Ball Engineer III Marvelight Chronometer Day-Date Review

Ball Watch Company has been one of those brands I had always known about but never spent much time with, especially on wrist. I have always admired their no-nonsense designs and the usage of micro gas tubes to provide some of the most unique lume in the industry. After starting Hourstriker, Ball was one of the first watch companies I had any meaningful interactions with. From the beginning I've wanted to review one of their watches, but for one reason or another it never worked out. That is until just recently.

Much to my surprise Ball didn't just send us one watch to review, but instead they sent four watches that provide a good sampling of their full range of timepieces. To be honest I didn't know which watch to start this series of reviews with, so I reached into the safe and randomly grabbed one of the four travel cases Ball sent the watches in. Before speaking about the watch that was picked and go into its details, let's first go over the history of Ball Watch Company.



Ball Watch Company was started in one of the most unique circumstances a watch brand has been founded from. On April 18, 1891 a mail train collided with a passenger train in Kipton, Ohio. The crash resulted in several deaths and upon investigation the cause of the wreck was that one of the trains' engineers' watches had stopped running for four minutes and then started again leading to a fatal miscalculation.

The Great Kipton Train Wreck highlighted the need for the American railroad system to adopt a means of standardized accurate timekeeping for the then booming railroad system. At the time of the wreck timekeeping on the railroads was localized and in many instances extremely unreliable. To solve this problem the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad hired Cleveland, Ohio jeweler Webster Clay Ball to be the Chief Time Inspector.

Ball's main task was to create a reliable timekeeping standard for the railroad. Ball did not start out by producing or even white labeling watches but rather created a system called the RR Standard or the Railroad Standard that all timepieces used by railroad employees had to pass.



These standards meant that watches used on the railroads needed to be accurate to within 30 seconds per week. They also had to be extremely reliable and work in various temperatures and positions. The dials also needed to be highly legible and use bold Arabic numerals in conjunction with distinct hands. Finally all watches needed to be regularly inspected and adjusted by approved watchmakers.

There were also technical specifications that these watches needed to follow. They needed to include a lever-set mechanism that would prevent the time from being changed by accident. They also had to contain a minimum numbers of jewels for durability and contain a Breguet hairspring for ensure accuracy.

In the early 1900s Ball started to have major American watches companies such as Howard, Hamilton, Elgin and Waltham create pocket watches that were branded with "Ball & Co., Cleveland" or "Ball's Standard." This was the first instance of timepieces using the Ball branding. After the death of Ball the family kept the business running and in the mid 1900s transitioned out of pocket watches into the recently more popular wrist watches. As other forms of transportation become commonplace the railroad industry started to decline rapidly and Ball found themselves facing hard times towards the latter part of the 20th Century.



In the 1990s Ball was sold and the new owners looked to revitalize the brand. The first step in bringing back Ball to their former glory was moving the production to Switzerland which has long been the center of fine watchmaking. Over the following years Ball would show their new found innovation with such breakthroughs as using Micro tritium gas tubes to ensure exceptional visibility without needing external light sources. The Amortiser anti-shock system kept the movement safe from impacts and developments were made that allowed the watches to function in the most extreme of temperatures. 2018 also saw the introduction of the first in-house movement produced by Ball.

Initial Thoughts

Now that we've covered the history of the Ball Watch Company we can now get into the review of the Ball watch I randomly picked out of the safe. For our first Ball review the watch I ended up grabbing was the Engineer III Marvelight Chronometer Day-Date. The Engineer III series is Ball's line of elegant sports watches all offering 1,000 Gauss of anti-magnetic protection that are geared towards exploration.



The first thing I noticed about the Engineer III Marvelight during my initial time with the watch was its stunning ice blue dial. The hue of blue used on the dial is reminiscent of the color you often seen on dials of ultra luxurious watches crafted out of platinum. The dial just has a glow to it, being bold yet subtle at the same time. The dial compliments the stainless steel case and bracelet nicely as well.

