Ball’s Engineer Master II Ballistic Diver Celebrates the Watch That Stopped a Bullet

What can your wristwatch do for you? Certain, it could possibly level you in the best course, inform you of your altitude, face up to pressures over 1,000ft underwater, and, if it’s a smartwatch, can observe an assortment of well being metrics and even detect sleep apnea and coronary heart situations. However can your watch actually save your life?

Ball Watch Firm, which was based in Ohio however has since moved its headquarters to Switzerland, was an necessary model within the early days of the railroad pocket watches. However right this moment, it has a limited-edition Engineer Grasp II Diver that celebrates a distinct accomplishment: stopping a dashing bullet. 

The Story

In August 2023, a police officer — who needs to stay nameless — was concerned in a essential incident the place he was fired at with a 9mm bullet. Nonetheless, owing to miraculous intervention and tank-like durability, the Ball Engineer Grasp II Diver he was sporting on his wrist stopped the bullet from doing any harm to his physique. 

As he places it, “Round a month following the incident, I found the harm to my watch was the results of a bullet hanging the watch face. I’m really blessed and grateful for the standard and building of your watches. The spectacular construct high quality of my watch undoubtedly saved my wrist, hand and decrease forearm from life-changing harm and fairly probably ending my profession as a police officer.”

The officer had initially bought the timepiece for himself as a one-year anniversary reward of being on the power, with hopes of passing the watch all the way down to one in all his youngsters. And whereas the watch now serves as a reminder of his terrifying expertise, it will also be a celebration of meticulous craftsmanship.

A Legacy of Saving Lives

After all, if you recognize Ball, this craftsmanship is all by design. The corporate is rooted in a life-saving mentality. Its founder Webb C. Ball was a Cleveland-based jeweler when he was commissioned to be the primary Chief Time Inspector following a deadly collision brought on by the stoppage of a conductor’s watch. 

Ball would implement requirements and periodic inspections for these pocket watches, for issues resembling energy reserve, accuracy, and magnetic resistance. In 1891, he debuted the Ball Watch Firm, specializing in housing Swiss actions inside his personal instances.

Ball Engineer Grasp II Ballistic Diver Fundamentals

Ball’s watches are nonetheless made for toughness. For this Ballistic Diver version of the flagship Engineer Grasp II, the corporate caught with the case and dial design of the EM2 Diver Chronometer, which already modernized the extra vintage-looking non-Chronometer model of the EM2 Diver that the officer wore when shot. It implements a COSC-certified movement, a cleaner black dial and bezel, a thicker case, and spaced-out crowns on the sting. It additionally swaps the day window for a date window and provides a cyclops bubble on prime.

Bringing with it the Amortiser anti-shock system and growing the anti-magnetism to 1,000 Gauss, the Ballistic Diver model does add numerals on the 3, 6, 9, and 12 positions for a classic aptitude and a nod to the officer’s bullet-stricken timepiece. Additionally returning is the 60-minute inside bezel, which is rotated by way of the topmost crown.

Water resistant to 300m, the watch is constructed with a 42m stainless-steel case and homes the BALL RR1101 computerized motion. For an additional $300, you will get the COSC-certified model of the identical actual watch. Each are outfitted with a three-link stainless-steel bracelet.

Like all Ball watches, the Ballistic Diver additionally comes outfitted with long-lasting tritium lume, which is thought for having the ability to glow at night time with no cost. The mannequin has 48 of those micro fuel tubes — someplace between the 36 on the Diver Chronometer and the 53 on the officer’s Diver. 

Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Restricted to only 1,000 items every, the Engineer Grasp II Ballistic Diver is priced beginning at $2,299 however at present is up for pre-order for simply $1,949. You can too engrave the caseback in the event you’d like. It gained’t be obtainable till March on the earliest however you’ll be able to head over to Ball’s web site for extra info.

Ball Engineer Grasp II Ballistic Diver

Ball celebrates the Engineer Grasp II Diver worn by a police officer who was shot at. The watch stopped the bullet, saving the person’s life. Now, the Ballistic Diver version blends components from the officer’s watch with that of the Diver Chronometer mannequin.