[Crusher47]

I'm strictly a Breitling/Omega/Tag Heuer guy but have been looking at Ball lately. Anyone have one? Compliments/complaints/criticisms??

[gruntmedik]

Just this one that was my Papaws.







As for the current Balls, I like several of them, and will have one one of these days.

[.264 magnum]

Originally Posted by Crusher47

I'm strictly a Breitling/Omega/Tag Heuer guy but have been looking at Ball lately. Anyone have one? Compliments/complaints/criticisms??

A friend of mine has one and loves it, his has been a great daily wear watch for many years. I'm strongly considering one for my next score.

[Crusher47]

I bought a Ball Fireman 43mm and love it!! I can't stop looking at it, LOL

Pics...

[California Jack]

I'm sure Ball makes a fine watch. But I wouldn't own a current model. I'm not a fan of the Tritium vials. What happens in 10 years when they fade?

Now, if you're talking about a Ball like Grunt's, man I'd love to have something like that.

Grunt, that watch is BEAUTIFUL!

[USMCsilver]

Uhh, are you familiar with the half-life of tritium?

And, FWIW, dials can be replaced; vials can be replaced.

Any good watch needs a service every once in a while... Nothing last for ever. You change the oil in your car, right?

[gruntmedik]

Originally Posted by California Jack

I'm sure Ball makes a fine watch. But I wouldn't own a current model. I'm not a fan of the Tritium vials. What happens in 10 years when they fade?

Now, if you're talking about a Ball like Grunt's, man I'd love to have something like that.

Grunt, that watch is BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks. It still keeps wonderful time, and I still use it when I dress up.

[California Jack]

Originally Posted by USMCsilver

Uhh, are you familiar with the half-life of tritium?

Sure, it is not too much more than 10 years, why?

[USMCsilver]

Originally Posted by California Jack

Sure, it is not too much more than 10 years, why?

My point was that it lasts a long time and that the tritium can be replaced. A company like Ball is not going anywhere, anytime soon, so service on the watch would be possible.

FWIW, I thought the life was a bit longer, but oh well...

While Tritium has several different experimentally-determined values of its half-life, the NIST recommends 4500±8 days (approximately 12.32 years).<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-0>[1]</SUP> It decays into helium-3 by the reaction
<DL><DD><TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR style="HEIGHT: 2em"><TD>

31

T </TD><TD>→ </TD><TD>

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He </TD><TD>+ </TD><TD>e<SUP>−</SUP> </TD><TD>+ </TD><TD>νe</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DD></DL>and releases 18.6 keV of energy in the process.

[California Jack]

I may not gt this exactly, but there is only one company that makes tritium vials and they don't sell them as just vials. I'm not sure what that means in regards to re-vialing existing hands and dials.

[USMCsilver]

Originally Posted by California Jack

I may not gt this exactly, but there is only one company that makes tritium vials and they don't sell them as just vials. I'm not sure what that means in regards to re-vialing existing hands and dials.

Ball would either replace the tritium on the dial, or they would just put a new dial on the watch during a servicing.

I know that Rolex Service Center will replace a dial when the superluminova is not too bright anymore.

[2glock40s]

Gruntmedik is my brother so part of that watch is mine! As for the luminous hands on the Ball watches, if I'm up to date on my reading, the luminosity for the Ball tubes is 25 years. After that they will replace it as long as it has been regularly serviced.

[gruntmedik]

Originally Posted by 2glock40s

Gruntmedik is my brother so part of that watch is mine! As for the luminous hands on the Ball watches, if I'm up to date on my reading, the luminosity for the Ball tubes is 25 years. After that they will replace it as long as it has been regularly serviced.

But since I am the older, better looking brother, I have the watch.