The next thing I noticed about the Engineer III was the bracelet construction and finishing. The watch uses a bracelet comprised of H links which are brushed in finish and connect with a polished center link. It gives the watch a refreshing look that differs nicely from the traditional three piece bracelet construction seen on say a Rolex Oyster bracelet or endless copies of it. This gives the Engineer III its own look and character in a rather crowded sports watch market.

The last thing I noticed about the Engineer III Marvelight during my initial time with the watch were the super bright micro gas tubes. These tubes are used for the hour markers as well on the hour, minute and seconds hands and just glow brilliantly. All the hour markers except 12 o'clock glow green while 12 o'clock and the tubes on the hands all glow yellow. After playing around with these tubes you can really see why Ball developed this technology for their lume needs.



Technical Specifications

Now that I've gone over my initial thoughts of the Ball Engineer III Marvelight let's now take a look at the technical specifications of the watch. The watch is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 40 mm and a lug to lug length of 46.8 mm. When sized for my 7.25 inch wrist the watch weighs 161 grams and at its thickest point is 14.5 mm which includes the date magnifying crystal.

The Engineer III uses a flat sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating. There is also a magnifying lens on the crystal at 3 o'clock above the date window. Underneath the crystal clear sapphire is the brilliant ice blue dial that we spoke about earlier. It's hard to notice but along the outside of the dial the minute markers are actually cut out of the dial giving the Engineer III a sandwich dial construction. Under UV lighting these minute markers actually glow the same yellow as the hands and 12 o'clock marker.



The twelve stick hour markers are comprised of micro gas tubes that glow green except 12 that glows yellow. The markers are sized nicely and have a pale green appearance during the day. The markers are surrounded by a polished bezel that match the polishing of the hour, minute and seconds hands. Once again the hands feature micro gas tubes that glow a matching yellow to the 12 o'clock hour marker and minute track. The counter weight of the seconds hand is the double R Ball logo.

At 3 o'clock you have the white backed date window that sits under the magnifying crystal. Opposite of the date window at 9 o'clock is the day of the week register that is also white backed. Ball branding and "Official Standard Since 1891" are printed in black at 12 o'clock and "1000 Gauss Chronometer 100M/300FT" and "Swiss Made" are printed also in black at 6 o'clock.

Moving on from the dial you have a slightly angled polished bezel that frames the sapphire crystal nicely. The front side of the case is brushed while the sides of the case are polished. Looking at the profile of the case you can see a gentle slope of the lugs helping the case form to your wrist better.



The right hand side of the case has a nicely scalloped polished screw down crown. The top of the crown features the double R ball logo as well. Unscrewing the crown lets you wind the automatic movement in the resting position. Pulling the crown out to position one allows you to set the date and day of the week. Turning the crown away from you lets you set the date and turning the crown towards you sets the day of the week. The day of the week also allows you to set the language to either English or Spanish. Pulling the crown all the way out to position two stops the seconds hand and allows you to accurately set the time. Pushing the crown back in causes no jump the minute hand and screwing the crown in doesn't require any extra care to get it to catch.

The Ball Engineer III Marvelight has a standard lug width of 20 mm which means it can accept literally thousands of aftermarket straps. The stainless steel bracelet the watch comes on tapers from 20 mm at the lugs down to 18 mm at the clasp. As I mentioned earlier the bracelet of the Engineer III is comprised of brushed H links that are connected with a polished center link. This gives the watch an interesting look that is quite different from other sports watch bracelets which are typically three piece construction.



The bracelet uses a hidden clasp that is only visible by the lack of a polished center link and it has a Ball engraving. Each end of the bracelet clicks into the clasp with a reassuring click and decent force is needed to open the bracelet. Sizing the bracelet is done using a watchmakers screwdriver to remove the screws out of the removable links. This is by far my preferred method of link removal and lowers the chance of damage when compared to say a pin and collar type system.

