Swiss
Although the 2014 Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Hunley Automatic Diver (Ref. PM2096B-S1J-BK) still features that "polarizing" patented crown guard system as previous iterations of the watch, it is still one of the most elegant members of the growing family. As refined as a diving tool can be, it is also not expensive sporting a price tag around $1000 lower than that of an IWC Aquatimer.
Swiss
The 2014 Ball Engineer II Pioneer Chronometer (ref. NM2026C-L4CAJ-BK) delivers all the usual treats from the watchmaker that was founded in America, but later moved to Switzerland. The compact, deliberately simple body would look good on almost any wrist, its dial is high-contrast and easily readable even to older persons with poor sight. However, if your idea of a dress watch doesn't include more than two dozen glass micro-tubes filled with a mildly radioactive, self-glowing gas, you may find this timekeeper slightly difficult to adapt to.
Swiss
The face-lifted version of the Ball Fireman Storm Chaser Pro (ref. CM3090C-L1J-BK) was released at the Baselworld 2014 event. It is equipped with a finely executed telemeter scale and packs within its medium-sized 42 mm stainless steel body the same tried and tested automatic chronograph movement, but now looks a lot more elegant than the previous iteration of the timepiece. It's almost like if Porsche has released its current-gen Cayenne performance SUV with its gorgeous exterior and plush interior without sacrificing all the off-road goodness of the first-gen model.
American
Just wanted to give you a brief heads up regarding a new offering from a small American watchmaker Deep Blue Watches. They have just updated their Daynight range with a Deep Blue Daynight T100 GMT Chronograph. Still capable of withstanding the water pressure of up to 50ATM, it can now be used by especially busy combat divers and other special forces operators featuring not one or two, but whole three time zones. Well, sort of.
Swiss
Just in time for the holiday shopping season (and to officially mark its 130th anniversary), the American company offers its automatic Ball Trainmaster Standard Time (ref. NM3888D-PG-LCJ-WH) that attempts to combine vintage style with contemporary technology in the same compact case.
Swiss
Although not as jaw-dropping as the massive Engineer Hydrocarbon DeepQuest 3000M diver (DM3000A-SCJ-BK) that the brand started selling about two years ago, the limited edition Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Spacemaster Captain Poindexter still makes quite an impression with its massive body and a bold face with broad, pointy hands that look like they were inspired by some super-sword from one of those Final Fantasy series of videogames.
The new Luminox Tony Kanaan Valjoux (Ref. A.1188) limited edition chronograph offers a strong blend of an unusual, aggressive-looking body combined with a bullet-proof automatic movement and offered at a fairly competitive price.
American
The 2013 Deep Blue Daynight 32 T100 brings you all features that you may expect from the American brand: impressive water resistance that makes suitable for real diving, sturdy body that was probably inspired by a sledge hammer, a reliable self-winding movement made in another country, and the usual set of tritium tubes that glow brightly virtually for decades without needing any recharging.
American
Here comes another good one from the young American watchmakers. The semi-professional Deep Blue Daynight Recon T100 White Automatic diver gives you an easily recognizable (although not terribly unique) design with elegant dial sporting the brand's signature luminous tritium tubes and an impressive water resistance rating of 500 meters.
American
The American brand Deep Blue has introduced a (more than) affordable diver to its vast collection of tool watches. Currently offered at only $399 (the normal price is $499, shipping is not included in both cases), the new Deep Blue DayNight T100 OPS Diver features a rugged exterior design that somehow reminds me of Luminox timekeeper combined with a water resistance rating of 500 meters and an easily readable dial with twenty flat tritium tubes of different colors. Unlike the usual Superluminova or other chemical compounds, the mildly radioactive gas that fills the micro-tubes keeps glowing for at least twenty years without any need of being recharged, which makes it a perfect choice for those keeping their collection in boxes stashed in a chest of drawers while sleeping in their preassigned Vault-Tec shelters.