BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition Watch Review
Thursday - 25 February 2021
As part of the festivities for their 130th birthday, BALL Watch Company have presented the new BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year watch, a limited edition of 999 pieces with a historic-inspired design commemorating a classic yet elegant BALL vintage pocket watch from the early 1900’s.
Whether you’re a pocket watch aficionado yourself or simply a lover of BALL watches, the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition is a wonderful nod to the past. The anniversary piece draws inspiration from a BALL vintage open face pocket watch with a Montgomery dial design. Also referred to as a "Monty Dial" by collectors, this design describes a dial with an outer track detailed with individual numbers from 1 to 60. It was, and still is, subtle yet significant features like this that ensure precise reading of the minute markers and the solution for greater reliability of railroad timing instruments.
History of BALL Watch Company
To fully understand the significance of the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition watch, we must first look back on the Swiss watch manufacturer’s remarkable history. On April 18, 1891, 40 miles west of Cleveland in the U.S.A, a fast mail train heading east collided head-on with a passenger train coming in the opposite direction. This tragic event, known as the Great Kipton Train Wreck, was down entirely to the precision of a conductor’s watch which had stopped functioning for four minutes. In response, authorities appointed Mr. Webb C Ball as the Chief Time Inspector to set out the Official Railroad Standard.
The extraordinary endeavour required Mr. Webb C Ball to hire and train inspectors and examine and prepare approximately 2,300 watches under the new Webb C. Ball Watch Company. He also ensured all passenger and freight trains were equipped with four BALL-certified watches carried by the conductor, engineer, fireman and rear brakeman. Every two weeks, the watches and clocks were compared with Standard Time from Washington’s Naval Observatory. A variation of more than 30 seconds meant the instrument had to be recalibrated or exchanged for one equal in grade. The Official Railroad Standard ultimately regulated more than 1 million railroad watches by 1908 and Webb C Ball was forever celebrated for making railroad travel significantly safer.
Subsequently, every BALL watch designed and manufactured since 1891 has been COSC-certified to ensure an unbeatable accuracy of only -4 to +6 seconds per day, a feat marked by the “RR” emblem on the dial which stands for their Railroad standard. The new BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition watch is no different, delivering a chronometer certified automatic winding movement encapsulated within a handsome aesthetic inspired by their extraordinary legacy.
The BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition
The attention to detail on the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition is remarkable, especially on the white enamel Montgomery dial. Around its circumference, black Arabic numerals display the minutes from 1-60 with every five minute interval decorated in a contrasting and unmissable red colour. Large Arabic numerals adorn the centre for the hours alongside smaller numerals for the 24 hour conversion. The dial of the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year watch also showcases a small seconds dial at 6 o’clock with blue Poires Roskopf hands to match the central hands for hours and minutes. If you look closely, you might have also spotted the ingenious integration of the trademark “BALL & Co.” to form the numeral seven. It is small details like this that make the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition truly special.
Despite its historic-inspired design, BALL Watch Company have not neglected the need for contemporary and practical technology. The dial of the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition watch is home to 14 micro gas tubes which glow automatically without any need for recharging from artificial or natural light and deliver unmissable readability brighter than the standard luminous paint used in most other luxury watches. Contemporary improvements can also be found within the BALL RR1105-C automatic winding movement, a COSC certified calibre with 27 jewels, a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and a power reserve of 42 hours.
The BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year watch is currently available in three variations, all similar in their dial design and 40mm stainless steel case but different in their choice of strap and buckle. The first variant (NM3888D-S3CJ-WH) is delivered on a classic stainless steel bracelet with folding buckle while the other two come paired with a black alligator leather strap, one with a standard stainless steel buckle (NM3888D-LL3CJ-WH) and the other with a folding clasp (NM3888D-LL3CFJ-WH). All three provide a screw in crown, a 30 metre water resistant rating and scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass treated with anti-reflective coating.
You can order the BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition watch on the Jura Watches website today available with interest free finance and free next day delivery. Get in touch with the team on 01335 453453 or send us a message at help@jurawatches.co.uk for any assistance.
Specifications: BALL Trainmaster Railroad Standard 130 Year Limited Edition Watch
- Case Size: 40mm
- Case Material: Stainless steel
- Bezel: Fixed
- Glass: Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment
- Crown: Screw in
- Case Back: Exhibition
- Water Resistance: 30 metres
- Movement: BALL RR1105-C automatic winding
- COSC: Yes
- Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date
- Power Reserve: 42 hours
- Jewels: 27
- Frequency: 28,800vph
- Dial: White enamel with 14 micro gas tubes
- Strap: Stainless steel bracelet or black alligator leather
- Buckle: Folding or pin
- Limited Edition: 999 pieces
- RRP: Starting from £2,030
