This Stunning Automatic Chronograph Outdoes Itself with a Nautical Retrofit

Earlier this year, Baltic released a “big eye” version of its retro chronograph, the Scalegraph, as a limited edition tied to an esteemed French auto race.

It was easily the most beautiful chronograph yet produced by the young French watchmaker. That is, until now.

Baltic

Baltic updated the Scalegraph Tour Auto, which features a “big eye” minutes totalizer much larger than the other sub-dial, to sponsor another race, but it’s at sea this time.

The fan-favorite boutique brand is the Official Timekeeper of the Transat Café L’Or, a grueling transatlantic sailing race. A limited-edition Scalegraph has been given a nautical retrofit to mark the occasion.

This includes a yacht timer in place of the “big eye” minutes totalizer, and a tachymeter recalibrated for knots instead of kilometers. But the most intriguing update is the new paint job.

Photo by Brad Lanphear for Gear Patrol

I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek at the Scalegraph Transat Café L’Or at Windup Watch Fair New York, a week before its maiden voyage. The first thing that jumped out at me, before I even got my hands on the watch, was the champagne dial.

It has a slightly glittering texture, and the color changes depending on the light. My impromptu wrist shots hardly do it justice, but I noticed shades of tan at one angle and a pearly off-white in direct light.

Taking to the sea

Transat Café L’Or is a French sailing race requiring absolute mastery of the waves. Balitic is sponsoring the 17th edition of the offshore race, which begins in Le Havre, France, on October 26 and culminates on the other side of the Atlantic at the Caribbean island of Martinique.

Baltic

The “big eye” Scalegraph designed for Tour Auto earlier this year presented an ideal foundation for building a nautical chronograph. The enlarged minutes totalizer transformed into a yacht timer by changing the dial to a countdown timer with three five-minute segments.

A yacht timer or regatta timer is based on the rule that organized sailing races begin with a five-minute countdown. It is the most essential segment of time for competing skippers to track.

Photo by Brad Lanphear for Gear Patrol

The other adjustment for racing at sea is that the tachymeter on the aluminum bezel insert is now calibrated for knots, rather than kilometers. Of course, skippers competing in the Transat Café L’Or have modern instruments that make this tool obsolete, but it is there in a pinch.

Along with the dial color update, referencing the drink awaiting the champions, Baltic made the yacht timer dial’s color scheme a traditional tonal blue and the chronograph hands bright orange to maximize legibility.

Baltic

The Scalegraph Tour Auto also made an easy transition to life at sea because it already had 100m of water resistance, thanks to a screw-down crown and pushers, double-domed sapphire crystal and a screw-in caseback.

The caseback is engraved with the Transat Café L’Or logo and each watch’s number in the 200-piece limited-edition release.

It’s a date

Baltic also updated the inside of the Scalegraph Transat Café L’Or, which is reflected on the dial. The tricompax chronograph movement is replaced with a bi-compax alternative with a date complication.

Baltic

It is still a hand-wound Sellita movement, caliber SW511 BHa, with a 63-hour power reserve and 4Hz frequency. However, the 12-hour counter at six o’clock, featured on all previous Scalegraph references, has been replaced by a date window.

Baltic

The only feature that seems inadequate for a sailing race, even allowing for the vintage aesthetic, is the mediocre lume. Only the hour hand, minute hand and small dots adjacent to each segmented hour marker are enhanced with Super-LumiNova.

Availability and price

As is too often the case, Baltic’s stunningly beautiful nautical chronograph is a limited edition of only 200 pieces. So if you want the Scalegraph Transat Café L’Or, you should act quickly when it goes on sale at 10:00 am EST on October 22.

It costs $2,030 all-in — Baltic currently covers tariffs and taxes for American buyers — and comes with the brand’s standard “beads of rice” steel bracelet and a white tropical rubber strap with quick-release pins and a pin-buckle clasp.

Baltic

Baltic Scalegraph Transat Café L’Or Limited Edition

Specs

Case Size	39.5mm
Movement	Sellita caliber SW511 BH hand-wound
Water Resistance	100m

• $2,030 at Baltic

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