#ballwatch #ballwatches #trainwatch A review of the Ball Engineer II Marvelight and Ball history. Can this watch compete with the Rolex Datejust II? It just might be a contender. From the craftsmanship to those Tritium tubes. A winner!
And Train Engineers communicating with each other “Are you on the Ball?” which makes much more sense as the origins of the phrase than the weak Baseball reference which some purport to be the origins of the “On the Ball” phrases
I just bought a new Ball Engineer Marvelight III, (with a blue dial). It’s my first Ball watch and I have to say, it’s comparable to my Rolex Milgauss and, honestly, I think it looks slightly better. It also has the date, which the Milgauss does not...and it was 1/4 the price of the Rolex. That clasp took some getting used to, but I don’t hate it. I think it actually makes for a smoother, more natural look to the band. I am liking this watch. A lot. This is my first Ball, but it won’t be my last.
Robert-Thanks for watching and the thoughtful comment. I agree 100% with your comments on how the Marvelight II compares to the Milgauss. The reasons I have never bought a Milgauss are simple: (1) No date; and (2) I don't like the lightning bolt seconds hand. In my hands, the Marvelight feels a bit beefier and (dare I say) a bit better constructed than the Milgauss. Enjoy that timepiece!
Good video, in July I ordered the new Ball Engineer III Marvelight "Caring Edition" with the rainbow tritium tubes. Won't get it till December, but I think it'll be worth the wait.
Nice review. I too own the Ball Engineer II Marvelight Black Dial. I loved it so much I purchased a white Dial Marvelight!! I think it is just as well built as my Omega and Rolex.
Sophisticated Neanderthal I am thinking of getting the Engineer M Marvelight in the Blue which appears to be a more deeper blue than the Engineer II and has the Ball in house movement and 80 hour power reserve. Although the Engineer M Marvelight is about $600 more. You can’t go wrong either way.
@@blueonyx7628 That's a beast of a watch. Updated movement with 80 hour power reserve, 31 tubes, new anti-shock system, exhibition caseback. 43mm. I think as good as the Engineer 2 is, the M is probably worth the price increase.
Thanks for the comment. It's hard to say. I bought my "Mad Cow" several years after they stopped production and it held its value well. They're starting to go up because they are somewhat rare. I'd expect the Marvellight to drop about 15% or so initially.
I have one Ball so far, the Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST. I plan on getting 3 more so far, but I like even more than that! I'd definitely like to get the Engineer II Marvelight, Engineer II Pioneer (white) and the Trainmaster Streamliner in black with brown aligator strap. That'd be a pretty nice collection :)
hi may i know the deepquest watch is the most better technology right??? is that any problem of the watch sometimes??? because i’m plan to have one deepquest too
It would be nice if my Engineer II would stay that pristine but as a stationary engineer it is going to get a lot of rough treatment around the powerhouse and associated structures. The antimagnetic qualities will be tested regularly around some 5000hp electric motors running on 13.5KV which are currently aggravating my 1996 Citizen Skyhawk. So my first real mechanical watch is going to live a rough life and when it's all said and done it will hopefully display a patina which tells one hell of a story.
Matthew, for sure on the patina. But that just adds character and tells a great story! I never polish my 1986 Rolex Submariner 16803. I also will never send it to Rolex for service because they are notorious for replacing OG parts and not keeping the watch original.
Have always like the gas tubes for lume. I have a Luminox as my beater watch. Had a Datejust for years but now have Breitling. This one indeed looks like the Datejust. I have to take a good look at Ball. Glad to hear their CS is good. That is usually the deal closer for me.
Jim, thanks for watching. I also have a couple of Luminox watches. I used to wear a blue dial Navy Seal 3517 as a beater! I emailed Omega customer service over a year ago about links for the Moonwatch. Never heard back (but the AD at Bellagio is Las Vegas got it for me in a day anyway). It was a pleasant surprise how good Ball CS was. They even got me a link for the Mad Cow years after it was discontinued.
i as well worn a Datejust for years...one day I was in a watch store and saw a Breitling,..i traded my Rolex, and got more for it than I paid for, anyway I have 2 Breitlings now..I like the brand, but Ihave a Ball..{this watch}..on the way to my home...the Rolex part of me is gone, and never looked back
Great review I have the marvel silver dial 40 love the watch and brand I also have the ducks limited sports watch on rubber strap. The brands watches to me are very under rated and a great value keep up the great vids Thank you.
Thanks for the review. There aren't so many on RU-vid. I am a great fan of Ball watches too, although I own only one at the moment. My next Ball will be the engineer ll. That's for sure.
Thanks for stopping by! Any of the Engineer II's will make for a good watch. Let me know which one you decide on when you get one. When I get a minute I'm going to review the other in my collection in the next few videos. Hope to see you back then!
I don't know why Ball doesn't get more respect, I guess for movement people they're nothing special, but other than that Ball watches are quality pieces. My only complaint is the clasp, it's hard on the fingernails prying the clasp open. Such a small complaint, and it's hard to find anything else to negatively say. They have the history, quality, and they are legible day and night. I love my Fireman
Jack, thanks for watching. I do agree about the clasp on the models except the Hydrocarbon models (they have a traditional safety clasp...like a Submariner or Seiko SKX). It's tough to get underneath that Ball logo to open the double deployant butterfly. Sometimes I just grab the sides of the clasp and pull it open. Thanks for the comment.
