In a shock French collaboration, Baltic has partnered with obscurity specialists SpaceOne to produce the Seconde Majeure, a jumping hour watch that blends both brands’ distinctive styles.
The Seconde Majeure uses a hand-finished dial with transparent discs to display the scrolling minutes and jump-hour complications, rather than hiding them behind a solid dial, as most others do.
Housed in a 38mm stainless steel case, this limited-edition novelty combines SpaceOne’s futuristic time-telling methods with Baltic’s classic proportions and elegant finishing.
This time of year always brings a few surprises, and while the wider community is laser-focused on the biggest brands in the industry, convinced that a new dial colour is the most innovative thing to happen since last year’s new dial colour, the microbrand corner of the market is slowly cooking. We’ve already seen a couple of niche-level jump-hour watches appear in the last couple of weeks, some more conventional than others, but I can safely say that I think nobody saw this coming. The watch in question is the Seconde Majeure, the result of almost six years of development by the French microbrands Baltic and SpaceOne, the brands that brought us watches such as the recent Heuers du Monde and the out-of-this-world Worldtimer from last year. For the Seconde Majeure, SpaceOne brings some obscurity to the mix, while Baltic calms things down, adding some French classic flair and refinement to produce something unlike anything we’ve seen from either brand.
First, the foundations. SpaceOne is well known for its watches that look more like Star Trek devices than traditional wristwatches, so for the Seconde Majeure, Baltic were clearly in charge of the proportions and case design. Traditionally circular in its design, the case measures a delightful 38.4mm in diameter, with relatively long lugs bringing the overall lug-to-lug measurement to a distinctly wearable 47.5mm. Thickness is manageable at 12mm, especially given the additional complications inside, and the first clue that this is not just a case borrowed from another Baltic is the recessed crown sitting at 12 o’clock; this is quite different indeed.
Particular attention has been paid to the case finishing, too, with linear brushing surrounding the mid-case, a cleanly polished, thin bezel to frame everything, and polished chamfers on the brushed, arched bevels that terminate neatly at the mid-case. Overall, it’s a considered design that wears comfortably yet still manages to look quite special when you take a closer look. Importantly, though, this watch doesn’t want you spending much time on the case; the dial is where it’s at.
Taking up a significant portion of the front of the watch, the dial is where SpaceOne’s influence begins to creep in. SpaceOne’s speciality is jumping hour mechanisms, so it makes sense that we’d see one here, but in a very different way to what we’ve seen from them before. Several jump-hour watches opt for a solid front case in place of a traditional dial, with small sapphire apertures highlighting the hour and minute displays, with a few odd ones choosing a single hand for the minutes. The Seconde Majoure takes a different approach, stacking off-centre transparent discs; jumping hours at the top, continuous minutes at the bottom, to display the time, while exposing subtle hints of the movement below.
The current time is still displayed in small windows at 12 and 6, highlighted by darkened backgrounds, but the printed, layered discs add significant, futuristic dimensionality. The main portion of the dial, surrounding the discs and featuring some subtle engraving, is crafted in maillechort (nickel silver) and treated to a charbonné finish, hand-applied at SpaceOne co-founder Théo Auffret’s Parisian atelier. The painstaking technique requires up to three hours of work per dial, and gives each watch a unique look with no two dials the same.
As evidenced by SpaceOne’s other models, they specialise in modifying readily available, reliable movements by incorporating bespoke modules to add complications and transform the time-telling functions. This is sensible, because developing entire movements takes considerable time, expertise, and money, but that’s not to say that developing in-house modules is easy. The base calibre in the Seconde Majeure is the Soprod P024 automatic, which, in general, is a reliable and accurate workhorse, and this has been coupled to a bespoke jumping-hour complication module designed by Théo Auffret.
The movement offers a 38-hour power reserve while beating at 28,800 Vph, and that is perhaps the only real critique here, as SpaceOne seems to regularly leave the mainspring and barrel alone when modifying its movements. A larger one would have been nice to see, especially given the watch’s bespoke nature, but that said, it may have added more thickness to a movement that is already on the slightly thicker side, so perhaps that’s the compromise. It’s hidden behind a solid, engraved case back that features each watch’s unique number, and, given that the P024 is a relatively industrial-looking movement, this is no bad thing. Finally, finishing the watch is a light brown Alcantara strap from strap meistros Delugs, featuring light brown stitching, curved spring bars, and finished with a steel pin buckle.
Baltic x SpaceOne Seconde Majeure pricing and availability
The Baltic x SpaceOne Second Majeure is available to pre-order now at the Time+Tide shop or at the Discover Studios in London, New York and Melbourne, with deliveries expected in Q4 2026. Each watch is individually numbered and will only be available for a limited time. Price: €3,500 (incl. tax)
Brand
Baltic x SpaceOne
Model
Seconde Majeure
Case Dimensions
38.4mm (D) x 12mm (T) x 47.5mm (LTL)
Case Material
316L stainless steel
Crystal(s)
Sapphire front
Dial
Charbonné finished maillechort, semi-openworked
Strap
Light brown Alcantara, Delugs
Movement
Soprod P024 base, jumping hour module, automatic
Power Reserve
38 hours
Functions
Jumping hours, scrolling minutes, off-centre central seconds
Availability
Limited production, pre-order now from the Time+Tide shop
Price
€3,500 (incl. tax)
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