INTRODUCING: The Ball Engineer III Outlier collection is a watch built for adventure
Fergus NashThe Outlier is a perfect name for a Ball watch, as the brand themselves have always been somewhat of an eccentric addition to the list of historic watchmakers, despite significant contributions to horological advancement. Their story is interwoven with risk and adversity, pioneering standards of accuracy and reliability through the American railways and now with high-performance chronometers laden with bright tritium tubes. The Ball Engineer III Outlier is designed to be a watch for adventure with rugged specifications while retaining a robust sophistication. Now, the series has been expanded with new white and blue colours, and bezel materials.
The modern face of Ball is exemplified with the Ball Engineer III Outlier. You can’t quite call it a sports watch, but it’s definitely not dressy by any means. While plenty of brands struggle to find their niche outside of watchmaking’s prescribed tastes, Ball navigates the line between tool-watch utility and old-fashioned respectability with strength and grace. The spirit of those railway pocket watches lives on through Ball’s “RR” script printed below the logo, and on the seconds hand counterweight, while the case and dial represent an undeniably modern attitude. Everything is laid out clearly, and it manages to have no unnecessary details without becoming boring.
Ball are also one of the few brands to use 904L stainless steel along with Rolex, an alloy which uses copper amongst other elements to increase its corrosion resistance and have a slightly different lustre to the industry standard 316L. The 200m water-resistant case of the Ball Engineer III Outlier is a well-proportioned offering at 40mm in diameter, 46.6mm lug-to-lug and 13.8mm thick, with polished lug surfaces to contrast against the brushed steel bezel. The first bezels at release were made of steel, with contrasting sections that mark out a minute track on an inner ring, while the 24-hour GMT markings are split into black and white zones for day/night indication. The new additions come with a black ceramic bezel that has those same decorative features, only having white markings for contrast.
The Ball Engineer III Outlier is just as functional as it is handsome, with the calibre RRM7337-C developed in-house with the aid of Soprod to create a stunning GMT movement with a quick-setting local hour hand. The date wheel follows the adjustments of the hour hand too, all while the seconds hand continues to tick for uninterrupted accuracy. Of course, considering that Ball created the standards which inspired COSC certification, the movement is certified by COSC to chronometer standards of -4/+6 seconds per day. The movement is also protected by a MuMetal® shield which attracts and then disperses stray magnetic interference for a resistance of up to 1000 Gauss, while a handy World Time scale has been engraved into the caseback. The shock resistance is impressive too, withstanding forces up to 5000Gs.
The Ball Engineer III Outlier pricing and availability:
The Ball Engineer III Outliers are limited to just 1000 pieces worldwide, and the new models are currently available for a lowered pre-order price. Pre-order price: $3,374 USD (White dial) $3,649 USD (Black or blue dials with ceramic bezels). RRP: $3,924 USD (Steel bezel models) $4,254 USD (Ceramic bezel models)
| Brand | Ball |
| Model | Outlier |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm x 13.8mm x 46.6mm |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel |
| Water Resistance | 200 Metres |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire |
| Dial | Black, blue, white |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Strap | Steel bracelet |
| Movement | RRM7337-C |
| Power Reserve | 80 hours |
| Availability | Limited to 1000 pieces each, with the ceramic bezel and white dial references available for pre-order now. |
| Price | Pre-order price: $3,374 USD (White dial) $3,649 USD (Black or blue dials with ceramic bezels). RRP: $3,924 USD (Steel bezel models) $4,254 USD (Ceramic bezel models) |