Love the comparison. I would have compared the Ball to an Explorer though. That being said...I'll take the Ball. Without question or hesitation. And, I like the cyclops on the Ball.
Great video - Another similarity to Rolex is that this Marvelight 3 also uses the superior 904L steel. This make the price of the Ball watch even more impressive compared to the Milgauss.
@@ekimandersom4478 According to the official Ball website, all Marvelight 3's are made with 904L steel. Where did you read that only some are? I'm curious. Thanks
It is a cheaper Datejust, not the Milgaus. That is why the cyclops is added on and why there is this blue version, although the Rolex Datejust blue is slightly lighter (and better looking in my opinion). I have the Ball Marvellight myself by the way. If you wear it daily over a period of time (mine also started out with plus six seconds), the daily diversion is within plus two seconds a day and occasionally, strangely, it drops six seconds which balances the differences out quite nicely. I'd say about plus ten seconds per month albeit not as stable as a Rolex might be in that area. Personally I do like the cyclops and it seems not to be distorted as your version. And I really grew to love the bracelet and clasp although my initial thoughts where exactly like yours. It shines and I appreciate that it aligns so neatly when closed. I do think however that you are absolutely right about the crown. It works but, there is room for improvement there. For me the extra value is with the tubes, cannot beat that stady lume.
Always good to hear of someone who's had for some time, I only had it for a few weeks . I think your right about the Datejust, I don't have one to compare it to but I do have the Milgauss, I was impressed with the lume but found it interesting and a shame that Ball may not be able too offer replacement dial's if the watch is discontinued.
@@ClickSpringReview Actually, I discussed the dial replacement issue with a watch trader representing Ball in The Netherlands. He said that this wouldn’t be a problem for the 40mm dial for the coming years as the market is leaning towards a bit smaller dials. We can be pretty confident that this line will still be around in ten years. You just have to send in to Switzerland using the right channels. I have bought a T-100 tube watch from Nite and I think it would be interesting to see a dial with T-100 tubes in the future as, after 12,3 years they should still be brighter than the current (new) T-25 tubes.
I watched your other review on the BALL and thought it was very informative. Ive been lucky enough to have been bought a.limited edition Engineer 111 with a blue dial for my 50th by my wonderful wife. I absolutely love it, the it and feel is amazing but like you i had reservations about the bracelet. The polished centre links are a little large and prone to scratches, I'm also not a huge fan of the butterfly clasp, but hey, very minor things compared to the watch as a whole and after owning fir a while now i dont notice it. Id have been interested to see what strap you had yours on, I'm considering a leather strap for the winter months. Great video, fantastic watch for the money.
Its interesting watching this video now as this was when I first started reviewing and 4 years on I'm now a watchmaker :) the straps I always recommend are from John over at blackisleleatherwork.co.uk he is based in Scotland but posts worldwide and are very affordable Sir
Neo my Milgauss is 13 years old now and still looks great , I'm a full believe in watches are made to worn and not left in a safe ,I have a manual job and yes I wear my watch , When I go to sleep I wear my watch , Why don't you check out my full review of the Milgauss and you can see just how good it looks Sir ua-cam.com/video/CHpfyoXZyCU/v-deo.html
Couldn’t agree more, Matty. I just bought my second Ball - this time spending a little more for a COSC - and I love it. I don’t know that Ball vs Rolex is necessarily an apples to apples comparison, though; simply because the Rolex movement is still proprietary and in-house whereas the Ball is an ETA based engine. But, compared to other premium brands of the Swatch conglomerate - particularly Omega - I’ll take the Ball any day. Vintage Omega is a different story altogether, but that’s a discussion for another day. Bottom line - until I’m filthy rich and can spend $10K on a watch without batting an eye, there’s nothing I’d rather have than a Ball watch. They represent the best value in the sub $2000 category in my humble opinion.
A watchgeek mistook my Engineer III Marvelight for an Explorer around a campfire recently and that's about the level of low visibility it takes to mistake the two. The Ball certainly drew design inspiration from the greats before it much the way Hyundai has made huge leaps in its own designs. They are all shiny objects but for different sized wallets. In this case, mine stayed thicker for buying the Ball.