Flipping the watch over shows off a solid screw down case back with an engraving of a locomotive. With the combination of a screw down crown and solid case back the Ball Engineer III Marvelight has a water resistance of 100 meters. Underneath the solid case back beats the automatic BALL RR1102-C movement. The RR1102-C is based off of the ETA 2836-2 movement and is also a certified chronometer. Being based on an ETA caliber means that the Engineer III should be able to be serviced and repaired by just about any decent watchmaker.



The movement beats away at 28,800 vph (4Hz) and has a power reserve of 38 hours. On our timegrapher the movement showed an accuracy of -2 seconds per day when averaged out over several positions. That accuracy is well within chronometer specification affirming the watch's certification. The complications of the watch are hours, minutes, seconds, date and day of the week.

On The Wrist

If you've read many of my reviews you could probably guess that I feel the Engineer III feels rather small on my wrist. The 46.8 mm lug to lug length is much smaller than what I typically wear on my 7.25 inch wrist with a 55 mm flat area. I typically prefer a watch with just over 50 mm of lug to lug length to better cover my wrist. Trends in the watch industry have been moving smaller of the past few years so this is just my outdated way of thinking. Ball also offers the Engineer III in smaller and larger case diameters than the 40 mm version we are reviewing.

The watch is also a bit heavier than the watches I'm used to that are crafted out of titanium, ceramic and carbon fiber. This again is my personal preference since most people actually prefer a bit of heft to their watches. The watch never gave me any wrist fatigue but it was always present on my wrist as opposed to some watches sort of disappearing on the wrist.



The bracelet of the Engineer III is excellent and I was able to size the watch close to what my ideal size would be. There are no micro-adjustments on the bracelet, but I didn't find that to be an issue during my time with the watch. The bracelet also provides a bit of weight to the watch and keeps the watch from being top heavy. The bracelet kept the Engineer III nice and centered on my wrist and it never favored one side over the other, which is something I can't stand on smaller watches. I am not a huge fan of bracelets, but I do feel the watch wore a little larger on the bracelet and would have felt far too small on a strap.

The use of oversized hour markers and polished hands on a light blue dial makes the Ball Engineer III Marvelight a highly legible watch. The watch easily passed my legibility test of telling the time just at a glance while driving. In low light the micro gas tubes also provided more than enough light to make telling the time in near dark conditions a breeze.



The Engineer III ran a lot of my boring everyday errands with me as well going out to dinner and drinks. The aesthetic of the watch is pretty neutral and never clashed with my typical dress of a black t-shirt, shorts and sneakers. Wearing the watch in public didn't really attract much attention, but that can be expected because most people in our area that are wearing watches have on a stainless steel sports watch. I did show the watch to a few of my friends while out and they really got a kick out of the micro gas tubes and how bright the lume was.

Value and Position in the Market

The Ball Engineer III Marvelight Chronometer Day-Date has a retail price of $2,599. For that price you are getting a unique looking stainless steel sports watch with a stunning dial complete with awesome micro gas tubes. The Engineer III also offers a very useful day and date complication not that often seen. The watch does run on an off the shelf ETA movement but that also means finding somebody to work on the watch should be easy. Like we do with all our reviews, now it's time to compare the Engineer III to other watches with similar features and see how it compares value wise.



Naturally the first watch to compare the Engineer III to would be the Rolex Day-Date, but those don't come in stainless steel only precious metals. The next closet Rolex would be the Datejust 41 which is crafted out of stainless steel and has a case diameter of 41 mm. The Datejust does not have the day of the week complication and has the same water resistance of 100 meters. It does feature a magnifying cyclops over the date window like the Engineer III.The Datejust is powered by an in-house automatic caliber with 70 hours of power reserve. The Rolex is much more expensive than the Ball at $8,150.

Next we have Rolex sister brand Tudor with the Royal which is made out of stainless steel and has a 41 mm case. The Royal also features a day and date complication with a more classic dial featuring Roman numerals. Like the Rolex and Ball the Tudor has 100 meters of water resistance. The Royal runs off of an automatic movement based off of a Sellita caliber which is similar to the ETA found in the Ball and also has 38 hours of power reserve. The Tudor Royal is slightly more expensive than the Ball Engineer III at $2,700.



