Ball Fireman Watches

Ball Watch company was founded by the American jeweler Webster Clay Ball in 1891.

In 1891 there was a collision between two trains in Ohio, which occurred because an engineer's watch had stopped. The railroad officials commissioned Webb C. Ball as their Chief Time Inspector, in order to establish precision standards and a reliable timepiece inspection system for railroad chronometers.

He established strict guidelines for the manufacturing of sturdy, reliable precision timepieces especially for the railroads.

Ball's original jewelry business in Cleveland grew into the Ball Watch Company (currently headquartered in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland).

The company today manufactures a wide range of timepieces, and continues to manufacture watches for train engineers and conductors. They are well known for watches with Micro gas tube illumination (instead of SuperLuminova), anti-magnetic protection, shock resistance, crown protection systems and cold temperature endurance.