I've reviewed a few Marvelight models now, the Rainbow model was a real standout one , PS I fully agree with the Hyundai comparison they look great these days and I spent 20 years as a clay modeller in many of the big design studio's around the world Matt
I love Ball watches but just cannot get on with the bracelet. Ive got 6.75 inch wrist and with links removed its still too tight or too loose. I have a leather strap on one of my watches and the Skindiver master 2 has a different steel strap and fits perfectly.
The Trainmaster is a good looking watch Steve out of interest what was inaccurate about your sub normally they are spot on even my old 70s Subs run 1-2 sec a day
The green sapphire crystal is a unique watch crystal developed by Rolex, it is scratchproof, fade-proof and available exclusively on the Milgauss. Its light green shade, tinted throughout the entire crystal, turns nearly luminescent at the bevelled edges. The result of a secret process that required years of development to master and takes weeks to produce.
@@grzegorzs1827 I did hear of somebody at Rolex the very first ones are a different shared of green as they rushed them out to be at the Basel fair I wonder if this is true ?
Interesting comparison, I see your point. I have a Ball Marvelight M, very similar to your Ball, and just got the call today for the black dial Milgauss. Love Ball watches but Rolexs take position #1 in my collection. By the way, I found a way to adjust the stiff closing mechanism on my Ball bracelet Now its just right, does not take much strength to un-clasp but stays closed. If you are handy and want to give it a try get back to me and I will give you some advice having done it already. Good video!
I have had the Milgaus for more than a month now and wear it regularly. Great watch, one of my favorites now. I still like the Marvelight M and consider it a great value ($1900) but it cannot compare with a Rolex. Excellent quality and worth every penny but on a 0-100 scale the Ball Marvelight M is a 65 and the Rolex Milgaus is a 90. It is difficult for a manufacturer to make a watch that rates over 60 anyway on my scale but making a watch the quality of a Rolex is next to impossible.
@@DESCENDINGDR 100% agree with you there .What I was trying to say in the video was if you cant afford the Rolex this makes a great cut price alternative to it
Yes it does! I agree completely. In fact I had Ball Watches before I considered spending the $$$ you drop on a Rolex. And still by most methods of measurement- Ball is a better value...
Ball has upp’d their game with COSC certification with 1000 gaus anti magnetic movement with 5,000 Gs of shock resistance There are a couple of yellow and Tiffany limited 100 releases with beautiful enamel designs limited to Singapore / Malaysia only models… amazing watches at their price ranges plus 5 year international warranty…
I really like the look of that ball but the price is where Im having a hard time. by the time Im looking in the 1000-2000 dollar price tier I find my self thinking about if a tudor or a omega would be a better buy.
@@ClickSpringReview right i just mean the kind of person who is spending 2k on a watch can likely also afford a watch at 4k. I think 1k is the max most are willing to spend so everything above 1k and under 5k are in the same ballpark.
Honestly I can’t and most of the people I know normally have a set budget, there is a very big difference between in having 2k to spend on a watch or 100% more Sir. You could say the same when buying a car or house
it makes it a bit more interesting when you take into account that the ball isnt going to store value like a tudor or more well known brand will so that extra cost is absorbed in that aspect. I view budgets like tiers. 300-500, 600-1200, 1000-2500, and 2000-5000 are what I feel are pretty standard budget ranges. if you have 2000 to spend on a watch but cant spend 3000 you probably shouldnt be spending 2000 in the first place.
If somebody saves up 2k for a watch its only 2k, 3k is a really big jump more 50%, Its the same as saying if you save for a house which cost 500k well surly you can afford 750k as its only 50% more ? The last watch I got in that price range was the Sinn 144 Anniversary think list it was £3.25 but thats all I had I wasn't able to spend £5k as I simple didn't have it
Hi, thanks for the thoughtful comparison! Just today I received my Ball Marvelight 3 in grey, I got a pretty good deal at 1187€ and I love this watch. It is dressy, but sporty, I love the tritium tubes and think that even in broad daylight, these indices look great. The bracelet looks very nice, I love its chunkiness, it has a very good presence. Not having microadjustment should be a thing of the past, but even my Seamaster Aqua Terra does not have it... I am also thinking about removing the cyclops, I will wait some weeks though. For me, the date is not that important and if possible I choose dateless variants, so having the date zoomed in like that is really unnecessary and takes too much attention away from the rest.
