Baltic and Tour Auto introduce a new Tricompax to honour a legendary race
Borna Bošnjak- Baltic collaborate with Tour Auto, the revival of a historic race through France, for a new, limited-edition Tricompax.
- The dial represents the colours of the race, and each watch is accompanied by a Rally Timer powered by a manually wound Hanhart movement.
- Limited to 500 pieces, they’re priced at A$3,990, and available from the Time+Tide Shop.
A quick look at the Instagram page of Etienne Malec, and you wouldn’t know that he founded one of the most successful microbrands around. Among picturesque travel photos, his page is littered with car and motorsport-related pics. Whether it’s a Cayman winding through Australian backroads or a slideshow of some of the most iconic Porsches ever raced at Le Mans (naturally including a 935, 917LH, and a cheeky inclusion of his own, more modern 997 GT3), there are very few watches to be seen. And though Baltic has had racing-inspired models in the past, the latest Tricompax in collaboration with Tour Auto hits especially close to home. The revival of the Tour de France Automobile began in 1992, and similarly to the modern Mille Miglia, only allows historical vehicles to take part, in this case, pre-1974, and 2024 will see Baltic return as the official timekeeper for the second year in a row.
A French brand sponsoring a French race, it would only make sense to have the traditional colours of the flag represented somewhere on the watch. The main portion of the dial is a matte eggshell, surrounding white, azuraged sub-dials with the colours of the historic race. The numerals are simple, applied Arabics, and thanks to the sub-dials at 3 and 9, you avoid the awkward look of their orientation swapping mid-way through.
On the wrist, the double-domed sapphire crystal works wonders to evoke the vintage inspiration for the Tricompax, though the dimensions grow just a bit larger from its ’60s and ’70s counterparts. With a 39.5mm diameter, 13.5mm thickness, and 47mm lug-to-lug distance, it’s by no means elephantine, but that’s also thanks to the phenomenal flat-link bracelet. Thanks to the articulation and fineness of the links, the comfort is great, and the look is bang-on.
The cool thing about Baltic bracelets is that they’ll fit on any of their models, as they all share a 20mm lug width, so you could pop the watch onto any of their other bracelets. If a strap is more your jam, Baltic also supply the Tricompax Tour Auto with a navy blue Alcantara strap.
Finally, as is the case with many thoroughbred racing chronographs, the Tricompax is manually wound, powered by a Sellita SW510 M. It’s a manually winding clone of the famous Valjoux 7750, and by extension not the most glamorous movement around owing to its thickness and cam-operated chronograph. Having said that, it’s a solid choice at this price point, and pretty much the entry-level for a fully integrated Swiss chronograph, offering around 63 hours of power reserve.
But that’s not all, folks! When it comes to the Tricompax Tour Auto, there’s a particularly cool added extra with each of the 500 pieces, and that’s the Rally Timer. It comprises of a Hanhart-powered flyback chronograph for timing all the stages, and a more traditional dashboard clock with a small seconds sub-dial.
Unfortunately, the cool accessory that’s not included is the M1 Procar to the dashboard of which the Rally Timer is attached to. Maybe next time.
Baltic Tricompax x Tour Auto 2024 pricing and availability
The Baltic Tricompax x Tour Auto 2024 is available starting 22/04 16:00 UTC+1, as a limited edition of 500 pieces, available from the Time+Tide Shop. Price: A$3,990, €2,100
| Brand | Baltic |
| Model | Tricompax x Tour Auto 2024 |
| Case Dimensions | 39.5mm (D) x 13.5mm (T) x 47mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Double-domed sapphire, internal AR coating |
| Dial | Matte beige, azurage sub-dials |
| Bracelet | Flat-link steel bracelet, folding clasp Navy blue Alcantara strap, pin buckle |
| Movement | Sellita SW510 M, manual-winding |
| Power Reserve | 63 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph |
| Availability | 500 pieces |
| Price | A$3,990, €2,100 |