I've never seen one of these, but have heard that the glowing tubes are spectacular. This one sounds like a perfect watch to wear on the job.

Jeff

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: Today, Jeff asked for a watch that has the
: following criteria: Which one do you wear
: around the house, to work on the car, or to
: work in the yard?
: Which one would you wear, when it might get a
: knock or a brush against the (metal) door
: post?
: Which one goes on your wrist in the morning,
: when you're in a rush and don't even want to
: think about it?
: Which do you think of as you "go to"
: watch, when you just want a good, reliable,
: no-nonsense watch?

: That's a no-brainer for me. I work with heavy
: trucks/equipment and on any given day I can
: bang my wrist on something that weighs 20
: tons+ and is made of very solid stuff.
: Consequently, I don't have the ideal work
: environment for a vintage/rare/valuable
: watch.

: So, here's my daily beater. It's a Ball Fireman
: Ionosphere. Most people are not familiar
: with Ball Watch Co. and the original company
: has a fairly rich history, including the
: mandate to develop a reliable and accurate
: timing system for the entire North American
: railroad system. Contrary to what Ball fans
: will tell you, the "new" Ball
: Watch Co really has nothing to do with the
: old company, but they make a decent watch
: regardless.

: This particular model is in a chunky 43mm x 15
: mm stainless case. It is a day/date
: chronograph with a Valjoux 7750
: thumping/banging/humming away inside. The
: dial is matte black and the needles are
: polished stainless. The watch has a very
: nice stepped/shouldered bezel; the inside of
: which is almost 4mm thick and provides a
: great reflective surface for the tritium gas
: tubes. The gas tubes are actually the reason
: I bought the watch. They glow for 20-25
: years and don't require charging like an
: applied luminous paint. In a pitch black
: room, the dial appears to be floating and
: it's really spectacular to watch the needles
: if you have the chrono running. But I
: digress...

: It's big, solid Swiss watch. It's accurate and
: readable in any lighting condition. There is
: very decent fit/finish and attention to
: detail. It comes with a bracelet that is
: waayyy nicer than the price of the watch
: would indicate and I currently have it a
: black Di-Modell strap. It's sporty, water
: resistant and I don't care if I get it dirty
: or wet, scratched or dented.

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