This Stunning Sports Watch is the Official Timer of the Coolest Auto Race You’ve Never Heard Of

As the official timekeeper of Tour Auto 2025, Baltic designed a new chronograph steeped in racing heritage.

the dial, bezel and crown of a Baltic chronograph watch

Published March 31, 2025

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Baltic is the official timekeeper of Tour Auto, a French circuit race that pits rare and celebrated historic cars driven by hobbyists and collectors against each other.

Whether you’re a classic car enthusiast or appreciate automotive design, the annual race is one of the coolest in the world. For the 2025 running, Baltic designed a watch that is just as beautiful as the cars and in tune with the mid-twentieth-century racing spirit behind the event.

a blue Baltic chronograph on a man's wrist — The Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 sports a “big eye” register layout.

Baltic overhauled its Tricompax chronograph for this year’s race with a vibrant retro dial and brand-new subdial arrangement. Dubbed the Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025, it is an incredibly beautiful racing watch and unabashedly French.

a man holding a Baltic chronograph — Powered by a hand-wound Selitta movement, it is designed for timing race cars.

Painted in tonal blues with cream, red and steel accents, it fits right in with the classic Ferraris, Porches and Alpha Romeos competing in the event.

Most importantly, the Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 is powered by a Seilitta caliber SW510-M hand-wound movement worthy of timing such esteemed cars.

A race amongst history

Tour Auto began in 1991, but in spirit, it is a continuation of the Tour de France Automobile, established in 1899. It consists of six legs with multiple categories taking place over one week.

a Baltic chronograph with a blue suede strap on a man's wrist — The Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 has a 40-millimeter case and screw-down pushers.

In 2024, 241 unique cars participated, ranging from a partially restored 1955 Alpha Romeo to a 2004 BMW prototype, driven by contestants from all over the world. Most cars are vintage models restored not as showpieces but as genuine road racers.

The 2025 race begins in Paris on April 6 and winds through narrow roads and centuries-old villages of the French countryside to a finish line in Nice on April 12. All the driving is done on closed local roads, and each day ends with fabulous, champagne-drenched dinners at ritzy rest stops.

the case back of a Baltic watch — The case back of The Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 is signed with the Tour Auto 2025 logo.

Like a marathon, a handful of serious contestants compete for the victory, while most are there for fun. It is more about showing off your car, seeing other cars, and enjoying the culture than winning the race.

a Baltic chronograph on a man's wrist — The Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 comes with the choice between a beads of rice or flat link steel bracelet.

Many contestants time themselves with either chronograph watches or dash-mounted chronographs, in keeping with the event’s spirit. One of the race categories even requires timekeeping by chronograph only.

Analog time keeping

Baltic is the official timekeeper of Tour Auto for the third year in a row. Having issued limited-edition Tricompax references for the past two races, the French watchmaker pulled out all the stops with a new model this year.

a side view of a Baltic watch — The 14-millimeter thick case holds a signed crown.

The Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 features a “big eye” dial, with the minutes register being much larger than the other subdials. This was a common feature in 1970s racing chronographs because it increased legibility during competition.

Other dial highlights include a minimalist hour register with just a hand and a ring of dashes, concentric ring hour markers connected to lume dots and snailed dials at three o’clock and nine o’clock.

A tonal blue color scheme starts with the central dial and gets darker with the minute track and darker still at the bezel. The red, navy and light blue segments on the minutes register are a nod to the colors of the Tour de France Automobile.

Another improvement over the Tricompax is that the Scalegraph’s crown and pushers are all screw-down, increasing water resistance to 100m. The case shape and bezel design remain unchanged, but the case back is etched with the Tour Auto 2025 logo and numbered from the 400-piece limited edition collection.

a blue Baltic chronograph with a blue suede strap — The Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 comes with a second Alcantara faux suede pin buckle strap.

As arguably the most beautiful watch the small French brand has ever created, the Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 is worthy of timing the coolest auto race on the planet. We can only hope that the Scalegraph will become a regular production model in the near future.

Availability and pricing

The limited edition Scalegraph Tour Auto 2025 will be released at the start of the race on April 6, but it is now available for preorder from Balitc for $1,890.

The watch is sold with a choice between a beads-of-rice steel bracelet and a flat link steel bracelet, and it comes with an additional navy blue Alcantara strap.