Introducing: The Baltic × Tour Auto 2024 Tricompax — This Chronograph Is Ready For The Classic Road Rally
Drivers, start your engines because the race is about to start! And this is not just any race — it’s the Tour Auto 2024, a classic road rally, also known as the Tour de France Automobile. The race uses France’s open roads and iconic race tracks, such as Le Mans, as its scenery. This year is the second time Baltic has been appointed as the official timekeeper for the event. What better way to celebrate this occasion than with a second limited-edition version of the Baltic Tricompax in collaboration with Tour Auto 2024?
The first Baltic Tricompax LE came out in the summer of 2022 and had some serious ’70s racing vibes. Since then, the successful French watch brand also launched two regular versions of the Tricompax in a panda and reverse panda configuration. This new Tour Auto 2024 edition is the most different of the four, and that’s not just because it uses different colors. Let’s take a quick look.
The Baltic × Tour Auto 2024 Tricompax
Before we get into the differences, I’ll tell you that the new Baltic × Tour Auto 2024 Tricompax has the same dimensions as those previous versions. That means the stainless steel case measures 39.5mm in diameter, 13.5mm thick (including the 2.5mm-thick double-domed sapphire crystal), and 47mm from lug to lug. Both the top of the drilled lugs and the sides of the case are brushed. That look matches nicely with the brushed blue aluminum bezel insert, which bears the tachymeter scale.
From the side, the Tricompax has a slim, classy-looking mid-case, while the bezel flares out a bit. It’s exactly the vintage-inspired look that so many people love, and Baltic is so good at replicating it. What also helps with keeping up those vintage vibes is the brushed and polished flat-link bracelet that the Tricompax Tour Auto comes on. For comfort, its folding push-button clasp also features a couple of holes for micro-adjustment.
With the signed crown at 3 o’clock, you can operate the hand-wound Sellita SW510-M chronograph movement inside the Tricompax. This movement runs at a 28,800vph frequency and features 23 jewels. It also holds a comfortable power reserve of around 60 hours.
Historic Tour colors
Then we get to the dial, the thing that sets the Tricompax Tour Auto 2024 apart from its predecessors. Unlike those previous versions, this new one doesn’t have a panda or reverse panda dial. Instead, this time, a cream base dial is paired with white sub-dials with thick black lines to set them apart. The sub-dials at 3 and 6 o’clock record the chronograph minutes and hours, respectively. They both feature colors inspired by the historic Tour Auto hues.
They also both feature a small blued dauphine hand, which matches the blue central chronograph hand. That one hovers over the hour and minute hands, which are polished and filled with luminous material. The third sub-dial at 9 o’clock serves as the running seconds and features a red crosshair. What’s also new here are the large printed Arabic numerals marking the hours. These replace the applied stick markers on the previous models. They also make the Tricompax look a little sportier to me.
Finally, there’s a black chapter ring with the minute/chronograph seconds scale and a Baltic logo at 12 o’clock. The tagline underneath it refers to the brand’s role as the official timekeeper for the Tour Auto 2024.
A collector’s set including a rally timer
Each Baltic × Tour Auto 2024 Tricompax comes in a big box that also includes a stopwatch and a dash clock. They’re attached to a metal plate, which you could potentially attach to your classic race car’s dashboard. The stopwatch is powered by a Hanhart mechanical movement. The nice thing is that it features a flyback complication for instantaneous resetting and restarting of the chronograph. The dial uses the same colors as the ones on the Tricompax, and one sub-dial keeps track of elapsed minutes. The dash clock, on the other hand, has a black dial and is powered by a hand-wound Seagull ST3600 (ETA/Unitas 6497 clone) movement.
Available this Monday, April 22nd, 2024
I think this new Tricompax is another winner for Baltic. It offers the same vintage-inspired flair that so many of the brand’s watches have. The great thing is that it does indeed look like a vintage chronograph, but it isn’t priced like one in good condition. This is one of the brand’s USPs, in my opinion. Nacho will attend the Tour Auto 2024 next week, so he’ll be back with a story on that and a proper hands-on with the new Tricompax.
The Baltic × Tour Auto 2024 Tricompax comes in a limited series of 500 pieces. The watch, including the stopwatch, dash clock, and a blue Alcantara strap, goes on sale this Monday, April 22nd, 2024, at 16:00 CET (Paris time). That’s also the day the Tour Auto 2024 takes place. It will cost you €2,100 excl. VAT to make this set yours. The previous limited edition of the Tricompax sold out very quickly, so you might have to be quick this time too if you want one. Delivery of the watches will take place this May. For more information, make sure to check out Baltic’s official website.
What do you think of the new Baltic × Tour Auto 2024 Tricompax? Let me know in the comments below.
