up!
It's nice, but IMHO it would look better with:
- removed weekday
- slightly widened hands
- extended endlinks so that main part of the endlinks is as long as the lugs
I like the overall looks but could absolutely not live with the Day/Date setup !
Date registers at this position are ONLY acceptable on tri-compax chronographs (all hail the great Zenith) !
Will there be a non-day/date option ?
- Darren
Probably not because previous models with the same day date configurations have sold extremely well, from what they said when someone else commented about it.
Yes, the watch is OK, but I agree the day errmm where is it oh there date is weird.
I also like the strap. Trouble is, I don't really like them together - there's a lot of short straight bright lines going on that I find too busy.
Capn, I've heard that some WIS actually evolve and finds new directions in watches.
Did you ever consider buying other brands of watches?
What is it with you and your strange fascination of Ball watches!
Im of course just kidding!! Some men like Balls. If that works for you..... ;-)
Kidding aside, that watch does not look too bad. A nice departure from some of the awful watches, that Ball has made with waaay too many tubes all over the place! (just my opinion of course. Opinions may wary).
Congrats on your new Ball.
This has really grown on me and I really like it.
The atypical day date display is quite charming and unique. I especially like the crazy good lume. When getting up for my 3am piss this am I was squinting at my smp lume and felt a bit inadequate (for the lume issue and nothing else!).
Congratulations, great watch, I'm sold.
Good idea to show this watch in the flesh.
This watch is very nice IMO.
Maybe not everyone cup of tea with asymetric day & date windows.
But very nice vintage looking watch.
The bracelet seems to be very comfortable.
The case size seems reasonable.
Wear it in good health...
I like it a lot, would be perfect as a no date at all.
rgds,
Miro
Nice watch, love the sturdy looks. Perhaps it's possible to have the date/day wheels replaced by white on black ones.
Does not quite work for me especially the day /date.However, I really like the bracelet.
The bracelet is nice and different, I'd have to think for a bit about the day window, but again differentiates the watch from the run of the mill.
I'm wondering at what price point this one is, I'd probaby give it a try (although I'm slimming down the collection blah blah).
Tritium looks good, but what were they thinking with the day window? Looks out of place to me. Very nice overall, looks solid as well.
Tried an Engineer on last week during a bored lunchbreak, was very impressed.
Bit of curates egg isnt it; has a lot going for it in terms of looks, flat tubes. But..... its tall isnt it. And.... why does it have to have a date / day at all?
It would look much cleaner and less cluttered with no day/date, useless and a pain to bother setting anyway.
Lume looks great
Great buy one for the list me thinks :-)
I like the vintage look and the day date thing is a bit odd but it wouldn't stop me buying it when Paul flips it, which he will!
It doth appear that Mr Harper no longer has the only skindiver in the UK!!! Nice pics. I did note looking at the one in Hereford that the springbars appeared very close to the case which I fear would make fitting something like a nato very difficult. A nice retro looking diver none the less. :-)
Now that's really nice Paul, never been much of a Ball fan, but this one looks the business. The flat 'tubes' look great, really nice chunky winding crown, & I really don't mind the day/date affair. The eleven row bracelet looks nice, but I have to say I'm not getting the bracelet/endlinks, they sort of break up the 'flow' if you see what I mean, but not that I couldn't live with it. All in all, I think I'll have to go and try one when they become available at the AD's.
I can't help thinking what it would be like @ 42/43mm, my preferred size, but it seems to wear a bit bigger judging by your wristshot, how is it for you?
Cracking watch, dial and bezel similar to newer IWC Aquatimer 2000, lume looks fantastic.
What's the clasp/ buckle look like on the OEM bracelet?
Current RRP on this?
from the pics it looks like lug to lug length is quite long and the lugs are not particularly downward curving.
Agreed on all points.
It does look nicely made, and (meant as a compliment I assure you) there is something quite Seiko-y about the styling.
However, the day date is all wrong for me: contrasting black on white (why oh why do they do this? I will never understand), the different positions, to my eyes, the date does not appear to be centred between 4 and 5 I couldn't stand that.
But fortunately we don't all like the same things.
It looks a nice watch Appart from the day date disaster! If they were both at 3 o'clock and white on black it would be a really nice watch! But I guess it doesn't bother you? Otherwise you wouldn't have bought it!
Very strange to see just a day function in a watch isn't it? Doesn't make much sense to me. Surely if you're going to forget something it would be the date not the day. IMHO it looks a bit strange on the dial. Other than that it's a nice looking 'chunky' diver.
If you look closely at the pics' you'll notice a date window between 20&25 past.
- - - Updated - - -
If you look closely at the pics' you'll notice a date window between 20&25 past.
If you look at the pics' you'll notice a date window between the batons at 20/25 mins'.
I think if you were really against the date window at 4:30, just swapping to a black date wheel (should be standard enough for an ETA 2836, right?) would solve it aesthetically. I think the lume/bezel look brilliant -- much cleaner than the typical 'tube' index Balls.
If you look at the pics' you'll see a date window between 20 & 25 past.
I really like that! Mostly a diver's a diver's a diver, but that's sufficiently different to stand out. Is the mov't chronometer grade?
Should have gone to specsavers...right? How the hell did I miss that. I had a good look at the pics too. Craziness!!!
Is 20-25 past not the same as 4:30? Or did you think I didn't see it when I suggested he change it for a black date wheel?
A couple more photos with a Hirsch Grand Duke strap.
Seems a shame to take it off the bracelet, as the bracelet is a big part of it's appeal for me.
Please, can you find it in your heart to forgive me, there was some sort of GLITCH when I posted a quoted reply, and for some reason mine ended up quoting you along with the intended quoted reply, if you see what I mean. No offence intended, honest.
Cheers, Neal.
Although I quite like it, there's something that doesn't quite sit right to my eye.
I've been scratching my head trying to work out what and I think it's the overly heavy numbers and markers on the bezel. But that's probably just me.
Hope you can enjoy it after the fun and games you've had in sourcing.
I really like it. At first the day put me off - I never see the point in the day feature on a Diver - but then I started thinking about every day use and it make a lot more sense. The flat lume is a fantastic use of the tubes for me and makes the watch.
The end links look a strange choice, although I like the bracelet style I think I prefer the rubber.
On the whole a very nice watch and probably my favourite in their current line up.
It's just a matter of time...
Sorry that came out way more mean than I intended - it was meant to be sound more silly =\
Looking at the outward extending engraving of the diver, is it uncomfortable if you wear this watch for a long while. That would lead quite a hige impression or looks like a dent on your wrist
Nice piece, especially with the bracelet. See what you mean about the date, cant quite get that. It looks good on the starp to boot so a great all rounder and toolish enough without being over complicated.
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