First Impression: Ball for BMW Timetrekker

We were fortunate enough to meet with BALL when we attended Baselworld this year. While we have always appreciated their watches, it was the welcoming and honest people we met that also appealed to us. This year, they released a number of new pieces that caught our eye. They have several attractive new models in the Engineer lines, but one that surprised me and that I keep coming back to is from their BALL for BMW series, the Timetrekker.

I’m normally not a fan of co-branded watches unless they’re done tastefully, and do not distract from the significance of the watch itself. The BALL for BMW Timetrekker is the latter. BALL has focused on what’s important with the only mention of BMW being the small logo at 3:00. Not intending to rest solely on its association with the Bavarian car company, the Timetrekker is no slouch elsewhere, and packs quite a punch. It has impressive features such as 200m water resistance thanks to the screw down crown, unidirectional bezel, BALL’s anti-shock system, magnetic resistance of 4800 A/m, anti-reflective crystal, and a sapphire caseback. Powering the Timetrekker is the Caliber RR1102-C movement is based off the ETA 2836-2, which is COSC certified.

Ball for BMW Timetrekker lume shot

Options for the watch include a black or blue dial and rubberized leather strap or stainless steel bracelet. A feature that I find interesting is that BALL uses tritium instead of the more common luminova seen today. This is a very intentional decision. Tritium needs no light glow; you can be in a pitch black cave or ocean trench and the dial will still be legible. Luminova, on the other hand, has to be charged by an external light source and slowly loses is luminescence. Touché BALL. I wish more watchmakers would opt for tritium. At 44mm wide, the case is not small by any means but not outrageous, and the 13.45mm thickness helps with the wearability.

Ball for BMW Timetrekker with black dial

When you just take into account the list of features, the Timetrekker is a fantastic piece. What makes it even better is that you get all that plus the watch looks the part. Immediately catching your eye is the depth and texture of the dial. The outer ring of the dial, the markers, and inner dial are all at different heights. There is a texture on the dial itself that catches your eye far more that many other watches that are just time only, day and date function notwithstanding. With graduations to 15 minutes befitting a dive watch, the rotating bezel is otherwise clean and sharp. The black dial version is classy, however the blue dial on steel bracelet is absolutely stunning. The blue is deep enough to keep it from being too flashy and there are subtle orange accents on the tip of the second hand, 200 meter text, and the 30, 45, and 60 minute marker.

With its tough features and reliable movement, the The BALL for BMW Timetrekker is a watch you shouldn’t be afraid to wear in nearly any situation. At a retail of $2,800, the watch is very reasonably priced. Considering what you get in a package that looks like this, we call that bargain. I think this watch looks better than many twice its price. We really like what we’ve seen from BALL recently and are only looking forward to what they come out with next.

by