@@ClickSpringReview Cool, I am looking forward to your review. The rainbow model I saw was about 600€ more, so even though I liked it a bit more that was an argument against it.
Great video, I actually have that same Ball watch and my brother has similar Rolex oyster, both look almost the same to the ignorant eye, maintenance wise my Ball watch is cheaper and I wear it regularly unlike my brother with his fancy Rolex he's paid more in maintenance and he's always worried if he is going to damage the watch so be barely wears it. I wear my watches that's what they are mean to. Orange to apples opinions 😉
They are both great to be fair, But I just be one of the strange guys who actually wears his Rolex and even gets them dirty , I review the orange dial and the Rainbow Ball models a few months back and really enjoyed them
Yes I agree with one there but my friend only just got this watch and for a silly cheap price new, Ball I found the RRP is only a starting price but like Seiko and Breitling no one ever pays it as you can always get a discount , I do like some of the Ball diver watches it has to be said
Ball do make some nice watches thats for sure but I'm not a fan of the numbers on the dial made out of the tubes just doesn't look right to me Aaron , I think they got it right with there rainbow model
I think the Rolex lume is great Roger so I don’t feel the need for the tritium plus that means every 10 years or so you’d have to get your dial replaced as the tritium would start to die off , Lume looks really cool when it ages in comparison
" . . plus or minus two seconds for FIVE YEARS . . "?? What the heck are you saying? +/- 2 seconds A DAY, guaranteed for 5 years -- OK; losing 2 seconds over 5 years -- NFW. Comparing 2 seconds a day for Rolex vs. 6 seconds a day for Ball, and Rolex is four times the price -- I'll take the Ball every day, although the Rolex has a nicer bracelet to operate. Plus, the Milgauss is one of Rolex's uglier watches.
Did you think I meant over 5 years :) The Rolex has a 10 year service schedule were as the Ball 3/5 and will not keep the same accuracy over the years. The only downside with the Ball is when it comes to getting replacement dials after the tubes stop glowing
Love the comparison. I would have compared the Ball to an Explorer though.
That being said...I'll take the Ball. Without question or hesitation. And, I like the cyclops on the Ball.
The Ball is good but the poor cyclops kills it for me I like a cyclops when done right
@@ClickSpringReview highly disagree with this comment! I think it’s done well
@@huckinator It wasn’t clear at all you can see in the video , other ones from the brand look better
Great video - Another similarity to Rolex is that this Marvelight 3 also uses the superior 904L steel. This make the price of the Ball watch even more impressive compared to the Milgauss.
Only some are 904L
@@ekimandersom4478 According to the official Ball website, all Marvelight 3's are made with 904L steel. Where did you read that only some are? I'm curious. Thanks
There are a few Balls that use 316L steel. The Engineer II Endurance 1917 is one of them.
It is a cheaper Datejust, not the Milgaus. That is why the cyclops is added on and why there is this blue version, although the Rolex Datejust blue is slightly lighter (and better looking in my opinion). I have the Ball Marvellight myself by the way. If you wear it daily over a period of time (mine also started out with plus six seconds), the daily diversion is within plus two seconds a day and occasionally, strangely, it drops six seconds which balances the differences out quite nicely. I'd say about plus ten seconds per month albeit not as stable as a Rolex might be in that area. Personally I do like the cyclops and it seems not to be distorted as your version. And I really grew to love the bracelet and clasp although my initial thoughts where exactly like yours. It shines and I appreciate that it aligns so neatly when closed. I do think however that you are absolutely right about the crown. It works but, there is room for improvement there. For me the extra value is with the tubes, cannot beat that stady lume.
Always good to hear of someone who's had for some time, I only had it for a few weeks . I think your right about the Datejust, I don't have one to compare it to but I do have the Milgauss, I was impressed with the lume but found it interesting and a shame that Ball may not be able too offer replacement dial's if the watch is discontinued.
