'60s Ball Official Standard/Bombe Lugs?

Does the Forum have an opinion or any lore regarding Ball watches. Where do they fit in the relative pecking order of so-called "high-grade" watches?

My son picked up a new Ball Trainmaster 60 Seconds model watch from Tourneau in Las Vegas while he was in the Marine Corps. It was later stolen from him in Afghanistan while his stuff was being moved from one forward operating base to another. He perhaps mistakenly immediately took his Ball watch into combat on a second deployment and it really didn't hold up too well. The crown started wanting to come off so that's why the watch was in his things back at the FOB rather than on his wrist.

Ol' dad sneaked up onto a Ball Official Standard from the mid-1960s for a nice price on an Ebay auction and thought to give it to him. It doesn't have the features that the Ball model he purchased new but the dial is reminiscent of the style of the Ball watch he had. He liked the brand so perhaps it'll do until he buys a replacement that he wants.

This '60s Ball model features a stainless steel case with bombe lugs like a Speedmaster, has a 21-jewel movement and is adjusted to five positions.

I'm wondering who might have made the movement, having read that Ball never produced movements of their own.

Some questions concerning the term "bombe lugs." What does "bombe" mean? How does one pronounce it? Is the "e" silent? Who produced the first watches featuring bombe lugs? Would the 1960s Speedmasters have been the first?

I've owned a few over the years. Always nice ETA's. Never a big fan of the railroad dial, though.

I love the Ball watches for their railroad history/importance, but also because I love tritium tube illumination, and they do it more tastefully than any other brand. I know they survived the quartz crisis, and then finally sold their 'name' in the '90's...

I own the NightTrain and a Moonphase, both recent models, and they've been excellent timekeepers, and sturdy, to boot... If they made more watches without the date window, I would have a handful of them!

Also had this Hydrocarbon Spacemaster, but the salamanders claimed it...

(since sold):

Ambystoma Rule 👍

Just came to the park with my daughter and her friend. Then, another very small, spotted friend and fellow W. I. S. had to 'jump in' on our adventure!😁

That first one in your post X350 XJR, would be the one. This one here looks exactly like it. Do you know the age of your watch?

Been watching it most of a week. It's a time-losing fiend right now at 2 minutes per day so off it goes to the watch shop. It's gonna have to be more "on the ball" than that!

These two WIS's took a liking to the swimming pool, then began fighting over space on the watch crystal😲..