Exploring the Ball Engineer III Outlier GMT.
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- Опубликовано: 9 окт 2024
- Hey all! Last year Ball came out with this Ball Engineer III Outlier GMT, and I finally got my hands on this piece. This 40mm GMT boasts a 904L stainless steel case, a customized Soprod movement, (true GMT), ceramic bezel insert, 200m water resistance and of course tritium tubes.
#explore #gmt #ball
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So apparently, I caused a little uproar here, referring to this watch as an homage to an Explorer II. If you don't agree, that is okay, but I took the true definition of homage, not homage which is a copy with a different brand name. To me, this is definitely inspired by the Explorer II, as it has the same steel, colors, can be had with a stainless bezel, has a date magnifier, orange GMT hand, is a true GMT, etc. I never meant to imply that this piece is a direct ripoff, I even say that in the video.
*Also, I want to add a correction-the steel bezel is lumed, it looks to be lumed half with regular C3 lume and the other half with black lume. So both bezels are lumed on the Ball Outlier.
This does not look like a Rolex explorer II, I can deny it
It’s a 40mm (42 with bezel) 904 L stainless case GMT.
Orange GMT hand. Black dial, stainless bracelet, available with stainless bezel. Is it an exact copy? No, it has a slightly different case shape and of course a different dial and with tritium, but it’s clearly an homage.
@@watchreportwell, that’s say Rolex didn’t invent every design cue on their own. Calling steel bezel is homage maybe I can acknowledge a bit but this piece here shouldn’t be called homage. Dial, lume mark, handset design, half polished links, case design nothing looks like Rolex explorer 2. Does Rolex Exp2 bezel rotate? No. Did Rolex invent the use of ceramic bezel? No. Did Rolex use tritium? No. Well, that ugly date bubble is from Rolex and that’s it. Rolex didn’t invent the use of orange hands on watches. If watch enthusiasts stop paying full attention on Rolex then they’ll not see every new watch as homage to every Rolex. It sickens me when people calling this and Zenith chronomaster sport as homage to Rolex. They are not. If one think so, they just put too much attention on their favorite brand Rolex.
@@watchreport It is not are you blind?
@Deef3lony I may be. I think I need to see a doctor. I’m not sure if I’ll even be able to fin
I’ve been looking for my second ball and I believe I have now found it
This looks nothing like an Explorer. It's not a homage piece at all. And for that, I love this Ball model.
People these days really confuse homage with a copy.
An homage watch is something that takes inspiration with visual similarities. It’s not a copy, and I said as such, but both are 904l steel GMT watches with black dials, orange GMT hand, date magnifier, stainless bracelet, in a similar size. The inspiration is definitely there.
@watchreport I understand, but I don't see any similarities that are obvious to call it a homage. I disagree, but it's ok it's just a opinion. Good video
I have one with the SS bezel for almost a year now. The numerals on the SS bezel are also lumed, though only half (6-18) would be somewhat visible in low light conditions, unless you charge the lume ahead of time. The tritium tube at the tip of the GMT hand is also difficult to locate in complete darkness as it is tiny.
The somewhat rounded mid-case reminds me of the 6-digit Rolex Yacht-master. So you could say the watch is kind of a combo of EXPII & Yacht-master at a glance, but quite distinctive in design and can stand on its own IMO.
Re the butterfly clasp & the polished finish, yes, it's a bit blingy (again a la the Yacht-Master). I thought a standard clasp would have been nicer, but maybe that would make the clasp too bulky. I wear mine on a rubber (tropic) strap.
Like all Ball (tritium) watches, the mid-case is slightly thicker due to the use of tritium tubes on the hands & dial, but the Outlier overall dimensions are quite reasonable.
@@blethook nice to hear from someone that has one. And yes, I missed the lumed bezel on the SS one until I did the written review and noticed it does have a half lume bezel. I got a lot of flack for calling it a somewhat homage to the Explorer as people thing of homage as direct copy, and that’s not what I meant at all, it’s certainly a beautiful piece that stands on its own. Thank you for sharing your thoughts of ownership of this piece. 👍
I think it's a smashing watch at a fair price. A true gmt, warer, resist cosc and high-quality steel. I'd go for one! Best wishes from Limerick Eire.
Looking for more of a summer-themed watch? Check out our review of the Zodiac Pistachio Super Sea Wolf Pro
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Every man should have at least one Ball.
