Worn & Wound
Baltic Introduces the Hermétique in New Summer Colors
Baltic’s Hermétique feels like a little bit of a secret weapon to me. It’s riffing on vintage watches in a much more subtle way than many of the brand’s earlier releases, and has proven to be a great canvas for creative dial variations and is, honestly, one of the only bronze watches I actually like. When it was announced back in 2023, there was some grousing about the case size, but putting the watch on makes it clear that 37mm is exactly right for a watch in this style. It’s sleek (thanks in large part to the inset crown) and thin, and can be dressed up or dressed down – it’s just a very solid watch at a very easy to digest price point (check out Ed Jelley’s hands-on thoughts from the original launch right here). And while there’s a timeless, almost generic (in a good way) quality to the Hermétique, you can’t really fault Baltic for wanting to capitalize on the seemingly irrepressible desire of watch lovers to adorn their wrists with loud colors in the summer months. Hence, we have the new Hermétique Summer collection. These are watches that do exactly what it says on the tin. They’re the same Hermétiques we’ve become familiar with, but with dial colors that pop up when you search the #summerwatch hashtag on Instagram. Specifically, Baltic tells us they are drawing inspiration from the “California of the 70s.” Not being a Californian, nor alive in the 1970s, I can’t really speak to this personally, but as an evocation of a summery ideal,...