Baltic are tackling their first ever worldtimer with the launch of the new Heures du Monde series. It’s a hybrid design with elements of dress watch style mixed with tool watch utility and an interesting mix of materials: a steel case with a ceramic bezel and a semi-precious stone dial. It feels recognisably Baltic, managing to stand out against the plethora of stone dial watches that have seen a surge in popularity recently.
Starting with the case, it’s made from steel and measures just 37mm in diameter. That’s much smaller than you would expect from a Baltic tool watch and reflects the fact they wanted to promote a dressier style in this collection. Part of the reason you would expect it to be bigger is the broad bezel, which overhangs the edge of the case, making the diameter seem larger than it is. The bezel has a black ceramic insert with cities scale for telling the time around the world while also providing robust scratch resistance.
For the dials, there is a choice between three semi-precious stone options. The most traditional of the three is tiger’s eye with its classic golden-brown striations. There’s then a labradorite edition, which is a type of feldspar rock with elements of iridescence that make it shine in certain lighting. Lastly is sodalite, a royal blue stone often used in jewellery.
As for the Baltic Heures du Monde worldtimer function, that is present via a rotating 24-hour ring around the edge of the display. The position of the hours in relation to the cities scale bezel lets you keep track of all the time zones of the world simultaneously. There’s also an arrow indicator marker at 6 o’clock that helps you set it, or you can rotate the bezel to the appropriate point. The 24-hour scale is split between day/night indication using the primary colour of the dial’s stone and then the black of the ceramic bezel.
The movement inside is the Soprod C125 GMT, where the GMT hand has been replaced by the rotating 24-hour scale. It’s automatic with a 42-hour power reserve. Protecting it is a solid caseback with a stylised globe motif. The first 200 pieces of each edition are also individually numbered in a special edition – though this is not a limited edition, it’s just that the 201st watch and beyond will not be numbered.
For pricing, the Baltic Heures du Monde is €1,300 on strap (approx. £1,130) or €1,360 on bracelet (approx. £1,180). Between the stone dials, ceramic bezel and mechanical movement, that’s some attractive value. It’s particularly cool to see ceramic bezels enter the region of accessibility more and more.
