Hello. Welcome to the TimeZone Ball Watch Forum. Ball was founded by Webster Clay Ball in, according to early company documents 1865 and began making fine watches in the early 1880's after a train crash in Kipton Ohio in 1881. He was called upon by the government to create a series of checks and balances for proper timekeeping on the trains, and created a system for certain key members such as conductors, engineers, etc all carried timepieces that kept excellent time, were easy to read and as he famously said in 1891 had "Accuracy under Adverse Conditions", a motto we live by today. The system also included a method for keeping the time pieces regulated, many of which have been adopted by the COSC.

Today "Accuracy Under Adverse Conditions," continues in our fine workmanship and our readable dials featuring the GTLS system. With GTLS, the lume is provided by tubes filled with tritium gas, which are self powered, and keep the watch lume strong for over 20 years. This forum's goal is to give both beginners and Ball experts an independent forum to learn and discuss Ball Watches, the Ball Watch Company and the history of our storied watch brand.

Incredibly, there have only been 5 people at the helm of this brand in America since 1865. Webb C. Ball, his son Sidney Y. Ball, Sidney's son Webb C. Ball II and his son George Ball (with cousin Dick Ball Burgess at his side) and today, myself in the USA (working with our CEO Francisco Harrera).

We are all big fans of TimeZone and are humbled to be a part of the community. I have been a proud fan and occasional contributor on Timezone since the early days BEFORE it was based in America and have been privileged to watch it grow into one of the most important watch sites in the world.

We are joined by experienced collectors and Ball Watch enthusiasts SteveK and Rich Lawler as moderators.

When posting in this forum, please observe the TimeZone Guidelines, and these rules:

• Be courteous and treat other forum participants with respect.

• Please do not discuss dealers, net prices paid (discounting) or valuations, and do not post links to websites where watches or related goods are offered for sale. Do not post direct or indirect for sale, want to buy or want to trade messages.