You’ve heard the phrase “be on the ball,” right? It’s an idiom that means be on top of things; be precise; don’t let things fall through the cracks. The phrase came into being after a tragic head-on train collision in Ohio in 1891. Railroad commissioners turned to a man named Webster Clay Ball to sort out timing and schedules and avert future accidents. Ball’s contributions to time programming — and the idiom that sprang from his name — generated and inspired the Ball Watch Company. And its new offering — the Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST II, is a titanium watch that would undoubtedly make the great railroad man himself proud.
Bomb-Proof Titanium Construction
The DeepQUEST II is a dive watch, and we’ll get to all the high-end dive-specific features in a moment. But first, let’s talk titanium. Titanium is one of the lightest and strongest known metals, and the Ball Watch Company utilizes it to forge a rugged timepiece.
Ball machines DeepQUEST II’s case from a solid block of titanium. If you want to make it last, make it in one piece — that’s what we always say. Well, it’s what we would say if we made high-end luxury dive watches. We do know that strong metals help reinforce crown seals — often critical weak points in waterproof watches.
In addition to its substantial strength, titanium is corrosion-resistant. You’ll want that quality in a watch you plan on exposing to all the salt, sun, and sand the ocean can dish out.
A DeepQUEST to Dive In
Pressure build-up is another key hazard dive watches must address. The Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST II meets the challenge with a helium release valve built into its crown. Other dive watch manufacturers usually place this valve inside the case, but Ball Watch Company patented its innovative crown-mounted design to accommodate DeepQUEST II’s monobloc case.
Let’s talk specs. The Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST II features BALL RR1101-C automatic movement and is chronometer-certified COSC — the Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute. It’s shock-resistant to 7,500Gs and water-resistant to 3,300 feet. It has a unidirectional rotating bezel with luminous markings so you can time your decompression stops down to the second.
Visibility is always a concern for divers, so the DeepQUEST II delivers night reading capability with 24 micro gas tubes on the hour, minute, and second hands, as well as on the dial. The technology is an efficient alternative to luminous paints.
You have to expect an anti-reflective sapphire crystal from a watch of this pedigree. DeepQUEST II doesn’t disappoint. A screwed-in crown rounds out the feature set.
Styling
Yes, your ridiculously expensive dive watch needs to be functional. But what’s the point of having a ridiculously expensive dive watch if it doesn’t look ridiculously expensive? The Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST II delivers with a chunky 42 mm case and slick black and white styling.
Each version of the watch is available with a titanium and steel bracelet or rubber watch strap. Each band will hold up pretty well to life under the sea, though there’s something classic about stainless steel on a dive watch. That would be our choice.
A DeepQUEST…Into Your Wallet
Well, here’s good news: if you are the type of person who can afford to drop thousands of dollars on a watch, you’ll probably be okay with the Hydrocarbon DeepQUEST II’s hefty price tag. The stainless steel band version runs $3,899, while the rubber strap version costs $3,799.