It's more like the Explorer I 39mm, with a slight sunburst effect like the dial on the TT Submariner (blue) 16613 and 16803. It's more subtle than the sub, but similar pattern.
Ryan-It depends on the age of the model. Older models are a 2824-2 based movement Ball RR 1103 with a rated reserve of 37 hours (I usually get 2 1/2 days). Ball has modified it on newer models (Engineer M Marvelight) to the Ball RRM7309-C (COSC Chronometer) and the rated reserve is actually 80 hours.
Rod Salvador Rod, I don’t. I’d get the III instead of the M. The III is Chronometer certified, and I personally like the dial of the III over the M. The only real difference is the M is 100% in house movement and the iii is modified eta. I had the same dilemma with the old vs new Tudor Pelagos. I went with the older eta and saved $1,000. I don’t regret it at all.
Aloha, I just bought this timepiece (904L version with same movement). I wound the watch and it came to a stop, like a manual wind watch. is that normal for this watch? i let it sit for a few hours then i was able to screw the crown back in. i had a trainmaster with day and date function and when i would wind that one there was never an "end". Thanks for the great review and help!
Nicholas-How many times did you wind it? The movement should never prevent winding. When fully wound the clutch prevents "over-winding." So, no, it should never stop like a mechanical watch. I'd suggest setting the watch to 7:00, lightly shake the watch to get the movement going, then very gently see if that allows you to wind the watch. If it is still preventing you from winding, I'd suggest taking to a reputable watchmaker who services ETA movements to check it out (or to Ball if still under warranty). I had this happen with a Tag Aquaracer 500 and it turns out the stem had broken and a small part was lodged in the movement.
Neo Neo Sorry if I confused you. The Marvelight M, which I was referring to, IS a chronometer. The BE2M is not chronometer certified, but houses the same movement as other BE2 chronometer certified references.
@@neoneo4221 No offense taken. I'm the first to realize that sometimes I'm not as clear as I should be! I appreciate your comments and that you watched the video.
The parent company for Ball is a Bermuda registered LLC and headquartered in Hong Kong. To answer, I would say technically no. Ball Watch Co SA is a Swiss Company in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Asia Commercial Holdings , LLC, which, in turn, currently owns Ball Watch Co SA, is actually registered in Bermuda, but does have it's HQ in Hong Kong. By way of analogy, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (based in Paris) is the parent company of Hublot, TAG & Zenith, but each is its own brand. But I wouldn't call Hublot, TAG and Zenith French Owned. Another way to look at is that Fiat SPA, a Dutch holding company, now owns Chrysler, but I still consider Chrysler an "American" company. I guess it depends on how you look at it. I hope that makes sense.
@@MichaelPhelpsMedia I've pre-ordered their new Marvelight Engineer III Caring (the one with the rainbow tritium tubes) but after reading up on Ball I'm genuinely concerned (and very upset). Specifically after reading this drop.com/buy/ball-trainmaster-pulsemeter-ii-automatic-watch/talk/1898138. Evidence is provided that Ball, Accord Watch, Juvenia and Wakmann all have the same President in Switzerland. Keav Sui Kouch. "Wakmann at the same address also has Swiss made on their dial. ALL their watches have micro gas lights on their dials and hands. The sword hands on some of the models are identical to Ball watch hands. Even the tubes are set in the same way. Go to the Ball USA website, it clearly states that they are '' the official North American distributor of Ball Watch'' not part of the company (google street view their address and see what you get !) Jeff Hess is an antiques dealer that is president of the distribution company not the manufacturer." There is little to no evidence of manufacturing/ assembly in their supposed Rue du Châtelot 21, 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland location. If you look on Google Maps Street View, it's a 3 story grey building without any branding on/ around it. Am I freaking out here for no reason or am I buying a chinese watch? I'm seriously considering asking for a refund and cancelling my pre-order.. Edit: I saw you updated your comment, I understand. And to follow on to your anology, Hublot's CEO is swiss, Zenith's CEO is swiss, Chrysler's CEO is English, Tag's CEO is French. I suppose my main issue is that it's chinese RUN which has its myriad of negative associations.
@@neoneo4221 you got any update on this? Because if it is assembled in swizzerland then there would be no issue in having a tour in their facility to see how they work. TAG does this all the time, but Ball is using some tech that would be fun to see how they do it. The 904l steel, Rolex claims that it takes 'special' expensive hardware machines to work with compared to 316l. And the tritium tubes would be fun to see how stored, manufactored and applied in these watches. I believe i read that they got 100% in-house movement aswell, so there should be some footage of their fabric if it is legit made in switzerland.
@@Nicolailund15 There already is a video of a tour: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TlFOcHNsoG0.html&t. I dont question whether they have a space in Switzerland to assemble, it just has to do with general ownership. Just FYI, their new Marvelight watches (chronometer) no longer use 904l steel, they use 316l instead for their new stock.