@@ClickSpringReview Actually, I discussed the dial replacement issue with a watch trader representing Ball in The Netherlands. He said that this wouldn’t be a problem for the 40mm dial for the coming years as the market is leaning towards a bit smaller dials. We can be pretty confident that this line will still be around in ten years. You just have to send in to Switzerland using the right channels. I have bought a T-100 tube watch from Nite and I think it would be interesting to see a dial with T-100 tubes in the future as, after 12,3 years they should still be brighter than the current (new) T-25 tubes.
I watched your other review on the BALL and thought it was very informative. Ive been lucky enough to have been bought a.limited edition Engineer 111 with a blue dial for my 50th by my wonderful wife. I absolutely love it, the it and feel is amazing but like you i had reservations about the bracelet. The polished centre links are a little large and prone to scratches, I'm also not a huge fan of the butterfly clasp, but hey, very minor things compared to the watch as a whole and after owning fir a while now i dont notice it. Id have been interested to see what strap you had yours on, I'm considering a leather strap for the winter months.
Great video, fantastic watch for the money.
Its interesting watching this video now as this was when I first started reviewing and 4 years on I'm now a watchmaker :) the straps I always recommend are from John over at blackisleleatherwork.co.uk he is based in Scotland but posts worldwide and are very affordable Sir
I like the Ball better. These watches are very well made and stand up nicely against the Rolex. Great versus. Keep them coming...
Thanks Richard I will try Sir 👍🏻
The way he throws them around :O
Neo my Milgauss is 13 years old now and still looks great , I'm a full believe in watches are made to worn and not left in a safe ,I have a manual job and yes I wear my watch , When I go to sleep I wear my watch , Why don't you check out my full review of the Milgauss and you can see just how good it looks Sir ua-cam.com/video/CHpfyoXZyCU/v-deo.html
I love that blue dial Ball. The bracelet wins it for me along with the dial
As I said its a good watch for the money Sir
I have three Ball watches, grossly under-rated. Great comparison video.
Thanks Matt glad you enjoyed it :)
Couldn’t agree more, Matty. I just bought my second Ball - this time spending a little more for a COSC - and I love it. I don’t know that Ball vs Rolex is necessarily an apples to apples comparison, though; simply because the Rolex movement is still proprietary and in-house whereas the Ball is an ETA based engine. But, compared to other premium brands of the Swatch conglomerate - particularly Omega - I’ll take the Ball any day. Vintage Omega is a different story altogether, but that’s a discussion for another day. Bottom line - until I’m filthy rich and can spend $10K on a watch without batting an eye, there’s nothing I’d rather have than a Ball watch. They represent the best value in the sub $2000 category in my humble opinion.
Japan the cost of replacing the gas light with a regular store purchase is more than 60,000 with three hands. Is the replacement cost cheap overseas?
I don't know myself but that is the problem with Ball watches I've heard
A watchgeek mistook my Engineer III Marvelight for an Explorer around a campfire recently and that's about the level of low visibility it takes to mistake the two. The Ball certainly drew design inspiration from the greats before it much the way Hyundai has made huge leaps in its own designs. They are all shiny objects but for different sized wallets. In this case, mine stayed thicker for buying the Ball.
I've reviewed a few Marvelight models now, the Rainbow model was a real standout one , PS I fully agree with the Hyundai comparison they look great these days and I spent 20 years as a clay modeller in many of the big design studio's around the world Matt
Excellent review. Objective and accurate. Thank you.
Thank you David good of you to say Sir 👍🏻
The bracelet on the ball is why I haven't gotten it yet. If it looked more traditional and less "over screwed" I would be way happier.
I love Ball watches but just cannot get on with the bracelet. Ive got 6.75 inch wrist and with links removed its still too tight or too loose.
I have a leather strap on one of my watches and the Skindiver master 2 has a different steel strap and fits perfectly.
I had the Rolex submariner with the Cyclops but it was inaccurate. I now have the Ball Trainmaster Roman and love it!
The Trainmaster is a good looking watch Steve out of interest what was inaccurate about your sub normally they are spot on even my old 70s Subs run 1-2 sec a day
if only Ball price their watches on the same price range as Longines or Oris, they can compete... but pricing it on the Tudor level is insane
Some of there watches aren't so badly priced and to be fair and I get the feeling there is always a deal to be had
The green sapphire crystal is a unique watch crystal developed by Rolex, it is scratchproof, fade-proof and available exclusively on the Milgauss. Its light green shade, tinted throughout the entire crystal, turns nearly luminescent at the bevelled edges. The result of a secret process that required years of development to master and takes weeks to produce.
