A Webb C. Ball watch is one of the most sought after watches that has every been made (personal opinion). A little know fact is that Mr. Ball never made a single watch. The Ball Watch Co. did not manufacture watches, but did help formulate the specifications of watches used for railroad service. Mr. Web was general time inspector for over 125,000 miles of railroad in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. In 1891 there was a collision between the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railways at Kipton, Ohio. The collision was reported to have occurred because an engineer's watch had stopped for about four minutes, then started running again. The railroad officials commissioned Ball to establish the timepiece inspection system. Ball knew that the key to safe operations of the railroad was the manufacturing of sturdy, precision timepieces. He also knew they must be able to withstand hard use and still be accurate. Before this time, each railroad company had its own rules and standards. After Ball presented his guidelines, most American manufacturers set out to meet these standards and soon a list was made of the manufactures that produced watches of the grade that would pass inspection. Each railroad employee has a card that he carried showing he record of how his watch performed on inspection. Ball was also instrumental in the formation of the Horological Institute of America. The companies that were successful in producing timepieces that met Mr. Ball's standards follow: Hamilton (Hamilton Ball) Waltham (Waltham Ball) Illinois (Illinois Ball) Elgin (Elgin Ball) E. Howard & Co. (Howard Ball) Aurora (Aurora Ball) Hampden (Hampden Ball) Seth Thomas (Thomas Ball) Tim Sweet TIMEKEEPR2@AOL.COM M.O.S.T (MY OWN SWEET TIME) WATCH COMPANY. 14002 Tuckey Lane El Paso, Tx, 79927 (915) 852-2409 (See my add in the MART) Requests and comments welcome enjoy