Introducing the Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown Divers

The last time we saw a new Baltic watch, it was in the form of their heavily vintage-inspired Aquascaphe GMT. Bright colored bezels that evoked an era of jet-set dive watch hybrids that no one on the Worn & Wound staff was alive to see, their faux nostalgia was nevertheless welcome purely for its carefully crafted style. Today, we’re seeing another extension of Baltic’s dive watch family, which too draws on the past, but has a distinctly modern edge we’ve yet to see from the brand.

Known simply as the Aquascaphe Dual-Crown, their newest aquatic timekeepers feature, as you clearly already know, two crowns and an internal bezel. A variant on the diver that is less common, though far from rare these days, they wear differently than external bezel divers, often coming off a bit more formal, as far as sport watches go. For the ADC (a most solid acronym) Baltic kept the general proportions of their Aquascaphe intact. At 39 x 47 x 11.5mm, they fall squarely into the goldilocks zone, and thanks to their expansive dials, actually wear a bit larger than expected, especially compared to their external bezel counterparts.

Though seemingly straightforward, as far as Dual-Crown divers go, Baltic has been surprisingly playful with their finishing, setting these watches apart from a crowded market. There are two primary finishes available, steel and black PVD plated. Before getting there, the case features some unique detailing. The bezel flares up from the mid-case, creating an overall slimming and eye-catching detail. Along the edge of the bezel and the top of the mid-case are thin polished bevels that created strong outlines to the case. Remember these, they come back later.

On top of the bezel is the first unique detail. The brushing spirals out, giving the bezel a sense of motion. Coyly named the “tourbillon brush” it’s not something you’d expect, not something you’ve likely seen (Etienne did mention some vintage UGs, but rare, old, yada yada), and the kind of thing I think more brands need to do stand out. This is especially exciting when it comes from a relatively young and small brand making affordable watches, but perhaps I’m biased.

The second, and perhaps even more exotic detail is only on the PVD model. Remember those bevels mentioned earlier? Well, on the PVD case they reveal polished steel below. The result isn’t the typical stealthy black diver you might expect. It’s quite odd, it’s as though the watch has gaps in it, but it’s not unappealing to my eye. This might end up being a love it or leave it detail, but it surely should get points for originality. I mean, I’ve literally never seen a brand do this before. With the tourbillon brush detail as well, the PVD model ends up being the more opulent option.

The dial of the ADC is a bit of a departure from the other Aquascaphe models, which all featured at least a 12 numeral and a vintage flair. Baltic opted for a sort of shark’s tooth triangle instead of a 12, and a mix of circles and rectangles with rounded corners for the other markers. Though a slight difference, the rounding of the rectangles gives them a distinctly contemporary look. The inner bezel then features numerals at intervals of ten, alternating with lines, and lines per minute for the first 20, and a similar sharky-triangle at the origin.

The fence post hour and minute hands carry over from other models, but the lume fill features rounded ends, and the seconds hand features a fat little pill shape instead of a circle. These add to the contemporary feel from the rounded rectangles on the dial. Though small details, the overall effect is large.

The ADC comes in two flavors, gloss black and deep sunray blue. The black speaks for itself, though I will note that it’s enamel-level shiney. The blue is an unexpectedly gorgeous color with strong green undertones making it verge on teal. The sunray effect is very subtle, just enough to create some variation of the color across the dial. Baltic was also able to perfectly match the bezel to the dial. This is one of the most handsome blue/greens I’ve come across, putting it right up there with the Farer Lander.

Powering the ADC is the Miyota 9039 allowing for a slim profile and no phantom date stop on the crown. Assembled and tested in France, the ADC will be priced at 650 Euros, or around $775, but is initially available at 15% off for the preorder of the first 300 units, which will be numbered and shipped in September. While dual-crown divers might not be the odd duck they once were, they are still a welcome change of pace, and Baltic’s take on the format is just unique enough to stand out. But beyond curious finishing techniques, what is perhaps most intriguing about these watches is that they are pulling away from the strictly vintage styling that the brand has been known for, which I hope is a sign of things to come. Baltic Watches