Interesting just shame they couldn't of laser etched it like there other crystals
The technology is so complex that rolex did not patent it, believing glass to be irreplaceable
@@grzegorzs1827 I did hear of somebody at Rolex the very first ones are a different shared of green as they rushed them out to be at the Basel fair I wonder if this is true ?
Lovely but reminds me more of a Datejust smooth bezel
I’d say more the milgauss but I see where your coming from
That's not a bad thing.
Interesting comparison, I see your point. I have a Ball Marvelight M, very similar to your Ball, and just got the call today for the black dial Milgauss. Love Ball watches but Rolexs take position #1 in my collection. By the way, I found a way to adjust the stiff closing mechanism on my Ball bracelet Now its just right, does not take much strength to un-clasp but stays closed. If you are handy and want to give it a try get back to me and I will give you some advice having done it already. Good video!
Hi again, will be interesting to see if you agree now owning both watches ps Cheers for the comments
I have had the Milgaus for more than a month now and wear it regularly. Great watch, one of my favorites now. I still like the Marvelight M and consider it a great value ($1900) but it cannot compare with a Rolex. Excellent quality and worth every penny but on a 0-100 scale the Ball Marvelight M is a 65 and the Rolex Milgaus is a 90. It is difficult for a manufacturer to make a watch that rates over 60 anyway on my scale but making a watch the quality of a Rolex is next to impossible.
@@DESCENDINGDR 100% agree with you there .What I was trying to say in the video was if you cant afford the Rolex this makes a great cut price alternative to it
Yes it does! I agree completely. In fact I had Ball Watches before I considered spending the $$$ you drop on a Rolex. And still by most methods of measurement- Ball is a better value...
@@DESCENDINGDR Out of interest which Milgauss did you go for Bob ?
Ball has upp’d their game with COSC certification with 1000 gaus anti magnetic movement with 5,000 Gs of shock resistance
There are a couple of yellow and Tiffany limited 100 releases with beautiful enamel designs limited to Singapore / Malaysia only models… amazing watches at their price ranges plus 5 year international warranty…
I just reviewed the Orange Dial model last Wednesday on the channel and have to say I really liked that one
I really like the look of that ball but the price is where Im having a hard time. by the time Im looking in the 1000-2000 dollar price tier I find my self thinking about if a tudor or a omega would be a better buy.
For me Tudor watches don't get interesting until the BB58 in the UK its £3200 which is about 4K USD
@@ClickSpringReview right i just mean the kind of person who is spending 2k on a watch can likely also afford a watch at 4k. I think 1k is the max most are willing to spend so everything above 1k and under 5k are in the same ballpark.
Honestly I can’t and most of the people I know normally have a set budget, there is a very big difference between in having 2k to spend on a watch or 100% more Sir. You could say the same when buying a car or house
it makes it a bit more interesting when you take into account that the ball isnt going to store value like a tudor or more well known brand will so that extra cost is absorbed in that aspect. I view budgets like tiers. 300-500, 600-1200, 1000-2500, and 2000-5000 are what I feel are pretty standard budget ranges. if you have 2000 to spend on a watch but cant spend 3000 you probably shouldnt be spending 2000 in the first place.
If somebody saves up 2k for a watch its only 2k, 3k is a really big jump more 50%, Its the same as saying if you save for a house which cost 500k well surly you can afford 750k as its only 50% more ?
The last watch I got in that price range was the Sinn 144 Anniversary think list it was £3.25 but thats all I had I wasn't able to spend £5k as I simple didn't have it
Hi, thanks for the thoughtful comparison! Just today I received my Ball Marvelight 3 in grey, I got a pretty good deal at 1187€ and I love this watch. It is dressy, but sporty, I love the tritium tubes and think that even in broad daylight, these indices look great. The bracelet looks very nice, I love its chunkiness, it has a very good presence. Not having microadjustment should be a thing of the past, but even my Seamaster Aqua Terra does not have it... I am also thinking about removing the cyclops, I will wait some weeks though. For me, the date is not that important and if possible I choose dateless variants, so having the date zoomed in like that is really unnecessary and takes too much attention away from the rest.
