HANDS ON: The Baltic Aquascaphe Dual Crown draws from the past, but looks to the future
Shane HegartyWhen Baltic released the first look at its Aquascaphe Dual-Crown back in May, the first impression was that this was a step forward for a brand whose superb designs had quickly pushed itself to the front of the crowded world of affordable vintage-inspired watches.
The original Aquascaphe took its cues from mid-century divers, with gilt and faux-patina on a couple of models really driving home that aesthetic. The subsequent Aquascaphe GMT followed in a similar vein, with echoes of Bakelite bezels on a modern package. And yet, in the balance of its design – plenty of detail without being crowded – it remained distinctly Baltic.
So, this compressor-style diver felt like a natural step. Yet, while keeping with those design elements and vintage influences that had served the brand so well, it felt like a more modern Baltic than previously seen. Sure, it had found its inspiration in long-gone models (notably the Universal Genève Polerouter Sub Super Compressor) but its blue, black and PVD variations were fresh all the same. There was no layer of “ageing”. There was a sense that retro could only take things so far.
When you do open the box and see the Aquascaphe Dual-Crown, that freshness is what strikes you. Original images of the blue model (worn for review) suggested the dial had the warmth of the tropical ocean. Baltic itself described it as a “sunray” blue. In the metal, however, it’s something different.
There’s a glacial coolness in its contrast of bright white markers and sword hands against deep blue dial and inner-bezel. If this was to be found on a diver’s wrist, you can imagine them sliding off ice into a freezing sea.
There’s also a lot of breathing space. That’s not something that can always be said about compressor dials, where numerals and indices can pile on top of one another and crowd out the centre. While there’s plenty going on here – a combination of stick, circle and triangular indices, the bezel numerals, three lines of text – the proportions work excellently. The replacement of Arabic numerals at 12 with an upside-down triangle further simplifies things.
The newly designed case has a mix of brushed and polishing topped off with the unusual “brushed tourbillon” finishing of the fixed bezel. At 39mm wide, 47mm from lug-to-lug and 11.9mm high, it is eminently wearable for pretty much anybody. But it’s how it uses the dimensions that matters.
The inner-rotating bezel really opens up the watch, which under a modestly domed, anti-reflective sapphire crystal has little distortion at the edges. That the interior bezel slopes inwards gives everything real depth.
The bi-directional bezel itself is operated by the 2 o’clock crown, with the 4 o’clock crown for changing the time – although turning it is a little fiddly and slower experience than rotating a standard dive bezel. Both screw-down crowns have that classic cross-hatch pattern.
The Aquascaphe Dual-Crown is depth rated to 200m and is powered by the Miyota 9039 with 42 hours of power reserve and hacking seconds. All hands, indices and numerals are lumed with a complementary icy blue. And finally, the watch comes with a standard and comfortable tropic rubber strap.
All in all, the Aquascaphe Dual-Crown is another strong piece from Baltic but, importantly, it suggests that while the brand will continue to draw from the past, it has no intention of getting stuck there.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Delivery of the pre-ordered, numbered Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown batch is due from this month. Retail price from then will be €650 (ex VAT). baltic-watches.com