Baltic watches was founded a little more than half a decade ago, but has already gained a cult following of even the most serious collectors thanks to their faithfully vintage-inspired designs and affordable prices. Today, we see the latest offering from the young French-founded brand in the Baltic × Peter Auto Tricompax Chronograph that brings together the disparate, but intimately connected worlds of vintage cars and timepieces.
Established back in 2017, Baltic’s founder Etienne Malec inherited his father’s watch collection and launched the watch company in an effort to bring the best horological designs of the 20th century to all watch enthusiasts, no matter how deep their pockets were. Today, the brand boasts a well-rounded catalogue that includes dress chronographs, diving watches and travel timepieces, cementing Baltic as one of the best manufacturers of heritage-inspired watches for those with an eye for detail.
When Malec isn’t at the helm of Baltic, his next love is vintage cars, with a particularly soft spot for Porsche (he owns a 911 3.2 Carrera and a water-cooled 996 GT3). With two such passions, it only makes sense for Baltic to create a classic racing chronograph, in collaboration with the esteemed Peter Auto no less.
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While the Baltic × Peter Auto Tricompax Chronograph is familiar thanks to its nostalgia-driven design, it also represents a step up for the brand for several reasons. Firstly, Baltic has foregone the workhorse calibres from Asia that have powered nearly all of the brand’s watches to date, instead selecting a Swiss-made SW-510M manual wind chronograph calibre for this racing watch. The second exciting development is that the watch arrives with a special presentation box that contains a pair of matching vintage-styled flyback chronograph stopwatches, which perfectly complement the wrist-worn timepiece.
The watch features an authentically sized 39.5mm stainless steel case that is 13.5mm thick (including the domed sapphire crystal over the dial), with a black aluminium tachymeter bezel that nicely frames the off-white dial. The pump pushers of the chronograph are polished to match the top surfaces of the case, while the flanks of the case and lugs have been satin-brushed to create razor-sharp case lines.
The creamy dial contrasts the black chronograph subdials, which feature orange and yellow highlights that were common during the late ’60s and early ’70s, and an orange chronograph hand that brings a pop of brightness to the overall impression of the watch. It’s a super legible design that ties together some of the most recognisable design cues from the era of inspiration.
Beneath the dial is the Swiss-made chronograph movement, which ticks away at 28,800vph and delivers no less than 63 hours of power reserve when fully wound. The solid caseback is engraved with references to the Peter Auto partnership and the limited edition number of the timepiece, while guaranteeing the watch 50m of water resistance.
The Baltic × Peter Auto Tricompax Chronograph arrives in its box with the two chronograph stopwatches, as well as the options of a stainless steel bracelet and a leather strap (complete with tools to adjust the straps). The 300-piece limited edition will go on sale on August 26th, with an RRP of €1,975 (AU$2,882).
