The Incredible Baltic Micro-rotor MR01
After the presentation of the fantastic Baltic Pulsometer Chronograph Monopusher produced for the “Only Watch” event in 2021, it was possible to guess that something great could be coming to the market.
The end of last month confirmed this, with the launch of its new Micro-rotor MR01 model, Baltic has definitely decided to raise the bar. Inspired by the vintage Patek Philippe 570, the new watch features a classic 36mm scaled-down case, a textured dial with Breguet numerals and a micro-rotor movement.
The new MR01 on the outside has the charm of a classic Calatrava and on the inside the robustness of a contemporary watch.
The automatic movement produced in China is far from the quality of the Swiss movements, but taking into account its price offers an interesting quality-performance ratio. Even so it comes with an interesting decoration where it stands out, the blue heated screws, jewels, bridges decorated in the circular Cotês de Genève style, golden micro-rotor engraved with “Baltic Watches”, and other notes in gold.
As for the main specs, the MR01 comes with a 36mm diameter by 44mm lug-to-lug distance and 9.9mm thick case including domed acrylic glass, crown at 3 o’clock and open case back. The textured dial is offered in three color variants – salmon, silver, blue; with applied Arabic numerals, railroad minute track, off-center small seconds with a radial pattern and leaf-style hands. Inside, the Hangzhou ELA05MN automatic movement micro-rotor operates, offering up to 42 hours of power reserve.
Although we praise the design of this model and openly confess how much we liked the watch, not everything is perfect, we highlight here some less positive points, starting with the acrylic glass, it seems hardly understandable that a watch with a price above € 500 does not come with sapphire glass, we also don’t understand why the crown does not come with the brand’s signature when all its other models do. On the dial, the only thing we would change was the position of the small seconds to 6 o’clock or even ban it from the dial, as it gave it greater symmetry, in addition to returning the beautiful Breguet “7” to the dial whose absence is a huge waste. Finally, and regarding the movement, we have nothing to add, it has been shown to be reliable in other watches and has an interesting quality-performance ratio.
The Baltic MR01 was available (as it sold out almost immediately) in a limited number of 200 units per variant, all of them came individually numbered, and in a special edition where you could buy all three variants together. With a market price of € 545 per individual unit and € 1,635 for the special edition that brings together the three variants, without VAT, it could soon be available again as a new round of the MR01 is planned for the beginning of 2022.
Our Opinion
We are not the first, and probably not the last, to say that we don’t know how Baltic manages to add so much value to their watches at such low prices, and the MR01 confirms that a classic-style dress watch with a fantastic execution at the dial, it makes us want to add one to our collection and with that, it is all said.
We also take the opportunity to say that we would very much like to see a new variant with a black dial with gilt accents like the “1/1” and as the sky is the limit, also a version of the Pulsometer Chronograph Monopusher for the market.
Read more here.
General Specifications:
Brand: Baltic
Model: Micro-rotor MR01
Dial: Salmon, silver, blue
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case Dimensions: 36 mm Diameter, 9.9 mm thickness
Crystal: Acrylic
Case Back: Open-through
Strap: Leather strap
Calibre: ELA05MN
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 Vph
Jewels: 30
Power Reserve: 42 Hours
Price: € 545 plus VAT
