With the new Skindiver Heritage, the latest model in Ball?s Engineer II line, the brand known for their tough railroad inspired tool watches and liberal use of micro gas tubes for a ?always on? lumed dials and hands, they?ve done something quite curious by combining the aesthetic of a stealthy blacked out diver with a colorful ?rainbow? watch. Ball?s use of gas tubes of course means that their rainbow effect watches are a bit different from brands that use gems or printed dial effects to create a colorful vibe, and we can?t recall seeing this style in a watch with a coating like this in the recent past. The end result is a rainbow watch that?s actually quite under the radar, which would seem to be precisely the opposite impact of every other rainbow watch ever made. 
First and foremost, the Skindiver Heritage is a tool watch built in the same vein as others in the Engineer lineup. Engineer watches have a wide range in terms of their overall complexity. For example, Ed reviewed the Engineer Hydrocarbon Aero GMT II some time ago, and with its complex crown guard mechanism front and center and imposing size, it really does resemble a tool in the same a pair of pliers or a wrench might to some folks. The Skindiver is a bit more subdued, and based on 60s era dive watches that were meant to be simple and efficient for recreational diving use, meaning they weren?t quite as overbuilt as a watch made for a professional. They were always thinner, lighter, and more of a mas...