Ballast Jolly Roger Hands On Review

 If you have been paying attention to fashion over the past couple of years, you might have noticed that skulls, in all forms, have been popping up in the jewelry and watch world around the globe. From rings and necklaces, to high end and fashion orientated watches and more. And all types of skulls as well, from the traditional, to sugar skulls, to even the more cartoonish.

As a result, we have the Ballast Jolly Roger; a pirate themed skull watch, not only with the skull itself, but also the trendy model name. In what will instantly remind you of a pirate flag, the Jolly Roger sports a large skull and crossbones on the dial.

I have been a skull aficionado for many years, way before it became trendy, but must admit, I never ventured into the skull watches. With so many around these days, from the inexpensive that sit on the tables in the department or specialty stores, to the higher end like Richard Mille or Bell & Ross, I thought it was more a passing fad. But while this example is not subtle in its skull theme, it is not your average Hot Topic skull watch, and is made of quality components.

With a price of $450, the Ballast Jolly Roger is a limited edition of 500 pieces, and comes in two variations: the one being reviewed here, and an all “blacked out” model.

The full Jolly Roger specifications are as follows:

Swiss Made Quartz 3H Movement

CASE: Solid Marine Grade 316 L Stainless Steel Caseback / Sapphire Crystal Lens / Screw Lock Canteen Crown

WATER RESISTANCE: 100m

DIAMETER OF CASE: 46.5mm

STRAP: Genuine Leather Strap with Signature Buckle

STRAP WIDTH: 22mm

55mm lug to lug

14.5mm thick

54mm with crown

Weight: 115 gram

The Ballast Jolly Roger is marked as Swiss Made, and though I do not have confirmation, I believe it to be using a Swiss Ronda 3 hand movement. The Jolly Roger comes in a basic watch box like most Ballast watches. While packaging is not that important to many, with this being a limited edition and the skull theme, it would have been nice to see some special packaging to reflect it.