The 2017 Couture Time watch exhibition rolls on this weekend in Las Vegas, and we continue to seek out notable watches that we missed at Baselworld. Today we put the spotlight on the Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon DEVGRU ? a new divers’ watch designed jointly with members of the U.S. Navy’s Joint Joint Special Operations Command, aka SEAL Team Six.

Ball Watch Co.’s recently established research-and-development company, Patrick’s Labs, developed the watch with members of the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), established in 1980 during the Iranian hostage crisis as the military’s first dedicated counter-terrorism unit and since evolved into the elite unit known as SEAL Team Six. (The watch’s “DEVGRU” suffix is an abbreviation of “development group” in the NSWDG’s full name.)
In developing the watch, Ball’s R&D lab focused on extreme shock-resistance and ensuring that the movement would function and retain its accuracy after major impacts. The company redesigned the regulator assembly with the addition of a patented anti-shock system that stabilizes the movement in case of a shock and ensures that it maintains its initial position. It also added a shock-absorbing seal system around the movement, allowing both it and the winding crown to move slightly while absorbing impacts. This patented system also includes protective padding that prevents parts from breaking. The case...