Ball Commercial Standard

June 27, 2008, 10:14

Keith Klimkowicz

Hi

The Commercial Standard grade watches are not discussed like the other grade Balls. I just received this 16s, 17j, adj., Commercial Standard B229281. Watch Runs very nice and is keeping good time. The Dial I beleive is correct for this watch, except that it is double sunk. I remember a discusion about Ball not using to many double sunk dials. Would that hold true for the Commercial Standard grade also?

I would like to know the year of production for this watch and any other infomation you care to give.

Thanks

June 30, 2008, 17:41

Lindell V. Riddle

Keith,

Ball Commercial Standard watches are of excellent quality but unfortunately yet understandably there is not the level of interest in them as we find in the Official RR Standard and Brotherhood models. Your number B229281 is a Ball-Waltham from 1908 production. These are on a par with the Hamilton 974 and South-Bend 219 so they would have been sold for Interurban Transportation, Safety Forces and others who needed a reliable watch but were not subject to the stringent requirements of Railroad Time Safety Inspection.

By the way, that is not a true Double-Sunk dial as it has merely a pressed center rather than separations like a Double-Sunk dial would. You may have noticed that many Waltham dials are of similar design, your movement being a Ball-Waltham it is likely Waltham manufactured the dial to their standards.

About numbers produced, it would be nearly impossible to know with any degree of certainty as some Ball-Waltham runs were mixed between Commercial Standard and Official RR Standard movements.

Lindell