Introducing the BALL Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II, Available Now for a Special Pre-Order Price

I feel like a record on repeat writing this, but yes, BALL is back with another pre-order, and yes, it’s another good one. The Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II is a tough-as-nails sport watch, overbuilt to BALL’s exacting standard and offered now at a fraction of the retail price. I won’t go into my spiel about BALL’s new business model other than to say that if you’re a potential customer looking to get a solid timepiece, BALL’s offering another really compelling option here.

The Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II builds on its predecessor, a robust traveler’s watch capable of tracking three separate time zones via the GMT hand and a 24-hour bezel. The update here is primarily focused on the bezel, which is now curved and features embedded green-colored micro gas tubes for nighttime luminosity which, according to BALL, took quite a bit of engineering and trial-and-error to get right.

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As one might expect, the dial—available in either blue or black—features its fair share of tritium gas tubes, too. Each hour marker is fitted with yellowed-toned tubes, doubled up at three, six, nine, and 12 (the set at 12 is orange). The broad sword hands feature a tube each, and the red, needle-tipped arrow GMT hand features a single green tube. Other than tritium, blue-colored Super-LumiNova illuminates the 24-hour hour index. During the day, the watch is largely understated, downplaying the different hues of the luminous components. But turn the light off and you’re met with a cornucopia of color.

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Moving to the case, the Engineer Hydrocarbon AeroGMT II has some solid engineering behind it. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters, anti-magnetic to 4,800A/m, and shock resistant to 7,500Gs. The crown features a protective lock to avoid accidental decoupling.

The case measures 42mm with a height of 13.85mm. The bezel is bi-directional. A domed sapphire crystal protects the dial and features an anti-reflective coating to minimize glare.The watch comes mounted on either a rubber strap or a tapered stainless steel bracelet with BALL’s patented folding buckle. I had some hands-on time with this clasp, and it punches well above its weight. An additional BALL-branded NATO strap is offered at an small surcharge, too.

Powering the watch is BALL’s caliber RR1201-C, which is essentially a re-badged ETA 2893-2 that has been Chronometer rated.

As was the case with past releases, BALL is once again offering a personalized engraving on the case back at no additional charge. This pre-order is available for $1,779 on a rubber strap and $1,849 on a matching stainless steel bracelet. This offer ends September 20, 2017, and the collection is limited to just 1,000 units. BALL

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