21jewels grade 435B

Anyone have knowledge of this? I can't seem to find any info.on this. Regards Roger

I think those are the Swiss manufactured Ball watches.

They were manufactured circa 1960 by the Record watch company of Tramelan, Switzerland, they made a Grade 435, 435B, and a Grade 435C. The 435 was a 17 jewel Commercial grade for bus drivers, and others who are not subject to railway watch inspection rules. and the 435B, 435C were railway approved. The 435B was equipped with Incabloc shock protection jeweling for the balance wheel, and Kif or Duafix shock protection jeweling for the pallet and escape wheel arbors, while the 435C was equipped with just Incabloc shock protection jeweling for the balance staff, These watches were made for the Canadian market, and may also have been used in Mexico.

Larry

A Ball Record 435 COMMERCIAL dial.

Ball Record 17 jewel Grade 435 movement.

Ball Record Commercial Grade 435 rolled gold plate Star case.

Here are two variations of my Ball Record 435B pocket watches in my collection. One has a 24-hour Canadian type dial.

Ball Record 435B Movement Serial No. 2714

A close-up of the shockproof Kif (Duafix) and Incabloc jeweling

Sturdy nickel silver case back.

My other Ball Record 435B equipped with a Arabic 12 hour Montgomery dial.

Ball Record 435B Serial No. 2435 movement.

Star rolled gold plate case back.

Here is a photo of a Ball Record 435C movement. Notice the pallet, and escape wheel have conventional jeweling. [Compare carefully to close-up of shock resistant devices on 435B above.]

Larry

Larry,thanks very much for the info.as I have none on this watch.I"won"it in a auction and as of now I don't have it.Should be here next week.I am really looking forward to receiving it as it will be my first Ball. Regards Roger

Roger, Hope yours turns out to be as nice as the ones Larry showed!I also asked about these Record Ball watches on the Ball forum ,like you said, there isn't too much info on them.I don't yet have any Ball watches either, they're all way out of my reach.I always thought I'd be able get one of these Swiss ones, but even these go for an arm and a leg today.They are a nice watch!...Ted.

Roger good to hear the information was useful to you, look forward to seeing some photos of your 435B if you get a chance.

Larry

Larry,will post some pics.when I get the watch. Roger

Well,I got the watch a couple of days ago.Was surprised it is in a Ball case.Is that normal?It is missing the regulator whip and the seconds hand is a little long.Overall pretty nice and ran for 42hrs. about 5 seconds off of my computer.Any comments good or bad would be appreciated. Roger

Movt.#1 S/N 2429

Movt.#2

Ball Offical Standard

Back of case

Nice Roger, you did good!Case looks original, since there's no 6 minute lever slot.

Roger:

Your Ball Record 435B looks great, and the ball case is a bonus, nice if you could find a stirrup bow for it.

Larry

Thanks for the nice comments guys.I am pretty pleased with it with the exceptions of the bow and regulator whip.Anyone have any ideas as where to look for these parts? Regards Roger Oh,by the way Larry your pics.are stunning what kind of camera do you use?

Hello Roger:

I use a Nikon Coolpix 4500, I will attach a photo of my lighting setup and camera later.

Larry

Thanks Larry. Roger

Hey Roger,

To answer your questions;

Stirrup bows will appear from time to time, they generally will be a recast in 10K. They are close to the originals and generally will cost $50-100 each. The whiplash springs will generally only be found on a parts watch and will cost whatever the high bidder allows !! Near to impossible to find and cost prohibitive unless you have a $1000 + watch. Sorry for the bad news.

Parts are becoming so hard to find especially for the Ball watches as well as the higher graded watches. The rest of the manufacturers are still to be found with patience. However it will always be best to purchase complete watches with all of their parts still attached. The going rate for whiplash springs on about all the brands are $25 and up. Finding correct bows are a hit and miss affair but will generally run $25 and up also, but are hard to find especially for Hamilton, Ball, Illinois and some of the Elgins. Wrong dial? Deduct what the correct dial will cost from what you can recoup by reselling the incorrect dial for.

Remembering that when buying watches will cause less frustrations unless you have the missing part[s] in hand. But if one has to have that watch [and sometimes we just have to have it], try and deduct $50 from what you were willing to initially pay. If you are outbid on that account, you can thank your lucky stars for the most part. Correct watches with all their original parts are out there and that is what one should be looking for. You will be $$$$ ahead. Hope that is some help.

regards,
bb

Buster,I know you are right but I just had to have this one and the price was right. Larry just noticed your watch is s/n 2435 and mine is 2429.So I guess mine is older than yours Roger

Hello Roger:

Great observation I didn't notice they were six serial numbers apart.

Here are some photos of my camera and close-up set up I use to take my pocket watch photos, the first shows my light tent and auxiliary lighting I have two bulbs in the box underneath the tent, two sidelights, and one overhead light.

Larry

One of my photo flood lights, these are energy-efficient and do not throw off any heat which make them much easier to work with.

My light tent, you can see the light shining up from underneath.

Taking photos