Baltic Watches
We have been noticing that you guys are looking for a blog on Baltic Watches, So we have prepared a blog for you.
For those who are unfamiliar with the French microbrand Baltic. Etienne Malec founded it in 2017. The collection of watches that Etienne inherited from his father.
They served as the source of inspiration for the brand. The brand has become very popular among watch enthusiasts in just four years. Due to their affordable prices and distinctive vintage aesthetic.
Baltic has always been willing. He was always willing to donate watches to a worthy cause throughout its history.
Benoit Lecomte’s one-of-a-kind Aquascaphe. The watch he wore during his Pacific plastic patch swim.
It was up for auction, and the money raised went to help educate people about ocean plastic pollution.
Additionally, Baltic donated the 12-hour steel bezel Aquascaphe to Time+Tide’s “Watch & Act” auction in support of the 2019–2020 bushfires.
So as we know a little bit about this brand. Let’s take a close look at some of the amazing Baltic watches.
Baltic HMS 002 Silver
The HMS 002 is now available from Baltic with sector dials in silver, blue gilt, and black dial colours. My favourite and the subject of this hands-on review is the silver one.
Silver comes to mind when I think of a sector dial. That appears to be supported by the design choices made by the brands mentioned earlier.
Since blue is my preferred dial colour on very few occasions. The black-dial Baltic HMS 002 would be my second choice.
About the Baltic dial, it truly stands out. It’s a stepped, circularly brushed chapter ring and sandy, matte dial texture. They are almost hard to see in pictures, but in person, it’s a class act.
Calibre
The HMS 002 was introduced in 2019 with a capacity of Miyota 821A inside. That’s fine, but the 821A was only a more refined version of the 8215. This was only a workhorse.
As a result, Baltic made the correct decision to improve the movement of the HMS 002. Despite the watch’s rather elegant appearance.
When Miyota presented the 8315 with many advantages over the 821A. It was easy to choose: first, the power reserve has increased to 60 hours from 42.
But, the movement became quieter. As a result of a new bearing and rotor system. Although occasionally I could still hear it spin.
Last but not the least, the 8315 got a second-hand with direct drive. This made it much easier for it to move around the dial.
The movement received a minor aesthetic upgrade. Now featuring blue screws that were not thermally blued. Although the HMS 002 does not have a date.
The 8315 suffers from a minor setback. But, in my view, the 821A had the same issue.
Case and Case Back
I don’t like watches with a glass back that only have a generic movement on them. As for me, I have seen that, so this may be a little arrogant.
The fact that Baltic sent us a watch with a glass back makes me happy. To put it another way, I had never seen a Miyota 8315 before, so it was surprising to see how well-finished it was.
A side note: I typically prefer a glass back with a generic movement to a beautifully executed case back.
But, I must admit that Baltic’s closed case back appeals to me little. Nothing more than a very basic affair is involved.
The stepped case of the attractive 38mm HMS 002 is based on watches from the 1940s.
Additionally, its finish is far superior to what one would expect. Especially from a watch in this entry-level league, which I must admit.
The last step of the case has mirror polishing. Along with that circular brushing on the lugs, and linear brushing on the side. The case is very attractive.
Thanks to the various finishes, each catches the light in its unique way. The crown, which has an engraved “B” and a polished, domed top, fits the case perfectly.
Crystal:
What might be bad for one person might be good for another. Acrylic crystals are a favourite of mine. Due to my background as a Speedmaster collector.
Not only because they are suitable for professional use but also because of the vibe they impart to a watch. The acrylic crystal, also known as halite, is so distinct from sapphire.
It has an alternate refractive file (it unexpectedly breaks the light). It shows the dial in another, a lot gentler, more alluring way if you were to ask me.
I am so glad that Baltic chose acrylic rather than a mineral crystal. A sapphire crystal in the highly domed shape used on the HMS 002 would be expensive and out of the question.
Strap:
Baltic’s HMS 002 watch comes with a choice of leather straps. Including a stainless steel beads-of-rice bracelet.
The watch at first comes with a blue Italian calf leather flat strap. It matches the blue hour and moment hands.
The watch also comes with quick-release pins, making it easy to switch to other straps.
New Baltic Tricompax Panda And Reverse Panda Chronographs
Baltic successfully rides the nostalgia wave by perfecting the art of making watches. The watches are inspired by the past and enjoy enviable success.
In the secondary market, how many watches do you know of that fetch a premium price? We all know about references from Patek Philippe, AP, and Rolex.
But I bet you didn’t think a small French Kickstarter with only five employees would be on this list. By and by, the cool Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax Chronograph. It is an Extraordinary Version of the watch.
They are presented with a 25% markup. Bull-free Baltic. New classic editions of the Baltic Tricompax bring the concept of this limited edition back.
Movement:
The hand-wound Sellita movement. It powers the brand-new Baltic Tricompax Panda and Reverse Panda chronographs. It has a power reserve of 63 hours.
We begin with this mention as it represents a significant advancement for the brand. Their creations are brought to life by the Miyota calibres.
Keep in mind that the first chronograph in the Baltic collection was a “Made in China” Seagull ST-1901.
So, including a dependable, robust Swiss-made SW510-M. It will increase credibility. This naturally comes at a cost.
The Tricompax watches will be the principal Baltic standard assortment to retail above and beyond 1k euros.
But, considering that other SW510-M equipped chronographs. It commands comparable or higher prices. The asking price of around EUR 2,000 is not outrageous. Take, for instance, the Massena LAB Uni-racer…
Dial:
The double-dome sapphire crystal is AR coated inside. The steel is 39,5mm in diameter. It’s 47mm lug to lug. The 13,5mm thick case complements the design of the dial.
