Engineer II Skindiver Heritage Blackout - Ltd Ed 390pcs Ref. DM3208B-P4-BK

BALL Watch Company previously took up the bold challenge of reviving a resonant part of its watchmaking heritage in the form of the Engineer II Skindiver Heritage. Following the collective success of this model as soon as it launched, the Ball Watch Company now once again meets the expectations of all lovers of vintage diver's watches with this new additional Ball Engineer II Skindiver Heritage Blackout - Ref. DM3208B-P4-BK. Just like its predecessor, the Engineer II Skindiver Heritage Blackout takes its inspiration directly from the first "BALL Skindiver" timepiece conceived in 1962 in response to the increasing popularity of underwater diving in the United States, the original homeland of BALL watches.

The launch of this watch followed the creation of the "Underwater Society of America" in 1959. This public organization is responsible for promotional work and providing training about diving, as well as organizing 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.

Ball Engineer II Skindiver Heritage Blackout - Ltd Ed 390pcs Ref. DM3208B-P4-BK

For many years now, BALL Watch has played a pioneering role in the design of diver's watches, especially through its extraordinary partnership with the multiple world champion constant weight freediver Guillaume Néry. This outstanding human and technical exploit has been a source of inspiration for an entire range of diver's watches at the cutting edge of modern watchmaking technology. Once again, BALL Watch is proud to introduce a new model into the ranks of the Engineer Master II collection, paying tribute both to the history of the watch itself and to the heritage of underwater exploration.

This timepiece combines a resolutely vintage 1960s design with the codes and technology of contemporary watchmaking. The development of this new model led to a sleek black TiC (tungsten carbide) coated stainless steel case of more than adequate dimensions while providing extra case hardness, with a 42 mm diameter and a height of 14.6 mm. The water-resistance of the Ball Engineer II Skindiver Heritage Blackout - Ref. DM3208B-P4-BK, an essential feature of any diver's watch, is appropriate at a depth of 200 meters, an improvement of 100m from its previous iteration; the Ref. DM3208B-S1-BK. The use of a timepiece at such a distance from the surface made it necessary to fit the case with a screw-in crown and case-back. The watch packs Ball patented Mu-metal shield for unsurpassed anti-magnetic of up to 4,800A/m and shock resistance to 5000Gs.

Unidirectional rotating dome-shaped sapphire diving bezel with micro gas tubes illumination

Now let's get a little more tacky. The unidirectional rotating ceramic bezel which features for the first time in this collection bears luminous for exceptional nighttime legibility. This is Ball's marvel at best where both "vintage" aesthetics cross the path of modern technology. Further, being a unidirectional rotation of the bezel is a necessary safety guarantee for any diver's instrument, since it prevents any unintended maneuver from accidentally prolonging the indication of the time available for returning to the surface.

The black dial is freed from all superfluous features to make the essential information immediately accessible during a dive. The very structure of the dial has been re-designed by incorporating a circular flange on which the minute scale is marked out. The hour markers on the dial are fitted with nano-tubes of luminescent H3 gas at five-minute intervals in baton shape. These also have the same case with more nano-tubes applied to the semi-skeletonized sword hands. All these led to the state-of-the-art Swiss technology enabling the watch's indications to remain visible even in the darkness of the ocean depths. A typical feature of the technical performance of BALL watches, these microtubes require no outside source of light and are up to 100 times more effective than conventional luminous paints.

31 micro gas tubes on bezel, hour, minute and second hands and dial for night reading capability

Renowned for its precision and accuracy, a Swiss-made automatic BALL RR1102 movement drives the basic hours, minutes, sweep seconds and date functions of the timepiece. The 25 jewel movement features a healthy power reserve of approximately 38 hours, running at a rate of 28,800 beats per hour. 

Finally, the sublimely vintage look of the Ball Engineer II Skindiver Heritage Blackout - Ref. DM3208B-P4-BK is rounded off by a robust black rubber strap, which immediately evokes a real diver's watch that is always ready for action. Today, more than ever, BALL Watch is continuing its journey and asserting its role as a key protagonist in the exploration of modern time and the evolution of watchmaking history.