I've got a review of the rainbow model coming out soon which I think your liked ps 1187euro is a great price you did well there 👍🏻
@@ClickSpringReview Cool, I am looking forward to your review. The rainbow model I saw was about 600€ more, so even though I liked it a bit more that was an argument against it.
@@j1d7s The Rainbow is a stunner 😎
Great video, I actually have that same Ball watch and my brother has similar Rolex oyster, both look almost the same to the ignorant eye, maintenance wise my Ball watch is cheaper and I wear it regularly unlike my brother with his fancy Rolex he's paid more in maintenance and he's always worried if he is going to damage the watch so be barely wears it. I wear my watches that's what they are mean to. Orange to apples opinions 😉
They are both great to be fair, But I just be one of the strange guys who actually wears his Rolex and even gets them dirty , I review the orange dial and the Rainbow Ball models a few months back and really enjoyed them
Just shows how much we pay for name brand and recognition.
The rate of diminishing returns comes into play here, With the Rolex you are getting there in-house movemnetproductionalternative to the Milgauss
@@ClickSpringReview The same Ball with in house movement is also available, and without the cyclops for about 2K
its not just watches you will pay more for a name branding for anything cars clothing etc sometimes better quality goes with this but not always
I'd still go with the Rolex every thing is just that bit better, but its like everything the of diminishing returns come into affect
The Ball M Marvelight with their in house movement and without the cyclops would have been a fairer comparison, and still allot cheaper .
Yes I agree with one there but my friend only just got this watch and for a silly cheap price new, Ball I found the RRP is only a starting price but like Seiko and Breitling no one ever pays it as you can always get a discount , I do like some of the Ball diver watches it has to be said
@@ClickSpringReview Well Ball is an older brand than Rolex, so maybe the Rolex is an hommage to the Ball Marvelight (-;
@@ekimandersom4478 You have me there Ekim 😆
BALL is a great watch, very underrated.
I would of liked it more without the cyclops or if it was done done 👍🏻
I like the looks of the Ball better. The Milgauss just looks goofy.
I think they look very similar myself, just a shame the cyclops doesn't work very well on the Ball
Ball is much better!❤
What makes you say that out of interest Sir
I'll take my Ball Pioneer over the Milgauss any day of the week
Ball do make some nice watches thats for sure but I'm not a fan of the numbers on the dial made out of the tubes just doesn't look right to me Aaron , I think they got it right with there rainbow model
@@ClickSpringReview Yeah I can understand that. For me I love the gas tube numerals. Wanted the M Pioneer version but a bit out of my price range
Balls looks more rolex inspired compared to tudor lol
Yep your right there Haziq :)
I love ❤️ Rolex. But you get what you pay for. I wish Rolex will add tritium tube.
I think the Rolex lume is great Roger so I don’t feel the need for the tritium plus that means every 10 years or so you’d have to get your dial replaced as the tritium would start to die off , Lume looks really cool when it ages in comparison
Best part of the ball.. you can buy it
You do a have a good point to be fair :)
BALL
Its is nice just a shame about the cyclops
Ill take ball over rolex any day
Out of interest may I ask why Jesse
BALL >> ROLEX
What do you think of the cyclops ?
" . . plus or minus two seconds for FIVE YEARS . . "?? What the heck are you saying? +/- 2 seconds A DAY, guaranteed for 5 years -- OK; losing 2 seconds over 5 years -- NFW. Comparing 2 seconds a day for Rolex vs. 6 seconds a day for Ball, and Rolex is four times the price -- I'll take the Ball every day, although the Rolex has a nicer bracelet to operate. Plus, the Milgauss is one of Rolex's uglier watches.
Did you think I meant over 5 years :) The Rolex has a 10 year service schedule were as the Ball 3/5 and will not keep the same accuracy over the years. The only downside with the Ball is when it comes to getting replacement dials after the tubes stop glowing
Rolex second hand is a bit tacky
It’s not everyone’s cup of tea