Moving on is the Carrera Day-Date from TAG Heuer which has a 41 mm case diameter and is crafted out of stainless steel. Like the other watches in this comparison the Carrera also offers 100 meters of water resistance and has a day-date complication like the Engineer III. As with the Ball, the TAG Heuer runs off of an ETA movement and has 38 hours of power reserve. That being said the Carrera Day-Date is a good deal more expensive than the Engineer III at $3,700.

Finally we have the Seiko 5 Sports which has a 40 mm stainless steel case. The day-date complication isn't as used as it used to be and Seiko is one of the brands that still uses the complication often. The Seiko 5 also has 100 meters of water resistance and is powered by an automatic Seiko movement with 41 hours of power reserve. Unlike the other four watches the Seiko 5 is more of an entry level watch and uses a hardlex crystal over the sapphire crystals seen in the other four watches. The movement in the Seiko 5 also doesn't offer the same level of accuracy seen in the other watches either. With that being said the Seiko 5 Sports only retails for $295.



As you can see if you remove the Seiko 5 Sports out of the equation the Ball Engineer III Marvelight actually provides great value for its price. It matches the specs of all the other watches and is the least expensive. The Rolex does have a superior movement but also retails multiple times more than the Engineer III and doesn't have the day of the week complication which is reserved for the much more expensive Day-Date models. The Engineer III also has a less generic sports watch look to it and uses those super interesting micro gas tubes for its lume.

Closing Thoughts

So in the end is the Ball Engineer III Marvelight Chronometer Day-Date for me? Personally there are just too many things about the Engineer III that don't align with what I wear personally. First the 46.8 mm lug to lug length just feels too small on my wrist compared to what I typically wear. Ball does offer larger Engineer III models that would fit me better though. The use of stainless steel and a bracelet are also things I avoid personally. There isn't one watch in my collection that is crafted out of stainless steel and all of my watches are on straps. Once again this is all personal preference and nothing against the watch.



Would I recommend the Engineer III to somebody looking for a stainless steel sports watch? Ball offers the Engineer III in three sizes including 36, 40 and 43 mm so if you like the look of the watch there is probably a size that will fit your wrist. The day-date complication is extremely useful and not one that you see used much anymore, that alone warrants a look at the Engineer III. The bracelet design is also drastically different looking from the typical copycats of the Rolex Oyster bracelet you see in this category. Finally the micro gas tubes used for lume provide an interesting look to the dial in daytime lighting and really make a standout feature in low light. The Engineer III is also great value for dollar and every watch is certified as a chronometer which is also rather rare. I really feel if this is a type of watch you're interested in that you should look at an Engineer III in person before taking the plunge on a more expensive watch from one of the more established players.

I would really like to thank Ball for sending us this Engineer III Marvelight Chronometer Day-Date to review. It served as a great introduction to the brand and I'm looking forward to reviewing the next of the four watches Ball sent to us. I'm thinking I'll blindly pick another watch like I did with this one, just makes it a bit more fun. Overall I've very impressed with the build quality and features offered by the Engineer III, even if my personal preferences didn't really align with its specs.



For more information about the Enginer III Marvelight Chronometer Day-Date please visit : Ball Watch Company

Technical Specifications

Reference Number: NM9036C-S1C-IBE

Retail Price: $2,599

Case Size: 40 mm

Lug to Lug: 46.8 mm

Thickness: 14.5 mm (With Date Magnifier)

Weight: 161 Grams

Case Material: Stainless Steel

Bezel: Stainless Steel

Strap: Stainless Steel with Deployant Clasp

Movement: BALL RR1102-C (ETA 2836-2) Swiss Made Automatic Movement

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Day, Date

Power Reserve: 38 Hours

Water Resistance: 100 Meters