If yes, the engineer was probably wearing a Ball Watch.  Although it is a big “probably,” train schedules and the Ball Watch founder had first crossed path more than a century ago that would define the brand’s signature today: sturdy, reliable, accurate timepieces. Its founder, Webster Clay Ball, who had an apprentice in jewelry making, was commissioned in 1891 by U.S. railroad officials to establish precision time-keeping after an engineer’s watch malfunction and caused a train collision in Ohio. Prior to that, Webster had already built a reputation for precision movement; he was the first jeweler to bring the city of Cleveland in sync with the Standard Time in 1883 using the U.S. Naval Observatory’s time coordinates. Ball used strict manufacturing process and materials to achieve sturdy, precision-grade timepieces and, soon, the Ball Watch brand was born. Today, a Ball owner enjoys an accurate movement, antimagnetic, water-resistant, and shock-resistant timepiece that uses a 5-position reference and the physics of isochronism, the ability of mechanical parts to keep consistent movement despite varying external forces. A Ball watch is valued by sports people and, yes, train operators who demand accurate movement to keep their run schedules on track.

 

Shreve is an authorized dealer for Ball Watch.

 

Image: Ball Watch Engineer Hydrocarbon Trieste Chronograph

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webb_C._Ball