Aside from its heft, there are two things that instantly grab your eye when viewing BALL’s DEVGRU watch. The first is where normally a chapter ring might reside, there is instead a red rubber ring that pulls your eye toward the dial. While that eye-grabbing red might serve an aesthetic purpose, it’s also exemplary of BALL’s impressive internal technology. This is a patented elastomer shock absorption ring that suspends the movement inside the case. When paired with the SpringLock hairspring and SpringSeal regulator anti-shock systems, the DEVGRU watch is reportedly able to withstand up to a 10-meter drop or 50,000g’s without issue and is anti-magnetic to 4,800 A/m.

The crown also received an upgrade with BALL’s new patented crown protection system; attached to a metallic lock is a hood that screws down over the top the crown ensuring that it stays in place and avoids the brunt of a drop or errant smack into a door jamb. To be used by a unit known to undertake some of the most challenging, demanding, and dangerous missions around the world, this sort of functionality would certainly aid in the watch’s survival under difficult conditions.

Now with a crown system this large, there is definitely the potential for it grinding into the wrist during certain activities (looking at you Panerai!), but the case height lifts it off the wrist a bit which is helpful. That said, if you wear your watches really low on the wrist, the crown will poke your wrist.

Inside the BALL Engineer Hydrocarbon DEVGRU ticks Ball’s RR1102-SL movement, which is essentially an ETA 2836-2 upgraded with the aforementioned shock-resistance technology. I’d argue that all of that tech is a bit superfluous for a watch that most will wear on weekend’s barbecuing with the family, but it’s totally in line with the theme of the watch and adds value to the piece.