Hands-On With The New Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition
Watches and Wonders may have drawn most of our attention last week, but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening elsewhere in the watch world. Baltic, one of the young guns making waves in recent years, announced a new limited edition. I got the chance to try it out. This is the new Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition. It celebrates the brand’s sponsorship of and participation in the yearly French Tour Auto rally.
The Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition is limited to 400 pieces. The watch costs €2,117.50 (including 21% VAT), and the limited run is available now. Let’s have a closer look.
Baltic and motorsports
Daan covered last year’s Baltic Tour Auto edition, and Nacho even rode shotgun during the rally while wearing it. This makes me wonder why I am writing this in the dark underground Fratello HQ with a lukewarm cup of Joe. What’s up with that, Baltic?
In any case, this is a yearly release. Baltic sponsors the rally as its official timekeeper. This year, the race is divided into six stages between Paris and Nice. Baltic takes part with two cars — a 1963 Lotus Elan 26R and a 1965 MG B.
The Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition celebrates the 2025 edition of this yearly motorized Tour de France.
What’s new about the Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition?
The new Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition shares a lot of its DNA with last year’s version. We see a few changes, though. For starters, Baltic now fits screw-down pushers for a 100m water resistance rating. The watch also gained some weight, measuring 14.1mm thick instead of last year’s 13.5mm. I’m guessing that the case back and/or crystal had to be thickened slightly to reach that 100m rating.
The dial has seen several changes too. For starters, it now has a big-eye layout with an enlarged minute counter at 3 o’clock. The hour counter at 6 no longer gets a visually distinguished sub-dial, mimicking the appearance of a two-register chronograph. Lastly, this year’s dial looks much more distinct, with its multiple shades of pale blue, a prime example of what the French would call “ton-sur-ton.”
Lastly, while last year’s model featured numerals all around, this version is fitted with applied concentric hour markers. I don’t know about you, but this was the very first thing I noticed when seeing press images of this new Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition.
Conceptual issues with the Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition
On paper, the greater water resistance makes little sense. Automatic chronographs tend to be bulky, and this is no exception. To add to its thickness for the sake of arguably redundant water resistance seems odd. In reality, the added girth isn’t noticeable. This isn’t a slim watch, but it wears just fine. Still, the screw-down pushers feel over-specced. They make the chronograph finicky to operate, and I found myself simply not using it. Also, this is no do-it-all watch. With such a rally-themed design, I wonder what the added water resistance is for. In my book, this is a case of specs over conceptual congruence.
I am afraid that is a bit of a theme with this watch. The almost-hidden hour counter features a hand in the same color as the running seconds. Meanwhile, the chronograph seconds and hour counter are blue. Why not color-code the chronograph elements to clearly distinguish between functions?
I have the same issue with the tilted hour markers. This is something you do for decorative reasons, so it makes sense on a watch like, say, the Czapek Antarctique Dark Sector. This, however, is presented as a rally timer. I’d say legibility and precision should top everything else, and tilted hour markers don’t promote either. All in all, this makes me feel like the Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition is more of a romantic rally watch than an actual tool. This is true, of course, but I would prefer it to be less obvious. This makes it feel more like a marketing exercise than needed.
Wearing the Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition
Okay, that was very harsh, and I promise it isn’t because I am writing from a basement. It is just that with so many watches being released all the time with so many clever (or convoluted) backstories, I think we should remain critical. The thing is, I do like the Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition. No, really, I do!
For starters, this is a very pretty watch in real life. I love the finely grained dial texture and its icy blue hue. Additionally, the big-eye layout with the two framed sub-dials looks plain cool. And while I have conceptual issues with the hour markers, I like the dynamism they provide. All in all, I think the dial looks fantastic.
Baltic also got the proportions right. This is a very wearable watch with plenty of vintage appeal. Sure, it is a little tubby, but so are all of its competitors. Sellita, if you are listening, please develop a slimmer chronograph caliber for us! Bring us back to the ’60s, will ya?
Closing thoughts
Okay, that was a bit of a mixed bag, wasn’t it? The thing is, my gripes are all at the conceptual level. I think the guys at Baltic simply set out to make a very pretty retro racing chronograph, and they succeeded. After all, to what extent will these watches actually be used as rallying chronographs? Aren’t they more about reflecting the charm and allure of the race? And if so, shouldn’t they just look and feel cool rather than make perfect sense?
My answer is an ambivalent “yes and no.” Your mileage may vary, and I suppose it depends on whether you use a watch to calculate your mileage or not.
What do you think of the new Baltic Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 Limited Edition? Let us know in the comments section below!
