Russell Sheldrakeball and friends from Oracle Time worked together to create Engineer II’s Dazzle. Its eye-catching geometric dial is inspired by the camouflage of “righteousness” of World War I. The watch is limited to 100 pieces and costs less than £2,500.
The British luxury publication Oracle Time recently released its second watch collaboration. This time, I worked with Ball to produce Ball X Oracle Time Engineer II Dazzle. This geometric execution brings historical naval references to clocks with strong connections to the US Navy in an incredibly modern and unexpected way. Dive into what makes this watch so special and how you stand out while covering the dial with camouflage.
The enthusiastic military historian among you will instantly recognize the dazzling camouflage of what it is and for those who are not. Here is a brief explanation. During World War I, German U-boats targeted allies’ naval vessels with fatal accuracy. It uses only a rather rudimentary periscope to measure distance and direction of travel. To abandon these observations, the British Royal Navy introduced this unique, dazzling pattern, which coats the entire ship in corner shapes with black, gray and white. These confused the German views on boats, making it much more difficult for them to determine exactly where the ship is, where it is going, and how quickly it is. The US Navy also adopted insightful camouflage (or what we called it “Lazzle’s Dazzle”) on the ship.
This pattern was discontinued by the time World War II began, but thanks to advances in targeting systems, this pattern and other patterns in the modern world are still in use, and it is found in automotive prototypes. When these very secret prototype cars are driven around a truck for the first time, it becomes almost impossible for others to stop glimpses, but they cover it with a dazzling pattern and suddenly it becomes very difficult to identify the subtle differences in aero components or bodywork.
That’s a backstory of a dazzling pattern, but what effect does this new joint watch dial have? I’m not sure if the two are enough to identify trends, but considering this and the previous collaborations released by Oracle Time, I think that diamond texture is certainly their focus, that it’s Christopher’s Ward Dune Shoreline. This time, this dial is animated while on your wrist, by deciding to use sharp black, white and gray shapes to create an effect that contrasts with this distortion.
It’s this pattern that distracts you, so you may be overlooked during the day as the baton marker is actually a ball’s signature radioactive H3 tritium gas tube. These appear as thick white batons when bright, but as soon as they get dark, the hands and 12 markers glow bright blue, while the rest glows white. The use of these gas tubes is what makes the ball known because it not only creates a unique sparkle, but also creates a great topic when going down a pub with your peers.
The final point of the difference here is the addition of a sapphire caseback. A feature that many collectors love when purchasing a watch, but the ball has traditionally remained on a watch because it reduces the amount of magnetoresistance a watch can have. The magnetoresistance of this watch is suitable for everyday use, but does not meet the same level as many other watches in the brand.
The rest of this watch is as expected from the Engineer II. The 40mm case is made of 904L stainless steel with a flat, polished bezel. Inside there is a caliber RR1101-C. This is an automatic movement based on the ETA 2892, which offers a 56-hour power reserve and is COSC certified. All this is held along with a three-link Oyster-style bracelet that leans perfectly against the practical nature of this watch’s origins.
It’s great to see how this watch stands out using patterns of historical importance and using patterns that are not overused in the watch industry. It will be interesting to see if Oracle Time continues this route of exploring dial textures in future collaborations.
Ball x Oracle Time Engineer II Dazzle Pricing and Availability
The Ball X Oracle Time Engineer II Dazzle is limited to 100 individually numbered pieces and is now available for purchase on the Ball website. Delivery is forecast for October/November 2025. Price: £2,480
Brand Ball x Oracle Time Model Engineer II Dazzle Reference Number NM9016C-S8C-BK Case Dimensions 40mm (W) x 11.5mm (T) x 46.6mm (LTL) Case Material 904L Stainless Steel Weight 150G (on the bracelet) Water Resistant Water Resistant Gas Tube Laminescent Lug Width 20mm Bracelet 904L Stainless Steel 3 Link Bracelet, Folding Buckle Athletic Capacity RR1101-C, ETA 2892 Base, Automatic, COSC Power Reserve 56 Hours Function 100 Pieces Available Limited Edition, Online Limited Price £2,480 (vat vat)
