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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Ball Garland Chronograph, 1950s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Unrecorded in source
Date
1950s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 36 mm
Stock no.
BGRLDCHRN
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (BGRLDCHRN)
Catalogue title (original)
1950s Ball Garland Chronograph (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number BGRLDCHRN), this is a wristwatch, dated 1950s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 36 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

Ball Watch Company was founded in 1891 by Webb C. Ball in Cleveland, Ohio. Although the brand is now known for its Swiss-made timepieces, Ball watches have a rich history that is inextricably connected to the early days of the American railroad, and they were among the first timepieces to follow strict standards regarding precision, design, and reliability. During the 1940s and 1950s, Ball produced watches under the Garland brand name, which the company primarily used for the U.S. market. Models such as this 1950s chronograph are from the heyday of function-forward mechanical timepieces and feature complex scientific dials with additional scales that can be used in conjunction with their chronograph to perform a variety of different functions. SPECS Stock # BGRLDCHRN Brand Ball Garland Style Chronograph Model N/A Serial 32XXX Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Grey / Burgundy Millimeters 36 Bracelet Forstner Beads of Rice Bracelet CASE & BRACELET The 36mm stainless steel case is signed by the Ball Watch Company and features a unique style of lugs that have a single linear groove cut into the upper surface of each one. Additionally, the case itself is in great overall condition and still has sharp lines and angles, which is especially important given its unusual design. Completing the watch is a stainless steel Forstner beads of rice bracelet with a fold-over clasp. DIAL & HANDS The grey and burgundy dial features a wealth of information, including both tachymeter and telemeter scales in white lettering. The dial itself has aged gracefully over the years, acquiring small marks and slight discoloration around its outer edges. The hands are finished white, and a different style of hand is used for each of the two sub-dials to help differentiate the minute totalizer from the running second's indicator. ACCESSORIES

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

  • Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
  • Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
  • Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
  • Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

  • Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
  • Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
  • Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Flyback chronographChronograph

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