The Tricompax series from Baltic watches has existed for around 18 months and this latest edition, a special model Tour de France Automobile, a nationwide race established in 1899 by the Automobile Club de France and now contested by over 250 crews, adds some much-needed colour to the collection.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
The current catalogue features just two models. A classic panda dial and an inverted version are handsome daily wear chronographs that fit neatly into Baltic’s portfolio but don’t leap off the wrist in the way the sporty, Tricolore-inspired Tour edition does.
And while it’s clear the watch’s design has been inspired by the French flag, the use of red, white, and blue, is sensitive and satisfying. Rather than adhering blindly to the specific Pantones of the nation’s famous standard, different shades of each have been deployed in the pursuit of visual harmony and dynamism.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
A brushed blue aluminium bezel insert, which is a muted grey/blue as opposed to the deep navy of the recently updated French flag, works particularly well with the material. The subtle metallic nature of the component adds a degree of warmth and interest to proceedings that would have been lost entirely had the brand opted for a more modern ceramic insert in a flat colour.
The clever use of colour continues with the off-white dial that softens the starkness of the bright white sub-dials, themselves ringed by anthracite borders that set the stage for the red and blue sub-dial accents to pop.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
A red cross-hair decorates the 9 o’clock sub-dial, which houses the running seconds. What’s particularly interesting about this dial area is the decision to pair this cross-hair with Arabic numerals that occupy the 60-, 20-, and 40-minute positions. That means, of course, that the vertical bar of the cross-hair is slightly curtailed to make way for the 60. While you might have imagined the design team taking one look at this effect and dismissing it as unacceptable, it works because it evokes (whether intentionally or otherwise) the era of watch design from which this piece takes its cues.
Although it may sound wildly counterintuitive, it is weird visual foibles like this that often give true vintage watches their charm. There is occasionally a sense that designers from what many would regard as the golden age of watch design, did not have the same rigid sensibilities as their modern counterparts, which allowed them to bend or abandon the “rules” to which many of us so rigidly stick.
Baltic Tricompax on ZULUDIVER 1973 British Military Watch Strap: ARMOURED - No Time Bond - Credit WatchGecko
The cleverness of this cross-hair, however, does not end there. The 60-second marker of this sub-dial is elongated in the same way as the second markers at 05, 10, 20, 25, 35, 50, and 55. Crucially, all other cardinal second markers (at 15, 30, and 45) are the same length as the intervening seconds, which allows the cross-hair to stretch out horizontally, and further down towards the 30-second marker. The resulting balance is a triumph and a small but notable high point of this design.
Across the dial, the 3 o’clock-located 30-minute counter is similarly smart. The first five minutes are highlighted by a vivid red bar, the minutes between 10 and 15 are picked out by a deeper blue, and the space between 20 and 25 is enlivened by a light grey/blue segment that ties the whole thing together.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
The two shades of blue used in the 3 o’clock sub-counter are repeated on the 12-hour counter at 6 o’clock. Here, the first three hours are treated to the navy blue arc, while the hours between 6 and 9 get the lighter version instead.
All of this is pulled together by the “alpha” style chronograph seconds hand — a glorious blued wedge that is extremely legible against the ecru display. Better still, the two chronograph counter hands in the 3 and 6 o’clock sub-dials are also blue, while the hour, minute, and running seconds hands are all in polished silver. I am a huge fan of the time-telling hands and the elapsed-time-telling hands being colour-coded and feel it is a nice readability improvement that many brands sleep on.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
Arabic hour markers occupy the 12, 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11 positions, with 3, 6, and 9 being sacrificed for a clear and unimpeded view of the sub-dials. These numerals are tilted to follow the flow of the dial, which does nothing to impede legibility, but might have something to do with why the 7 and the 10 markers ever-so-slightly touch the outer rim of their nearby sub-dials.
One could make the argument that horizontally oriented numerals or even stick markers of varying lengths for all hours but 12 would have made more sense, but had that decision been made in the pursuit of clinical clarity, a lot of the character of this watch might have been lost. The font itself is joyfully retro and its orientation adds to the sense of forward motion this dial is clearly trying to express through its creative use of colour and composition.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
Dimensionally, this watch is just as wearable as we’ve come to expect from Baltic. It has a 39.5 mm diameter, a 13.5 mm height (including a double-domed sapphire crystal), and a compact 47 mm lug-to-lug measurement. A 50-meter water resistance rating and a user-friendly 20 mm lug width means this watch is fine for daily wear and, thanks to the common strap size elected, can be flipped from bracelet (included) to supplied or after-market straps with ease.
And lastly, if you love a bit of extra stash with your watch purchases, this 500-piece individually numbered model comes with an incredible “rally-specific” dashboard instrument that includes an exclusive Baltic stopwatch and clock. It’s the kind of useable add-on that more brands should provide and a huge value-add to an already affordable (€2,100) timepiece.
Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024 - Credit WatchGecko
Technical Specifications:
- Name: Tricompax Baltic x Tour Auto 2024
- Case Dimensions: 39.5 mm wide by 13.5 mm thick, 47 mm L2L, lug width 20 mm
- Crystal: Double domed sapphire
- Water Resistance: 50 metres
- Movement: Sellita SW510-M with a 63-hour power-reserve
- Limitation: 500 pieces, individually numbered, including rally-specific dashboard instrument (stopwatch and clock)