The dome produces distortion at a level that is both comfortable and pleasing. The tachymeter scale on the aluminium bezel starts at 200 at four o’clock and ends at 50 at about two.
This is a nice touch. An edge of the bezel sticks out. Like the pushers in the shape of mushrooms and the crown with an engraved “B,” it is polished.
The case is sturdy. The first 200 Tricompax Pandas and Reverse Pandas will have large numbers engraved in the middle.
Details:
Baltic is familiar with the rules of the old game, which are all about the small things. Take a look at the chronograph’s clean layout and the delicate texture of the base dial. It is either matte beige or semi-gloss black.
The “12” and eight applied hour baton-shaped indexes. They are polished and shine like dauphine’s hands. The Super-Luminova BGW9 pigment fills the hands for hours and minutes.
Excellent choice because it is the second-brightest Super-Luminova colour on a whole. It appears white rather than light green in daylight.
The radial pattern on the black or light beige subdials is well done. The cross-hairs on the running seconds counter at nine o’clock are a nostalgic detail.
The 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock has a plan not the same as the one we found in the Peter Auto release. An improvement, as I would see it.
In any case, that one had a splendid auto-variety plot. While the new references are exceptionally monochrome. Black text supports the idea of the minutes and seconds chapter ring, which is printed in white.
Baltic Aquascaphe
I have a soft spot in my heart for timepieces with a vintage feel, especially dive watches. I decided to order the Baltic Aquascaphe in black/cream on a bead of rice bracelet.
It was influenced by this fascination. As well as my newly acquired curiosity about the micro brand watch scene.
Design:
The 39mm measurement raises a ruckus around town spot, in any event. For a bigger 7.5″ wrist, it feels like the exact thing one would think a more modest jump watch.
From a long time back would feel like. Since the Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight is my everyday watch at the time of writing, it’s easy to make a comparison.
Despite having roughly the same thickness, lug-to-lug length, lug width, and case diameter. The Aquascape wears much smaller beads of rice bracelet than the Tudor BB58.
Although it wears little, it’s not very little. It weighs a lot, has a distinctly vintage feel, and is quite rough on the wrist. The Baltic, in my view, wears very much like a 39mm watch.
Whereas the Tudor BB58 wears more like a 40mm submariner due to the thick slab of a middle case.
Dial:
The Black and Cream dial is the subject of this review. As well as black and silver, blue gilt, white, and a second black and silver variant with a steel-colored bezel. These are the five dial options available for the Aquascaphe.
The Aquascape dial has sandwiched dial markers at the 3, 6, and 9 positions. This appears to add a little depth to the otherwise minimal dial layout. The textured dial is most noticeable in direct sunlight.
I find the dial to be a little bit too minimal, with too much blank space even in the sunlight.
Particularly on the luxurious model with the cream markers. This dim lighting almost blends into the black dial, I guess this is overemphasised.
Bezel:
I adore this bezel to a tee. The Baltic Aquascaphe’s bracelet, domed sapphire crystal, and bezel. These are my three favourite parts. The Aquascape has a minimalist unidirectional timing bezel.
It matches the entire minimalist design of the watch’s dial. Lightweight numbers are visible at the 3, 6, and 9 positions. This is a typical Blancpain Fifty Fathoms design.
The fact is that the bezel is both sapphire-coated and lumed. Making it almost immune to damage. This is the feature that makes it the most intriguing.
Despite its low cost. The Aquascape feels even more large thanks to the sapphire bezel.
Strap:
You can choose between a Tropic rubber strap or beads of rice bracelet for the Aquascaphe. The other can be added for an extra fee. Regardless of which option you select.
There are two reasons why I recommend the bracelet with rice beads.
First, the beads of rice complement the Aquascaphe’s entire vintage look. As it fits the wrist well. Also, the watch is large yet light.
Second, unlike other bracelets of a similar design. The beads of the rice bracelet have a quick-release mechanism, or “easy bars,” as the brand refers to them.
The only thing I can say that isn’t bad about the watch. It is that removing a link from the beads of the rice bracelet will test your patience, as I had to do it myself.
But, this is pretty typical for any beads of rice bracelet. Fortunately, the Aquascaphe BOR bracelet has seven micro-adjustment settings. So you shouldn’t have to take out any links to get the right fit.
Movement:
The Baltic Aquascape has an automatic-winding Miyota 9039 movement. This is a 24-jewel, no-date, 28,800-bpm version of the Toyota 9015 hacking movement.
It has a 42-hour power reserve and is thinner than its 9015 movement counterpart. Though I’ve only seen 28-32 hours of the reserve since purchasing the watch.
Since this is my first watch with a Miyota movement, I haven’t had any issues keeping time so far.
Conclusion For Baltic Watches
Baltic Watches is a brand that has truly stood the test of time, with a commitment to quality craftsmanship and timeless design. Balti has become a leader in the watch industry.
The attention to detail and dedication to creating watches. Which are both functional and stylish is evident in every timepiece they produce.
From the elegant simplicity of their classic designs to the bold and modern aesthetic of their newer collections. Balti has something to offer for every taste and style.
And with their focus on using only the highest quality materials and movements. You can be sure that a Balti watch will not only look great but also keep time accurately and reliably.
Beyond its products, Balti Watches is a brand that truly cares about its customers. Their commitment to providing excellent customer service and support.
It is seen in the many positive reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers. Whether you’re a seasoned watch collector or simply looking for a high-quality timepiece to wear every day. Baltic Watches is a brand that you can trust.
In short, Baltic Watches is a brand that combines style, quality, and reliability. It’s done in every watch they produce. With a dedication to excellence that is unmatched in the industry.
It’s no wonder that Balti has become a favourite among watch enthusiasts around the world. If you’re in the market for a new watch, we highly recommend considering Balti Watches.
