#207 • Ball Hamilton, exceedingly rare 18K white gold Ball case, 23J, 16S

Part of 261022 - "Fall Featured Auction" Horology, Jewelry & Coins - October 1 - 22 (timed auction by Jones & Horan Auctions)

High bid $5,300.00

Status: Available

Live bidding starts Oct 22, 2026 11:00 AM EDT

APW - Ball Hamilton, Official RR Standard, Grade 999R, 23J, 16S, heavy 18K white gold OF original "The Ball Watch Co. Official RR Standard" case with attractive engraving detail to bezel and rear perimeter, initial "SRB" to rear, stirrup bow, gold cuvette with signature ring in yellow gold creating a distinctive two-tone effect, white enamel SS dial, SW-LS, fully capped lever escapement, jeweled barrel arbor, bull's-eye pattern nickel damascene, s#B617756. Gross weight of assembled watch 68.3 dwt (106.2 g). An exceedingly rare piece for the Ball collector, this is only the second example of an 18K white gold Ball-signed 16 size case we have seen. The lone other example we are aware of was the personal watch of Sydney Y. Ball, who was the only son of Webb C. Ball, which is engraved with "S.YB." initials to its rear. The "S.R.B." initials of the present example are intriguing and our initial thought was to investigate the possibility of these initials matching to a different Ball family member, but to this point we have not found a match of the initials among Ball's known close relatives. CONDITION: Mvt: Running, fine-plus cosmetic mvt condition overall, scattered fine to micro-fine scratches, some oxide to steelwork; nearly flawless dial with few negligible micro-fine scratches, excellent hands; case shows very little wear, dent to band at 4:30, excellent engraving detail, cuvette perimeter with short scratches and small mars from slipped and rough past openings; bow pivots freely, crown shows very little wear; thick glass crystal with few scratches. Estimate: $5,000 - $7,000 JH-79959