Ball Watch Company has unveiled the Roadmaster M Model A, an automatic tool watch that combines alarm and GMT functionalities.
Powered by its fifth Ball Manufacture Caliber RRM7379, it features an automatic self-winding movement and beats with Swiss-made precision, delivering an accuracy range of -4 to +6 seconds per day.
The crown at 4 o’clock is the all-in-one control for its alarm function, including manual winding, setting the alarm in five-minute intervals, and engaging or silencing the alarm.
Mechanical alarm complications are commonplace, but the technical difficulty comes in controlling the quality and duration of its bell, which Ball has managed to harness with aplomb.
Traditional alarm wristwatches are usually low in pitch, however Ball’s patented AlarmMatic system allows fine tuning that produces a crisp, pleasant school bell sound that rings for 18 seconds.
To do this, a ring-shaped metal gong is surrounded by a specially made polymer layer which eliminates unwanted noise and vibrations, and serves as the Amortiser anti-shock system, safeguarding the mechanical movement against severe external impact.
Minimal in signature Ball style, the Roadmaster M Model A watch’s hour markers are formed by baton-shaped self-powered micro gas tubes.
In the middle of the dial, 12 hidden openings further enhance the sound experience.
The center layer, which is actually the alarm setting disc, has a gas tube mounted underneath to ensure the alarm is easily adjustable in low light.
The Roadmaster M Model A costs $6,299.