从路易斯·布雷里奥（Blériot）到菲利克斯·鲍加特纳（Felix Baumgartner），真力时在航空和航天领域的历史留下足迹。此外，品牌亦跟着圣雄甘地的脚步名留青史。真力时的钟表作品伴随许多冒险家见证人类历史的重大突破。这些传唱不辍的英雄史诗不仅是品牌历史不可分割的一部分，也是奠立真力时成长进步的重要基石。
在1930年至1940年间，真力时Type 20腕表成为众多的机载仪器，尤其是用作法国空军训练机及Air Bleu邮政公司服务国际和跨大西洋线路的Caudron Simoun C635型飞机。几度流年，而今的飞行员系列腕表从既往经验中汲取精粹，将精准度与可靠性融为一体，缔造出一款令最疯狂的梦想化为现实的卓越计时器。
真力时为延续其创立者的事业，开始大面积翻修表厂内的19幢建筑，工程将于2015年表厂150周年华诞时竣工。运用最尖端技术的同时，真力时决定精心保留表厂的原有建筑。因为正是在这些红色砖墙和宽大玻璃窗内，书写了该表厂历史中最美丽的篇章，而且传奇将长久继续下去。
7.（美国）波尔 BALL
品牌名片
品类：腕表
标志风格：大方、时尚
创始人：Webb C. Ball
诞生地：美国
诞生时间：1891年
波尔表品牌标志上的双R图标是Rail Road的意思，代表波尔表的历史：做铁路时钟起家的。
品牌阅读
To a large extent， the development of the watch industry in America can be attributed to the advent and subsequent development of American railroads.
Prior to the advent of trains as a means of transporting people and goods， there was no real need for precise timekeeping or uniform time. Even after the railroad system in the United States had reached significant proportions following the Civil War， communities continued to maintain their local times.
By the end of 1883， the railroad industry had agreed， at least among themselves， to divide the nation into four time zones and had adopted Standard Time. The public soon followed suit， although it is interesting to note that the Congress did not officially sanction the concept until 1918.
In 1996， Cleveland， Ohio， celebrated the bicentennial of the founding of the city on the lake. During this celebration， many individuals were remembered and recognized as Clevelands favorite sons， and their accomplishments were reviewed. One Clevelander honored， whose accomplishments reached international acclaim， not only for his civic contributions， but also for his place in horology， was Webster Clay Ball.
Webster Clay Ball was born in Fredericktown， Ohio on October 6， 1847. When Standard Time was adopted in 1883， he was the first jeweler to use time signals， bringing accurate time to Cleveland. On July 19， 1891， the General Superintendent of Lake Shore Lines appointed W.C. Ball as Chief Inspector for the lines. His early inspection system was the beginning of the vast Ball network that would encompass 75% of the railroads throughout the country and cover at least 175，000 miles of railroad. W. C. Ball also extended his system into Mexico and Canada.
On April 19， 1891 the Fast Mail train known as No. 4 was coming west on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad in Kipton， Ohio. At Elyria， 25 miles from Cleveland， the Engineer and the Conductor of the Accomodation were given orders to let the fast mail train pass them at Kipton， a small station west of Oberlin， the University town.
As the Conductor of Accomodation admitted afterward， from the time the train left Elyria until it collided with the Fast Mail at Kipton， he did not take his watch out of his pocket. He said that he supposed the Engineer would look out for Fast Mail No. 4. But the Engineers watch stopped for four minutes and then began running again， a little matter of life and death of which he was unconscious. There were several stations between Elyria and Kipton， but the Engineer pounded slowly along in the belief that he had time to spare.
Leaving Oberlin， the Engineer supposed he had seven minutes before reaching the meeting point. Of course he only had three minutes. Had the Conductor looked at his own watch he could have prevented the accident. The trains came together at Kipton， the Fast Mail at full speed and the Accomodation under brakes， because it was nearing the station. The Engineers of both trains were killed， and the dead bodies of nine clerks were taken from the kindling wood and broken iron of the postal cars.
The Kipton Disaster prompted the Lake Shore officials to enlist W. C. Ball to investigate Time and Watch conditions throughout the Lake Shore Line and develop an inspection system for their implementation.
W. C. Ball set about immediately and put in place fortnightly checks on the watches worn by all railroad workers. The checks were carried out by approved watchmakers. Ball set strict standards， forbidding variations more than 30 seconds among the watches.
It is important to recognize and applaud W. C. Ball， for his system was the first successful one to be accepted on a broad scale. It was his system that set the standard for railroads； it was his system that helped establish accuracy and uniformity in timekeeping. It was his system that resulted in railroad time and railroad watches being recognized as STANDARD， whenever accuracy in time was required. In general， it became accepted that when the average person asked a railroad man the time， he was assured a correct answer.
Today， BALL Watch is one of the most respected and established watch brands in the United States. It continues to update the product range in the 21st century to keep pace with shifting consumer patterns. But， despite changes in appearance， the founding spirit of the brand - industrial function - is never compromised.
It is upheld in Balls original details， such as the watch dial that faithfully follows his design guidelines for the standard railway watch. Every detail， from the shape of the hands to the style of the numerals， was laid down by the founder in his quest for accuracy in timekeeping.
It is a vision that the Ball family remains faithful to. For legions of men and women today whose split-second decisions keep the world ticking， it is a shared commitment.
The focal point of all these presentations remained the same - Since 1891， Accuracy under adverse conditions.
be attributed to归因于
subsequent [sbsikwnt] adj. 后来的，随后的
accomplishment [kmplimnt] n. 成就
fortnightly [ftnatl] adv. 隔周地；每两星期一次地
美国钟表业的发展，在很大程度上与美国铁路的出现及发展紧密相连。
在火车成为主要客货运输工具之前，并不需要精确计时，亦毋须维持统一的时间。随着美国内战结束，铁路系统渐渐发展成为重要运输工具，但各个地区仍如常按照其当地时间生活。
直至1883年末，铁路行业达成内部协议，将全国分成四个时区，采用标准时间制度。不久，公众亦相继采用有关制度。然而，国会却于1918年才正式采纳此制度。