Just got mine - love it! I added a rubber strap.
I have this and love it. Totally agree on the polish so I took it off the bracelet and alternate between a rubber strap or mesh bracelet to make it more rugged.
Imthink this one is a home run for Ball. A traveler’s GMT for that price is an incredible value, especially with COSC Certification. The butterfly clasp seems adequatw to me given the specs for the specs this watch has. Cheap….no, good value for an amazing watch…yes.
Love Ball quality.
i dont mind butterfly deployant clasps on a dressier watch, but on a tool watch i'd want something more secure
I really don't get where the ball should look similar to the Rolex. The ball is way more beautiful to me. Even without it has tritium. Yes i know in 15-20 years i will have to get the tritium replaced but i guess ball is able to do that and within that time an mechanical movement should get an service anyway and i got the feature that i can read an mechanical watch really in any condition. Got an other tritium watch and yes it's not as bright as Superluminova ora anything if you step from bright sunlight to an dark-anything... but it just works as soon as you can barley tell the time in dim light. I just love it and ball mostly uses Flat tube tritium which is even better than usual tritium tubes.
Magnifier date is a good thing functional , nice watch
Love the design, but not the emphasis on polished surfaces. I agree with you, and wish they made a version of this with more brushed or matte surfaces. Make one for the bling crowd and one for the tool watch crowd.
💯 agree. Maybe there will be a future brushed version and I would love to see an all DLC brushed model.
Very nice watch wish they had made a white dial/ceramic bezel version
Yes it’s odd that it’s the only one without a ceramic bezel option.
Great video as always
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it.
awesome watch in my opinion.
Also interesting how everyone always compares to Rolex design forgetting to realize how many Rolex designs were originally someone else’s first
I don’t pretend that Rolex is the end all be all, nor invented everything, and quite frankly I feel it is very overhyped and has been since the 80s. All I was doing was talking about two 904l steel watches in roughly the same size, with an orange GMT hand, with a black dial and date magnifier.
That's a nice watch
This is not a Rolex homage! A homage is a copy but with different branding. A replica is an exact cosmetic copy with fake branding.
But, it’s not. We, the watch community have ruined the word homage watch. A true homage is something that is inspired by and has certain similarities.
I forgot that Rolex owns black dials, GMT numerals on a bezel, and the color orange. So clearly anything that also has that is borrowing from Rolex design. You can't have a black dial and be original. You can't use a date magnifier and be original. If you use a 24-hour scale on a bezel, that's not original because Rolex. Never mind that Glycine had a black dial and a 24-hour scale on a steel rotating GMT bezel before the GMT-Master existed, Glycine somehow reversed time and homaged Rolex before Rolex made a GMT. :::Giant eye roll:::
Man are people getting all twisted because I mentioned the Rolex Explorer, LOL. I said it is inspired by, but it is clearly not a copy. And after this review and the comments, I went and checked some other articles, and reviews on this piece and I was certainly not the first to mention this inspiration. Either way, it is a 904lL steel, black dial, magnified date, True GMT,. That to me is where I saw the Rolex connection. But you and others obviously disagree.
Gotta disagree... I dont see very many similarities between this and the Explorer ii. You can't claim that every watch that's st.steel, has an orange gmt hand, crown guards and a rotating bezel is an homage of the Rolex. Visually, they're very different looking. This watch, in my opinion, is very much a Ball watch. It has very obvious and clear ball design language that doesn't really look like anything else.
Many do seem to disagree with me. Funny enough last week Gear Patrol ran an article about Explorer II homages or alternatives and this was on the list.
I compared it as such because it uses 904 L steel, it’s a round watch, with a black bezel, black dial, orange GMT hand, a true or travelers GMT and has a date magnifier.
Is it a knockoff? No. Is it a copy? No.
Homage used to mean inspired by. I think the overall look was inspired by the Rolex in some way but it is absolutely Ball with the case design, dial, bracelet etc. people for some reason think I mean it is a clone, and that is not what I meant at all.
@@watchreport ok, fair enough. I do agree with your definition of homage. It very much is *inspired* by watches of that era.
Really looks nothing like an explorer 2. The GMT hand is a bit if a nod to it but almost every other design cue is different.
Edit. Just seen you've addressed that no one agrees with you.
Not anything like the rolex
@@mywatcheswithben 🤣
A really cool watch, but the clasp....