The collaboration between Baltic and SpaceOne looks really interesting, and I happen to like watches that are either timeless or controversial. The Seconde Majeure definitely falls into the latter category; on Reddit, people can’t agree on whether they find the watch ugly and completely overpriced or consider it innovative and a milestone for Baltic and French watchmaking. Let’s take a look at the watch first; all screenshots are from Baltic itself:
Seconde Majeure with two dials: Charbonné & Brushed
The watch comes with two different dials: Charbonné and Brushed. I prefer the Charbonné by a long shot over the Brushed, but it’s also significantly more expensive, and personally, it wouldn’t be worth it to me. In general, at just under €3,000, the watch is more expensive than what we’ve come to expect from Baltic so far, and adding another €1,000 for the Charbonné brings the watch slowly into Omega’s price range. As you can easily see, the watch is a jump hour model, meaning it doesn’t display the time with hour and minute hands; instead, the upper number at 12 o’clock indicates the hour, and the lower number at 6 o’clock indicates the minute. So in the pictures above, the time is 10:10am.
Beautiful Jumping Hour
I always find jump-hour watches a bit boring; the dials are too bare for my taste, and the watches have hardly any movement. Even though it’s certainly a major mechanical challenge, it doesn’t quite satisfy my idea of a watch as a piece of jewelry. But I think the Seconde Majeure gets it just right. A beautiful dial with plenty going on—I love the colors and the interplay of beige, silver, and gold. Design-wise, this is definitely a watch for me.
Dimensions
- Case material: 904L stainless steel
- Diameter: 38.5 mm
- Lug-to-lug: 47.5 mm
- Thickness: 12.3 mm
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal
- Dial: Brushed or Charbonné
- Movement: Automatic Soprod P024
- Power reserve: 42 hours
- Water resistance: 50 m (5 ATM)
But at 12.3 mm, the watch is quite thick, and on my wrist, thick watches quickly start to look like a hockey puck. With a lug-to-lug width of over 47 mm, I’m also not entirely sure if it would fit me well. And that brings us to the reason why I won’t be buying it, even though, in terms of design, it’s exactly the kind of watch I’d love to have in my collection. I’ve never worn a Baltic on my wrist before; this watch has completely different proportions than the others from Baltic, but the Seconde Majeure can only be pre-ordered between May 13 and 17. By the way, the watch won’t be shipped until the end of the year.
Why I won’t be buying the Seconde Majeure
But with such uncertain dimensions, the risk is simply too high for me. I really think it’s a shame that we have so few opportunities in Berlin—or in Germany in general—to check out microbrands at trade shows, in pop-up stores, or in microbrand shops like Infinitywatches in Prague. Because if the Seconde Majeure were a good fit for me, I wouldn’t think twice about buying it. Although, like Reddit, I find the price of just under €3,000 pretty steep. But as it stands, it will remain a watch that I admire from afar and hopefully see on someone’s wrist someday.
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