Ball Trainmaster Automatic Watches: Cannonball S Chronograph $1195, Worldtime

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01-17-2020 at 05:54 AM #3

Nice watch and good price. Must resist.

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01-17-2020 at 07:12 AM #4

Great deal

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01-17-2020 at 07:33 AM #5

Just bought a GS yesterday or I'd be all over this. If only I had more wrists....

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01-17-2020 at 07:34 AM #6

Does this have tritium tubes?

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HIDDEN 01-17-2020 at 08:29 AM

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01-17-2020 at 08:33 AM #8

Quote from Guyman :

Who came up with that watch brand name? Should be shot.

What??? I like Balls

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01-17-2020 at 09:19 AM #9

Quote from Guyman :

Who came up with that watch brand name? Should be shot.

It's not as bad as Tissot ........backwards it becomes...TOSS..IT!!

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01-17-2020 at 09:44 AM #10

Quote from rjs4331 :

What??? I like Balls

watch looks beautiful (never heard of them) but the words Ball and Train don't make me think of watches at all. From a marketing standpoint, they'd crush them on Shark Tank for the name! lol

now maybe its 2 people who started the company and those are their last names? That's maybe the only way I could see the name making even a little sense. Anyway, on to the deal and I hope some people benefit from it!

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01-17-2020 at 10:34 AM #11

Quote from Guyman :

Who came up with that watch brand name? Should be shot.

Seriously... when you spend $1K or more on a watch, you hope a large percentage of people recognize it as an "expensive watch." Everyone knows Rolex, and many know Tag Heuer, Omega is fairly well known, and Breitling maybe a bit less well known, but highly valued by those who know good watches. Ball has a long history dating back to 1891, but oddly was started in Cleveland, OH if you can believe (linked to the US railroad industry). It's currently owned by a Hong Kong / Chinese company, but still made in Switzerland.

The above said, it's a nice watch with American historical roots, and still made in Switzerland, but at over $1K, I'd personally invest in something else (Oris has a lot of nice watches at this price point, for ex). Oh, and one other thing - Jomashop is great. I've bought thousands of dollars in watches from that company and have never had a single issue.

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01-17-2020 at 12:05 PM #12

Quote from Guyman :

Who came up with that watch brand name? Should be shot.

Ball is the last name of the founder, who started the company in 1891.

He's long dead, but I don't think shooting him for naming his company after his surname is an appropriate recourse.

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01-17-2020 at 12:09 PM #13

Quote from GimmeYoTots :

Seriously... when you spend $1K or more on a watch, you hope a large percentage of people recognize it as an "expensive watch." Everyone knows Rolex, and many know Tag Heuer, Omega is fairly well known, and Breitling maybe a bit less well known, but highly valued by those who know good watches. Ball has a long history dating back to 1891, but oddly was started in Cleveland, OH if you can believe (linked to the US railroad industry). It's currently owned by a Hong Kong / Chinese company, but still made in Switzerland.

The above said, it's a nice watch with American historical roots, and still made in Switzerland, but at over $1K, I'd personally invest in something else (Oris has a lot of nice watches at this price point, for ex). Oh, and one other thing - Jomashop is great. I've bought thousands of dollars in watches from that company and have never had a single issue.

Why is it odd it was started in Cleveland. From that time through the Great Depression, Clevemand was one of the wealthiest and most prosperous cities in the US. Secondly, I hardly think of Tags as "expensive watches". Omega, Rolex, IWC Panerai, etc sure. But not everyone buys watches to show off. Plenty of those brands make unassuming watches that people where because they enjoy the history and craftsmanship. Ball, in the watch community, is pretty well known and respected. Hell.. most people think my $600 Steinhart Ocean One GMT is more expensive than my $2k Sinn lol

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01-17-2020 at 12:18 PM #14

Quote from GimmeYoTots :

Seriously... when you spend $1K or more on a watch, you hope a large percentage of people recognize it as an "expensive watch." Everyone knows Rolex, and many know Tag Heuer, Omega is fairly well known, and Breitling maybe a bit less well known, but highly valued by those who know good watches. Ball has a long history dating back to 1891, but oddly was started in Cleveland, OH if you can believe (linked to the US railroad industry). It's currently owned by a Hong Kong / Chinese company, but still made in Switzerland.

The above said, it's a nice watch with American historical roots, and still made in Switzerland, but at over $1K, I'd personally invest in something else (Oris has a lot of nice watches at this price point, for ex). Oh, and one other thing - Jomashop is great. I've bought thousands of dollars in watches from that company and have never had a single issue.

I would argue that Ball has better fit and finish than Oris from my experience but I ended up selling both brands though. Also, placing Tag above Omega in any comparison is kind of silly. Ball is also known to use tritium tubes that glow in the dark without the need to charge it with UV/sun, although it seems to be missing in this model. It won't be as bright initially but will be much brighter throughout the night and super easy to read. Just like most other brands, even higher-end ones, swiss made isn't what you think. IIRC, only 50% of parts value need to be made in Switzerland, along with a few other requirements is all you need. So having a fancy gold rotor will likely cover that requirement.

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01-17-2020 at 12:26 PM #15

Quote from Guyman :

Who came up with that watch brand name? Should be shot.

A lot of watch brands are named after the founders, including the holy trinity (Patek Phillipe, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin). Ball back then probably doesn't have the same connotation as it does today. A Lange & Sohne is one of the top watchmakers out there and the A stands for Adolf. To mock the entire brand based on that is to take it out of context and ignore everything else the brand stands for.