Oracle Time Unveils The Ball Engineer II Dazzle
Following up on its 2024 inaugural collaboration watch, Oracle Time releases its sophomore effort, the Ball Engineer II Dazzle. Last year’s wonderful Christopher Ward Dune Shoreline was so successful that Christopher Ward spun off the 100-piece limited edition into a bona fide collection. With the wind in its sails, Oracle Time now jazzes up the railroad-inspired Ball watch with a dazzling dial. Can the new collaboration recapture the magic of the previous year’s smash hit? Let’s find out.
Ball watches are typically revered for their chronometer accuracy bred from the history of railroad timekeeping standards. A later signature development is the radioactive H3 tritium gas tubes residing on the dial for unique and sometimes multicolored displays of long-lasting glow. From Ball’s collection of active and intricate sports watches, Oracle Time selects the more traditional Engineer II as the platform. With a 40 × 11.5mm 904L stainless steel case, the Engineer II is a solid and dependable watch that fits well on most wrists. Spicing up the stoic case is the Dazzle dial, or Razzle Dazzle in the US, that connects to Ball’s history as the timekeeper of the US Naval Observatory. This abstract and angular pattern mixes monochrome colors as deliberate optical illusions as a form of camouflage and disorientation. But more on the dial shortly.
Ball × Oracle Time Engineer II Dazzle
While the Engineer III Marvelight’s versatility inspired Oracle Time, the case is the slimmer Engineer II model. Another variance is the bracelet, which is a three-row Oyster-style one with polished center links and a butterfly clasp. I’m not the only one to notice, but it must be the best-looking bracelet for any Ball watch. I hope this bracelet forms the standard for future Ball watches.
The exhibition window to view the chronometer-grade COSC-certified RR1101-C movement shakes things up further. Where this differs from many Ball watches is the lack of a soft-iron inner cage for antimagnetism. While this sapphire window exposes the movement to magnetic fields, there’s enough protection for everyday wear. Furthermore, the mechanism maintains impressive resistance to shocks of up to 5,000 g.
The dial is the showpiece here, as is the history lesson it tells. During the First World War, U-boats would target and torpedo naval ships by observing the orientation and speed of the vessel. Applying the Dazzle paint to the ship’s hull was a way to confuse the periscope observer. From a distance, these geometric patterns and contrasting blacks and whites made it difficult to predict the trajectory and speed of the vessel. Therefore, the accuracy is theoretically challenging to target. It’s unknown how effective this technique was, but with it being applied to hundreds of ships, it was enough of a deterrent to include with other defense mechanisms. Each ship had the camouflage applied differently so that enemy vessels couldn’t study and learn from this pattern.
Dazzling to this day
At the onset of World War II, the effectiveness of the Dazzle paint wore off as missile targeting systems improved. Therefore, most vessels reverted to monotone gray to reduce military spending. A more modern application of the Dazzle concept is applying a similar camouflage pattern to prototype cars. This camo paint application to cars serves a slightly different purpose. When prototypes undergo shakedown testing, the Dazzle camo hides the lines and dimensions so as not to spoil the design before the big reveal. The Ball Engineer II with Oracle Time pays homage to this historical yet relevant, monochromatic, geometric style on the dial with a 3D effect. Blending in with the dial are the hour markers with radioactive H3 tritium gas tubes, which are also on the hands.
The hands and 12 o’clock index glow sky blue, with the remaining indexes in a clinical white luminescence. During the day or in well-lit environments, the dial appears uniform, disguising the color codes for low-light conditions. The case achieves a 100m water resistance rating, and the movement provides 56 hours of power reserve. The Ball × Oracle Time Engineer II Dazzle is also limited to 100 pieces and available from June 14th for £2,480 at the Hands On Horology watch show. You can find more information on this London watch show in the article here.
What do you think of this fascinating new Ball watch in collaboration with Oracle Time? Let us know in the comments below.
