Where are Baltic watches made?

Baltic is based in Paris. Its first watches were assembled in France, near Besançon, by a family watchmaking firm, using Japanese and Chinese movements from Miyota, Seagull and Hangzhou.

Who founded Baltic watches?

Etienne Malec, a French entrepreneur who previously ran an eyewear company, founded Baltic and launched it on Kickstarter in April 2017.

Why is the brand called Baltic?

Malec's family comes from northern Poland, near the Baltic Sea. The name also reflects his father, whose watch collection inspired the brand.

What movement is in the Baltic MR01?

A micro-rotor automatic made by the Hangzhou Watch Factory, calibre ELA05MN, with machine-applied Côtes de Genève and perlage.

France · Fondation 2017

Baltic

Baltic's Only Watch 2021 piece sold for CHF 50,000, almost three times its high estimate.

Texte éditorial en anglais.

Baltic is a Paris-based microbrand founded by Etienne Malec in 2017, making vintage-inspired watches at accessible prices: Bicompax chronographs, the Aquascaphe diver and the MR01 micro-rotor dress watch. It sells mainly direct online, and most models cost roughly €550 to €1,200.

Histoire

Etienne Malec's father collected watches, cars and cameras in Normandy and kept a journal of every watch he bought and sold. Etienne rediscovered the collection as a teenager, and Baltic's designs pay tribute to it. The name comes from the family's roots in northern Poland, near the Baltic Sea. Before watches, Malec lived in Poland, Turkey and the Czech Republic during his studies and ran an eyewear company with friends for eight years, sharing office space with them in Paris when he started Baltic.

Baltic launched on Kickstarter in April 2017 with two 38 mm steel watches inspired by the 1940s: the HMS 001, a three-hander with a Miyota 821 automatic, and the Bicompax 001, a two-register chronograph with the hand-wound, column-wheel Seagull ST-1901. Early-bird prices were €239 and €399, the funding goal was €65,000, and the campaign brought in about 1,200 pre-orders. The watches were assembled in France, near Besançon, by a family watchmaking firm in its fourth generation.

The Aquascaphe, Baltic's first dive watch, followed in November 2018 through pre-order rather than crowdfunding: 39 mm, 200 m water resistance, a sapphire-topped bezel and a Miyota 9039, from $555. It became the brand's best-selling model. In October 2021 came the MR01, a 36 mm dress watch with a micro-rotor Hangzhou calibre at €545 before tax, developed over more than two years. Its first batches sold out quickly and traded at three to four times retail.

Also in 2021 Baltic was invited to Only Watch, the biennial charity auction. Its unique Pulsometer Chronograph Monopusher, estimated at CHF 12,000 to 18,000, sold for CHF 50,000 in November. Malec described 2021 as the biggest year in the brand's history. A dual-crown Aquascaphe marked Baltic's fifth anniversary, and the brand has worked with partners such as A Collected Man and Peter Auto on limited editions.

Fondateurs

Etienne Malec: Founder; French entrepreneur who ran an eyewear company for eight years before founding Baltic in Paris in 2017, inspired by his late father's watch collection.

Dates clés

2017
Kickstarter launch
Baltic launches in April with the HMS 001 and Bicompax 001, collecting about 1,200 pre-orders.
2018
Aquascaphe dive watch
The 39 mm Aquascaphe arrives via pre-order in November and becomes Baltic's best-selling model.
2021
MR01 micro-rotor
A 36 mm micro-rotor dress watch at €545 before tax, released in October after more than two years of development.
2021
CHF 50,000 at Only Watch
The unique Pulsometer Chronograph Monopusher sells for CHF 50,000 against a CHF 12,000–18,000 estimate.
2022
Fifth anniversary
Baltic marks five years with a dual-crown version of the Aquascaphe.

Trois choses que savent les collectionneurs

Built on a father's notebook

Malec's father logged every watch he bought and sold in a journal, which Etienne inherited together with the watches. When Baltic launched in 2017, Malec presented its designs as a tribute to his late father's collection.

A column-wheel chronograph for €399

The Bicompax 001 used the hand-wound Seagull ST-1901, a column-wheel chronograph movement, which let Baltic offer a vintage-style two-register chronograph at an early-bird price of €399 in 2017.

A micro-rotor under €600

The MR01 put a micro-rotor automatic, the Hangzhou ELA05MN, into a 36 mm case for €545 before tax, a layout usually found in far more expensive dress watches.

Modèles emblématiques

Bicompax 0012017
38 mm two-register chronograph with the hand-wound Seagull ST-1901 column-wheel movement.
HMS 0012017
38 mm time-only launch model with stepped case and Miyota automatic.
Aquascaphe2018
39 mm, 200 m diver with sapphire-topped bezel and beads-of-rice bracelet; Baltic's best seller.
MR012021
36 mm, 9.9 mm thick dress watch with a micro-rotor automatic and Breguet-style numerals.

Questions

Where are Baltic watches made?: Baltic is based in Paris. Its first watches were assembled in France, near Besançon, by a family watchmaking firm, using Japanese and Chinese movements from Miyota, Seagull and Hangzhou.
Who founded Baltic watches?: Etienne Malec, a French entrepreneur who previously ran an eyewear company, founded Baltic and launched it on Kickstarter in April 2017.
Why is the brand called Baltic?: Malec's family comes from northern Poland, near the Baltic Sea. The name also reflects his father, whose watch collection inspired the brand.
What movement is in the Baltic MR01?: A micro-rotor automatic made by the Hangzhou Watch Factory, calibre ELA05MN, with machine-applied Côtes de Genève and perlage.

Histoire

Fondateurs

Dates clés

Kickstarter launch

Aquascaphe dive watch

MR01 micro-rotor

CHF 50,000 at Only Watch

Fifth anniversary