With origins dating back to the late 1800s, BALL watches were originally designed to to meet the rigors of working on the American railroad network. Due to the high demand for timekeeping accuracy amongst railroad engineers, BALL needed to create some of the finer automatic watch movements of the day and their desire for precision and durability still carries on today.
Teamed up with BMW, BALL has designed a watch built to operate even under the most extreme conditions — The BALL for BMW TimeTrekker.
The heart and soul of any watch is the movement, obviously. The Automatic, COSC Chronometer certified BALL RR1102-C movement is what powers the TimeTrekker. The RR1102-C uses BALL’s patented Amortiser Anti-shock technology, is Anti-Magnetic up to 4,800 A/m and is water resistant up to 200 meters. This well decorated movement can be seen through a sapphire crystal case back with the BMW logo.
The stainless steel case measures 44mm in diameter, is 13.45mm thick and uses an Anti-Reflective, sapphire crystal dial window. The case has been beautifully designed to match the style and design cues of BMW’s finest automobiles. If you look carefully, the shoulders of the lugs are designed to match the contour of many BMW’s profile. The face is designed to match the look of automotive gauges, with the H3 micro gas tubes fitted like marks on a rev counter. It also features a car dashboard inspired texture on the dial. Even the Day and Date window are adorned with a BMW logo. Designed by Magali Metrailler, the TimeTrekker is a beautiful blend of both the automotive and horological worlds.
The TimeTrekker is a watch that matches the philosophy of BMW’s as well as the design. Like BMWs, the TimeTrekker is designed to look elegant and respectable, but also for performance and durability. The Amortiser Anti-Shock system allows the TimeTrekker to be worn everyday, in all situations, whether that be doing some light diving, sports or even a suit and tie event.
What BALL has been able to do with its BMW inspired watches is something that not many other watchmakers have, and that is design a watch that captures the spirit of a car company without disrupting the spirit of watchmaking. Too often watchmakers will just fit so many ridiculous car designs into watch that it’s hardly recognizable as such (I’m looking at you Hublot). But the BALL TimeTrekker perfectly captures the essence of both fields and is a watch that would look great under any circumstance.
