A divers’ watch with worldtimer function is a novel idea, as seen here in the Ball Engineer Master II Diver Worldtime. As far as we know, this is the only divers’ watch to feature such a function; Ball itself notes that this is the first diver worldtime day date watch. Ball introduced this winning combination in 2010 and no brand has followed it down this path, or shall we say down to this depth. The new watch features an updated design and an updated movement too.

Specifications

Movement Automatic Ball RR1501 with worldtimer, day, date; 38-hour power reserve
Case 45mm stainless steel; water resistant to 300 metres
Strap Stainless steel bracelet or rubber strap

What is preserved here is an intuitive way to read off time, especially in low-light settings because that is where a Ball watch excels. This refers to the self-powered H3 gas tubes that are the watchmaker’s claim to fame. Given that legibility is a key differentiating factor in every Ball watch collection, the brand has paid special attention here. As we have mentioned before, multiple time zone watches are frequently difficult to read, compared with chronographs. Ball’s commitment here is part and parcel of its spin-off company, Patrick’s Labs, which is effectively the watchmaker’s research and development arm.

Complicating matters here, in particular, is the bidirectional rotating inner bezel. As it stands, this is one of the few divers’ watches that includes a bidirectional inner bezel as opposed to the usual unidirectional external bezel. If one looks at the previous versions of this model, the information on the dial appears to be where the changes reside. Adding weight to this is the calibre Ball RR1501, which is unchanged from the previous edition. Both font and markers have been updated, while water resistance is now listed below the logo at 12 o’clock instead of at 6 o’clock. The worldtime disc has been overhauled, with extraneous information excised; as before, it continues to rotate counter-clockwise.