Baltic Watches first started life via Kickstarter but they have gone from strength to strength after their initial launch. Their aim was to "offer timeless pieces, of the highest quality, for fair prices." And they have succeeded.
One of the biggest hit (at least for me) is their Micro Rotor MR01 which was re-released in January 2022 after a very successful initial run. Coming in three variants - Blue, Salmon and Silver, I managed to get the Salmon and Silver with a matching "beads" bracelet.
Aesthetically, what really strikes me are the fueille (leaf) hands with Breguet numerals - I am a sucker for Breguet style Arabic numerals
Then there is the textured dial and the off-centre seconds sub-dial.
No date? No problem!
In fact, I was having a conversation with another fellow collector and we were discussing about the date feature. Personally, I like "no-date" or "big-date". As one ages, the eyesight fails and a small date window is not functional. And one other thing - I cannot accept the date window at 4 o'clock... call me traditionalist, but the date window at 4 o'clock just don't work for me.
At €605 (excluding local taxes) for the bracelet version, this 36mm MR01 has great Price-Quality-Ratio. The hesalite glass adds to the retro vibes of this timepiece.
Beating inside is the automatic Micro Rotor movement supplied by the Hangzhou Watch Company. The Calibre CAL5000A features a micro rotor which keeps the thickness of the timepiece rather slim at 9.9mm (glass included).
Finishing, while industrial, is excellent for what you are paying. The power reserve is a respectable 42 hours.
But what is surprisingly done well is the bracelet - "beads" as they call it is highly polished on one side...
And brushed on the other side.
Comes with a quick release too - no tools required. Base price of the MR01 is €545 with a leather strap and with a stainless steel bracelet comes to €605 excluding local taxes but including shipping (to Singapore). Looking back, I should have opted for the strap version for the silver dial - the contrast would have been nicer. So I guess I will be making a change soon. But the salmon dial with the bracelet is a clear winner for me.
Given the current market conditions on the more sought after brands, I would definitely recommend going for micro brands. They offer great value for money and are worthy of our support. Paris based Baltic is one such brand I think got it right - making affordable timpeieces that presents an excellent Price-Quality-Ratio proposition.
No comments:
Post a Comment