# Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?



## tomas_morato13

i just visited in one website, and saw their subforums for "luxury" watches...

Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Patek, Bell & Ross.........

and no Ball????

Is Ball watches not considered luxury watches? any reasons why?


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## lvt

*re: Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?*



tomas_morato13 said:


> i just visited in one website, and saw their subforums for "luxury" watches...
> 
> Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Patek, Bell & Ross.........
> 
> and no Ball????
> 
> Is Ball watches not considered luxury watches? any reasons why?


I don't know, the software used for the website might be buggy


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## Oklahoma

*re: Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?*

I wouldn't really say Ball is a luxury brand. Most watches while yes they are considered luxury in general I would say look more to the High End forum here as a similar thing to the luxury forum there. Here Bell & Ross, Omega, and Breitling aren't really considered High End and Rolex falls on the lower end of the High End Forum here.

Interesting read and might shed some light on the scales of luxury with watches:
https://www.watchuseek.com/f381/watch-brands-belong-high-end-forum-ones-do-not-565559.html


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## lvt

*re: Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?*

I think the term "luxury" differs from "high-end".

As we live in a digital era and a $50 Casio can provide anything we need (often more than what we need), a mechanical watch is already a luxury itemgiven its price, fragility, repair cost...

If you qualify a watch "luxury" either by its price or technology, Ball has many watches that are "luxury".


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## timefleas

*re: Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?*

Is this an important/useful/illuminating question--it's just a label--who cares?!!!


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## ton2

*re: Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?*

well, i guess this website says it... 

http://www.chronocentric.com/watches/brands.shtml

under the said website, Ball could fall within luxury and pseudo luxury with the way they are priced. It's just that there not much name recall for Ball as opposed to Tag and the others.

On the other hand, 'luxury' is a very relative term which changes from person to person.


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## robattopper

Chronocentric was a site written by and maintained by one of the great watch collectors, writers, and watch internet pioneers Derek Zieglar. Derek passed away in 2005, and if I am not mistaken, this page exists exactly as it was written before he passed. Ball was not on the radar at the time of his death so it wouldn't have made sense to place it anywhere on the map. By the chronocentric chart, Ball could be placed either in luxury based on Derek's placement of the other brands and his stated criteria. I would argue that by Derek's criteria, and due to Ball's quality, dedication to C.O.S.C. movements, and other forms of innovation that ball would have been placed on the chart under luxury if the chart was written today. This page should be viewed as an accurate snap shot as to how people thought about watch brands relative to each other in the first half of the last decade. R.I.P. Derek Zieglar.


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## mt_hangglider

*re: Should Ball be placed in the "luxury" catagory?*

Also remember that there are a lot of terms such as "luxury" that are inherently subjective to the individual. What you might consider luxury and what I might consider luxury may be completely different based on whatever criteria we use to judge it. Technically I would say any watch that costs say over $500 would be considered a luxury item. To some Rolex wouldn't even meet luxury criteria, to others an $80 Fossil would be a luxury watch.


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## JarrodS

Let's consult Webster's, shall we?

lux⋅u⋅ry (noun):
a) Something adding to pleasure or comfort but not absolutely necessary.
b) An indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease.

Does a Ball watch fit that definition? I'd say it depends on the person, but for most anybody who likes the brand the answer would be yes. Is Ball is catering to this idea? I'd say definitely.


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## Balldy

mt_hangglider said:


> Also remember that there are a lot of terms such as "luxury" that are inherently subjective to the individual. What you might consider luxury and what I might consider luxury may be completely different based on whatever criteria we use to judge it. Technically I would say any watch that costs say over $500 would be considered a luxury item. To some Rolex wouldn't even meet luxury criteria, to others an $80 Fossil would be a luxury watch.


and what is considered "luxury" today might not be considered "luxury" tomorrow.

Balldy


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## otown

timefleas said:


> Is this an important/useful/illuminating question--it's just a label--who cares?!!!


Here Here


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## lightguy

Too practical and big to be in the luxury category.
Also IMO "luxury" means overpriced.
Ball is considered to be reasonable for what you get.


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## ctujack

No, they are trying to push into the upper mid range imo.


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## bg002h

My reference for luxury would be something that most employed people could never afford...by that standard, a Ball is not luxury...are Balls getting pricier by every currency? I dunno, but in USD terms the charge has gone up quite a bit in the last few years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## samanator

Personally I would gage any watch with a price above $1500 a luxury item.


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## lvt

samanator said:


> Personally I would gage any watch with a price above $1500 a luxury item.


It's hard to buy a Ball watch locally with just $1,500 unless crazy discount like 30% off :/

In other words, if you spend $2,500 in a 250cc scooter, it's not a luxury item, just a big scooter, but if you spend $2,500 in a watch it's a luxury item because you know you could buy a big scooter with that money.


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## samanator

lvt said:


> It's hard to buy a Ball watch locally with just $1,500 unless crazy discount like 30% off :/
> 
> In other words, if you spend $2,500 in a 250cc scooter, it's not a luxury item, just a big scooter, but if you spend $2,500 in a watch it's a luxury item because you know you could buy a big scooter with that money.


Misreading what I'm saying. For a watch I would say going over $1500 makes it a luxury item. Now for a car probably over $50,000 makes it a luxury item. If a scooter is primary transportation as it is in some countries maybe $5000 would be a luxury item. I don't think you can cross categories for comparisons. It needs to be based where it it falls on the over all price range for similar items. Given that most watches fall under $1500 it would appear somewhere around this area would be the crossing point to the luxury area. Look at where you work what is the average price of the watches new on your co-workers wrists? I work in the legal department of a successful software company and I doubt the average new price of the the watches on peoples wrists even including the executives exceeds $1000. So the watches between $1000-$1499 would be near luxury. Next step luxury!

So based on this I would agree that Ball falls into the luxury category. I know people who feel any watch over $50 is a luxury item, but they don't even wear a watch. While Ball watches represent a great value against their peers in the over all watch industry which includes $10 quartz watches all the way up to the uber watch companies the real volume is at the lower end.


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## Dougie Melville

Opinion of a new boy......
Ball prices here in the UK tend towards the £1.5 to £2k mark so by that measure surely they can be classed as luxury.


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## Freelance

While Ball has mostly Tool watches, I would say Ball's, like the Trainmaster Clevelend Express COSC would qualify in the luxury category. You have the price premium for COSC, and the dress-up capability of its classic design. 

I often struggle between choosing my Omega DeVille Hour Vision -vs- my Cleveland Express as the Luxury/Dress Watch for a special occasion.


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## dkouzou

I consider it a luxury watch.... but the high-end people that think Rolex is pedestrian likely won't.


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## otown

For the love of God why are we still discussing this? If you can afford it and want to then buy it. If you cant and dont then dont. This is quite posssibly the second most innane thread currently in existence after the endless philosophical examinantion of the half life of tritium. Sorry for the rant but enough is enough.


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