INTRODUCING: The Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax is a racing chronograph with retro swagger
Fergus NashThe art of the vintage-inspired watch, especially when done by a young brand such as Baltic, is in honouring the allure of the past while remaining relevant to a modern audience. Nostalgia has always played a big part in human culture, but we must also accept that there is no stopping the flow of time and the development of new technologies.
Motorsport is a great example of this, simultaneously and perhaps contradictorily pushing the envelope for new development while worshipping the legendary cars of old. Watchmaking is more or less the same, and that’s why the historic racing organiser Peter Auto makes for the perfect collaborator with Baltic on their new Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax chronograph.
Peter Auto, founded in the 1980s by Patrick Peter, is responsible for organising and promoting some of the world’s most prestigious historic racing categories such as the Spa Classic, the Grand Prix De L’age D’or, and most impressively Le Mans Classic. The Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax isn’t just a new watch with a motorsports theme, but rather a limited-edition love letter to both historic racing and the timepieces of the era. The photographs of the watch being worn alongside a Porsche 910 from the mid-1960s evoke precisely that sense of retro cool that you imagine Baltic were aiming for.
The case of the Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax chronograph is definitely representative of the 1960s, with an all-brushed finish and sophisticated yet sporty curves. The lugs are quite slender and reaching, although the 47mm lug-to-lug length is contained enough to be comfortable on smaller wrists. The diameter of 39.5mm is definitely a little bit larger than most watches of the era, but only by a small margin, and Baltic have to ensure that the design is still accessible for modern taste. The movement being manually wound keeps the thickness down to 13.5mm including the double-domed sapphire crystal, which also has a good amount of anti-reflective coating.
Just as they say eyes are the windows to the soul, the dial is really where this watch works its magic. The soft beige of the dial perfectly captures the eggshell tone of an aged white watch, and the black subdials do add a suggestion of the Paul Newman Daytona, but that’s where the similarities begin and end. The minutes and hours subdials feature energetic orange and yellow highlights respectively — the vibrancy holding the energy of a retro race car’s livery. Those sharp dauphine hands add a little element of aggression too, while the applied baton hour markers and Arabic numeral at 12 keep it versatile with some elegance.
Powering the Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax is the Sellita SW510-M, a triple-register and manually-wound variant of Sellita’s alternative to the ETA/Valjoux 7750 movement. The hand-winding element really adds to the immersive experience of a 1960s chronograph, when the automatic modules or integrated movements had not yet been a widespread development. It has a smooth beat rate of 28,800 vibrations per hour and a power reserve of 63 hours. Sadly there is no display caseback, but the solid one shows the Historic Racing by Peter Auto logo above its limited edition number out of 300.
The most surprising part of this limited edition isn’t actually part of the watch itself, but rather what’s included within the box set. Stopwatches played a pivotal role in motor racing even after the chronograph was integrated into wristwatches as they were easier to read for their specific function. It wasn’t until digital timing systems became widespread that the manual stopwatch went by the wayside and, to honour this tradition, Baltic have included two sporty stopwatches in opposing colour schemes that harness the energy of the Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax. The orange and yellow looks phenomenal in either the black or beige contexts, and the flyback functionality makes timing a breeze. There’s also an aluminium holder provided, so that you could secure them to a dashboard.
The Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax pricing and availability:
The Baltic x Peter Auto Tricompax is strictly limited to 300 pieces, and comes with a quick-release steel bracelet, a leather strap, several tools and the two stopwatches on a dashboard-installable holder. You can purchase the set from this link now. Price: €1,975
| Brand | Baltic |
| Model | Tricompax |
| Case Dimensions | 39.5mm x 47mm x 13.5mm |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Double domed sapphire crystal |
| Dial | Light beige, three registers |
| Strap | Brushed stainless steel flat link bracelet, additional calf leather strap |
| Movement | Sellita SW510-M, manual winding, 63-hour power reserve |
| Availability | From August 26th |
| Price | € 1,975 |