In May of 2025, Baltic introduced a new racing inspired chronograph called the Scalegraph to mark their continued involvement with Tour Auto as official timekeeper. The watch featured a new design language from the French brand, as well as a surprisingly competent depth rating of 100 meters. It seems they had bigger plans for the watch, and we’re getting our first look at the next chapter with a new variation of the Scalegraph for the Transat Café L’Or, a double-handed Atlantic ocean spanning sailing epic. The race, which was formerly known as the Transat Jacques Vabre, recreates a historic coffee trading route between France and Brazil, and this year, the 17th running, marks the first with Baltic serving as the official timekeeper.
To accommodate the very different form of racing, the Scalegraph Transat Café L’Or Limited Edition gets a few notable changes compared to what we saw released around Tour Auto. First and foremost, the hour totalizer has been removed in favor of a date aperture placed at six o’clock. The ‘big eye’ design of the minute totalizer remains, now curtailed to 15 minutes, with each five minute segment highlighted to prioritize the countdown starting sequence of most yacht races. This represents a slightly shifted area of focus for the watch, while the remainder of the design keeps it firmly in the same strain of design we saw with the first Scalegraph.
The base dial welcomes a light tan color base, with a contrasting white chapter ring that persists to the sub-dials. The unique hour markers that frame the perimeter of the dial are also left unchanged, with a single Arabic numeral at 12 o’clock done in the brand’s san sarif typeface. It’s a warmer palette overall that brings a decidedly different personality to the design compared to the original. The base design works just as well here, and again taps into a classic look without feeling like an overt throwback attempt. This is the core of Baltic’s strength as a brand, and ultimately what will keep them interesting beyond any passing trends.
The steel 39.5mm case contains a manually winding Sellita SW511 BH a movement, and the whole package clocks in at 14.1mm in total thickness, which includes a domed crystal. Crown guards and screw down pushers make for a muscular presence, and an engraved caseback marks the watch’s connection to the Transat Café L’Or. This is a limited edition creation, with just 200 units planned for production, each individually numbered. In addition to being the official timekeeper of the event, Baltic will also have a presence on a Class40 boat led by skipper Lomano Takasi, so it’ll see some real world wear and tear over the course of the grueling race.
The Scalegraph Transat Café L’Or Limited Edition ships on a steel beads of rice style bracelet, and will come with a vulcanized rubber strap. Pricing is set at €1,750. Baltic
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