Baltic and SpaceOne have unveiled their first collaboration: the Seconde Majeure, an architectural time-only watch that employs a newly-developed jumping hours module developed by French independent watchmaker — and F.P. Journe Young Talent Winner — Théo Auffret.

This collaboration was born from a meeting of the minds at Baltic’s offices more than four years ago when Mr Auffret first met Guillame Laidet. That encounter ultimately led to the creation of SpaceOne, an inventive entry level brand with space-age designs. From that chance meeting at Baltic, the two brands have teamed up on their first collaborative project.

Initial thoughts

On paper, these two brands are near-diametrically opposed. Baltic makes vintage-inspired watches in a traditional form, while SpaceOne takes a deconstructed and highly creative approach to watches that look like they’ve just fallen from orbit. What ties the two brands together for this collaboration is a friendship, and shared vision for how to bring thoughtful design to a lower price point.

As the year unfolds, 2026 continues to feel like the year of the jumping hours watch. The Seconde Majeure is another watch reinforcing that trend, but it also taps into the growing desire for architectural watchmaking and hand finishing across wider price points in the market. In that sense, it reminds me of the Christopher Ward C12 Loco.

Baltic and SpaceOne have taken an interesting path in bringing the Seconde Majeure to market, making it available for pre-order between May 12th and May 17th, shipping to customers in November this year. During this six-day order window the watch will ostensibly be available to everyone who places an order — production will be limited to the number of orders placed within the order window.

Though not entirely novel, it’s an unusual strategy designed to balance availability with the capacities of the respective brands.

The Seconde Majeure will be priced at €2,500 for the brushed finish and €3,500 for the charbonné finish. On paper, the 40% price rise to get the charbonné finish on the dial may be too much for some buyers to come to terms with, but compared to the prices of other watches with hand-finished movements it’s reasonable.

A jumping hours regulator

The Second Majeure features a regulator-style jumping hours display with hours read at 12 o’clock and minutes displayed at six o’clock, tied together with a crosshair above the dial that bridges them together. Just below the centre line of the dial, a long second hand — which gives the watch its name — brings motion to the face of the watch.

The dial itself is sapphire crystal, revealing the warm-toned base plate for Mr Auffret’s jumping hours module. The plate is milled from a single piece of maillechort — German silver — and is available in two finishes: brushed, or Mr Auffret’s signature charbonné treatment.

This finish is achieved entirely by hand over a number of hours and gives each watch a slightly unique, unrepeatable pattern. The plate is otherwise unadorned save for the ‘Baltic x SpaceOne’ signature and the ‘Paris-Made’ text.

The transparent hour and minute wheels are printed with an appealing space-age typeface that works surprisingly well in the otherwise traditional design. It turns out the celestial aesthetic of SpaceOne transforms Baltic’s throwback designs into an appropriately Jules Verne-esque steampunk look befitting a (mostly) Parisian-made watch.

The 38.5 mm stainless steel case draws upon Baltic and SpaceOne’s unique design languages. With a crown out of the way at 12 o’clock, the mid-case and the tops of lugs are brushed. The bezel is polished and concave, which helps make the 12.3 mm-thick watch appear slightly thinner than it is.

The movement

Underpinning the Seconde Majeure is an automatic Soprod cal. P024, though the jumping hours complication module has been developed by Théo Auffret in-house. Baltic has used Soprod calibres before, and the familiar off-the-shelf base movement gives the Seconde Majeure a 46-hour power reserve.

The movement is hidden behind a polished steel case back that’s engraved with the address of manufacture in Paris and the watch’s individual production number in flowing script.

The real horological interest, however, is front and centre. Thanks to the transparency of the dial, the wheels of the jumping hours complication are on show, and are nicely finished considering the value-oriented pricing.

Below the minute disc is the jumping hours module’s central control wheel that rotates once every 60 minutes. Once it completes a full rotation, it engages the 12-toothed star wheel, while the jumper spring to its left holds pressure on the star wheel. As the star wheel rotates and pressure builds and the hours jump when the jumper spring settles back between the star wheel’s next tooth.

Key facts and price

Baltic x Space One Seconde Majeure

Diameter: 38.5 mm
Height: 12.3 mm
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 50 m

Movement: Soprod P024 with Jumping-Hour complication module by Théo Auffret
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 beats per hours (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 42 hours

Strap: Alcantara strap

Limited edition: Yes, limited by order duration
Availability: Available for pre-order from May 12 to May 17, with delivery in November 2026
Price: €2,500 (brushed finish) or €3,500 (charbonné finish) excluding taxes

For more, visit Baltic-watches.com.