Introducing Nu-vintage specialists Baltic team up with affordable complications masters SpaceOne on the Seconde Majeure

Photos by Mark Kauzlarich

Though there is only one “X” in the name, the Baltic x SpaceOne Seconde Majeure is the latest French horo-collaboration, and actually an amalgam of four different personalities. You’ll know Etienne Malec - the founder of Baltic and fan of all things vehicular and horological, especially if their designs are novel takes on the past.

From the Baltic side, there’s also the brand’s creative director Jas Rewkiewicz who makes sure that their designs aren’t just vintage watches made again. Bringing technical mastery that earned him several GPHG nominations (a win is more of a question of when rather than if) is Théo Auffret, backed by the business know-how of multi-brand owner Guillaume Laidet.

Now that we’ve met the protagonists - which is what the press release calls them - let’s take a closer look at the watch. The Seconde Majeure is all about taking an off-the-shelf movement that ensures relative affordability and taking it to heights originally never intended. The Soprod P024 is SpaceOne’s usual candidate, and in this case, adapts a jumping hour module designed by Auffret and separates the minutes for a complex, but intriguing display.

The module’s workings are on full display beneath the sapphire dial discs, controlled by a central minute wheel that triggers the jumping module’s “star wheel” (that doesn’t look exactly like a star wheel, but we’ll let it slide) by way of a spring to the left of the centre pinion.

When I first heard that Baltic and SpaceOne are working on a watch together, I couldn’t quite picture what that would look like. Both brands have a very clear identity, and I had no idea how those two would mesh together. Well, the Seconde Majeure somehow manages to combine both Baltic’s penchant for vintage and SpaceOne’s tendency for the avant-garde in a way that’s surprisingly cohesive, but also not a product that would fit into either of the brand’s current catalogues. That’s no slight to the design - I actually think it looks ace.

Auffret’s accolades on the mechanical side are difficult to question, though the case does reveal some shortcomings of using a readily available calibre. The crown positioning at 12 is a neat way to avoid damaging the visuals of the mid-case, though in practice, it does make it more difficult to wind than a standard 3 o’clock crown. While this is not really noticeable on-wrist thanks to the claw-like lugs, the case is also a bit thick at over 12mm, so I do wonder whether that could’ve been rectified by the team removing the automatic winding. Granted, that would necessitate moving the crown to 3 o’clock, but it’s a compromise I’d be willing to put up with considering the overall design language is of a traditional, high-end independent.

As is the case of many Baltic releases, and one of the main raisons d'être behind SpaceOne, all of these aspects need to be contextualised by the asking price. Starting at €2,500, they’re hardly things to complain about, and more akin to loveable quirks. I did hint at the special charbonné dial finish being a whopping 40% more expensive, but nobody’s making you opt for that when ordering your watch... Though I do think quite a few people will be drawn to its hand-made appeal.

I’ve separated this into its own section as I’m sure many will be wondering. To the credit of the brands involved, the Seconde Majeure is limited by time rather than number. The pre-order period opens on the 12th of May and closes five days later, with all orders placed honoured, and each watch individually engraved on the caseback. That seems as optimistic as it does most fair for everyone who wants to get one, and even the delivery estimate of November 2026 is not at all atypical.

Brand: Baltic x SpaceOne
Model: Seconde Majeure

Diameter: 38.5mm
Lug-to-Lug: 47.5mm
Thickness: 12.5mm
Case Material: 904L stainless steel
Dial Colour: Sapphire, brushed or charbonné gold plate finish
Indexes: Brushed or charbonnée finish on rose-colored maillechort plate, with sapphire discs
Lume: None
Water Resistance: 50m
Strap/Bracelet: Alcantara® strap by Delugs, 20mm lug width

Caliber: Soprod P024 with jumping hour complication module by Théo Auffret
Functions: Jumping hours, minutes
Diameter: 26mm
Thickness: 4.6mm
Power Reserve: 42 hours
Winding: Automatic winding
Frequency: 4 Hz

Price: €2,500 (Brushed); €3,500 (Charbonné)
Availability: Available for pre-order from May 12th to May 17th, 2026
Limited Edition: Individually numbered, limited by the number of orders placed during these six days

For more, click here.