Baltic

Baltic was founded in 2017 in Besançon, France, by Etienne Malec, a French entrepreneur who had previously founded an eyewear brand. The project was born after Malec inherited the watch collection of his father, a photographer and collector, and decided to turn a personal passion into a business venture; the name "Baltic" pays homage to the family's origins on the Baltic coast.

In April 2017 the brand launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that raised over 500,000 euros in roughly 45 days, funding the development of its first two models, the HMS and the Bicompax, without resorting to traditional investors. Since then Baltic has kept a direct-to-consumer sales model, selling primarily through its own website rather than through a network of retailers.

Production relies on an international supply chain: most components are sourced in Hong Kong, leather straps and accessories are made in Italy, and assembly along with final quality control take place at the brand's own atelier in Besançon. The declared design philosophy is to combine "the best of the past with the best of today" — a neo-vintage approach expressed through compact cases, multi-zone "sector" dials, domed acrylic crystals, and a recurring use of the number twelve as a stylistic signature.