New Acquisition: Ball EM II GMT II

[germy]

G'day fellow IWL members, I'd like to share my new acquisition.

Back Story:

I had been look at Ball watches for a while now. There's just something about that tritium glow that draws me in. I love the Engineer Hydrocarbon and the Engineer Master II lines of watches. I especially had my eyes set on the Engineer Hydrocarbon Spacemaster Glow for a very long time. I loved the look but it was just too thick and too big for my flimsy 6.25 inch wrists. After several visits to different Ball AD's (about 5 in fact) and trying out all different sorts of watches, I had came to the conclusion that these Ball watches were not for me.

A couple days ago:

I had to get something from a shop that was at a mall that I rarely go. As I walked passed the watch shop, I said, "what the hell, I'm here. Might as well walk in and have a look" Low and behold I see a discontinued Ball watch sitting there that was perfect for me: The Engineer Master II GMT II. I'd never seen this watch before at the AD. Of all the AD's I've been to it's the only one that was special and stood out on its own. Since I knew it was a discontinued item, if I had not bought it there and then, I might not see that watch ever again. Needless to say the AD gave me a hefty discount and I walked away with my watch, all in a few minutes time. I'd say it's the quickest sale for the AD ever (and quickest purchase for me too)!



The size is perfect for me. With a 39mm case and 12.5mm thick it hugs my wrist very well. The case is beautifully finished compared to other watches at a similar price point.

It's a Ball so the lume is awesome. But I do suspect that the lume is probably weaker since the watch probably would be at least 3-4 years old. The lume still glows strongly. (I'll post some lume shot photos later)

The second time GMT complication with the anti magnetic case is perfect for travel, and along with the 100m water resistance, I won't be worried getting the watch wet or going for the odd swim.

The bracelet fits perfectly and it's one of the most comfortable one's that I've worn. It came with two half links as well.



IMO it's the best mid-range all rounder watches out there. Goes will with a suit or just plain T-shirt and jeans. It's powered by ETA 2893-2 movement, and it has been keeping time to about +4 seconds per day which is within Chronometer specs.

[Martin]

Very nice, congratulations!

Of course we now want to see a glow-in-the-dark shot!

[rfortson]

Nice, looks like a great all-arounder!

[stewham]

Congrats! That looks great.

[Nokie]

Sweet. Pays to be in the right place at the right time.

[germy]

I promised some lume shots so here they are:

I love how the GMT is back lumed so you can still see clearly what the home time is.





I really need a better camera! It looks much sweeter than this.

[happyscrappyheropup]

Great looking watch.

[mlcor]

Very nice, I've never seen that model before. In terms of the tritium, I wouldn't worry too much about it being a few years old. My understanding is that the half life is 20-25 years, meaning after 20 years or so, it will be half as bright as when it was brand new. Therefore, you've got a long way to go before you would notice any decrease in brightness...

[Samanator]

Congrats, this is one of a set of very unique models Ball did a few years ago. The backlit second time zone is a very cool feature. If you like the size then I would suggest seeking out the first generation Moon Phase that has a full GTLS lite moon and the Moon Glow to complete the set.

One Point of correction at roughly 25 years the tubes will be at 1/4 of their original glow. Don't worry so much if it was conventional lume it's would have worn out a few years before that. People make a big deal of this, but basically the expected life and replacement cost are about the same.

I'm happy to see some Ball watches showing up here.

[Jeep99Dad]

This is a beautiful watch and the size is just right for this design. Congrats b


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