Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown Dive Watch
Starting from 670 €The Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown is an automatic dive watch that reinterprets the two-crown compressor case sixty years after its invention. Made by an independent French brand founded in 2016, it offers a compact 39 mm format, an internal bidirectional bezel operated by the crown at 2 o'clock and 200 metres of water resistance. Available in three versions, a sunray blue dial, a glossy black dial and a black PVD coated steel case, it cultivates a vintage look backed by careful finishing. With no date and legible day or night thanks to Super-LumiNova BGW9, it suits fans of neo-retro divers looking for a versatile tool watch, comfortable for daily wear and offered at an accessible price.
Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown dive watch
Baltic is an independent French brand founded in 2016 by Etienne Malec. Its story begins with the discovery of his father's watch collection and notebook, whose family roots lie on the northern coast of Poland, which is where the brand's name comes from. The project took shape with a crowdfunding campaign in 2017, which gave rise to the first two models, the HMS 001 and the Bicompax 001. Baltic has since stuck to a direct sales model, designed to remove the industry's traditional margin, with production split between Hong Kong for most components, France for assembly, regulation and straps, and Italy for accessories. The workshop in Besançon handles assembly and quality control of the watches.
The Aquascaphe is the brand's house diver, originally inspired by a Blancpain Bathyscaphe signed Waltham inherited from the founder's father. Introduced in April 2021, the Dual-Crown is its super compressor variant. It borrows the codes of the case invented six decades earlier: two crowns, with the one at 2 o'clock operating an internal bidirectional bezel graduated over sixty minutes, placed under the crystal and thus protected from impacts and accidental manipulation. Compared with the original Aquascaphe, the crystal is flatter, the sandwich hour markers give way to wider printed markers, and the dial drops the date. The first three hundred pieces were numbered.
Technical specifications Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown
- Brand: Baltic
- Model: Aquascaphe Dual-Crown
- Indicative price: From €670
- Movement: Automatic
- Power reserve: 42 hours of power reserve
- Calibre: Miyota 9039
- Diameter: 39 mm
- Thickness: 11.9 mm
- Water resistance: 200 m (20 ATM)
- Materials: 316L steel
- Crystal: Single-dome sapphire
- Dial: Sunray blue or glossy black
- Strap: Rubber, or steel rice grain or flat link
- Warranty: 24 months
The Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown diver
The Dual-Crown is immediately recognisable by its two-crown architecture, inherited from the compressor cases of the 1960s. The crown at 2 o'clock operates the internal bidirectional bezel graduated over sixty minutes; it is not screwed down, so it can still be operated underwater, without compromising the 200 m (20 ATM) water resistance. The second crown, at 4 o'clock and screw-down, handles winding and time setting. Both receive an engraved waffle finish that contributes to the model's visual identity. The dial follows the opposite logic to accumulation: no date, wide printed markers, a triangle at 12 o'clock and hands designed for instant reading.
Hour markers and hands are treated with Super-LumiNova® BGW9, which guarantees clear legibility in darkness as well as in murky water. The internal bezel, housed under the single-dome sapphire crystal fitted with an internal anti-reflective treatment, is shielded from impacts and accidental rotation, a concrete advantage over external bezels. The rest comes down to proportions. With its 39 mm diameter and 11.9 mm thickness, the watch stays discreet under a cuff and suits a range of wrist sizes. The whole package claims a neo-retro spirit, faithful to the Aquascaphe line while standing apart with a flatter profile and a cleaner dial.
Three versions for a vintage tool watch
The Aquascaphe Dual-Crown comes in three variants. The first features a sunray blue dial in a 316L steel case alternating brushed and polished surfaces. The second uses the same case with a glossy black dial, heavily lacquered, which reflects light differently depending on the angle. The third, called Black PVD, coats the steel in a black PVD finish: its chamfers are polished through the treatment, revealing bare steel along the edges, a rare detail that traces the outline of the case. Finishing is where the model really expresses itself. Brushed hands, polished chamfers, circular brushing on the lugs and, on the fixed bezel, a radial finish known as brushed tourbillon that catches light in an unusual way on a diver at this price point.
The lugs measure 20 mm lug width for a lug-to-lug of 47 mm, dimensions that make strap swapping easy and keep the wrist presence contained. On the strap side, the blue and black versions can be ordered on vulcanised Rubber Sport rubber or on steel rice grain or flat link bracelets, while the PVD version is offered only on rubber. The intended use is that of a vintage-style diver worn daily, rather than a technical diving instrument, since the bezel is bidirectional rather than unidirectional with a ratchet. Launched at 650 euros in 2021, the Dual-Crown is now offered from 670 euros depending on the version and strap chosen.
Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown dive watch: the compressor spirit
The Aquascaphe Dual-Crown combines a 39 mm 316L steel case, an 11.9 mm thickness, a 47 mm lug-to-lug and 200 metres of water resistance. Its compressor architecture relies on two crowns: the one at 2 o'clock sets the internal bidirectional bezel graduated over 60 minutes, the one at 4 o'clock, screw-down, handles winding and time setting. The dial, sunray blue or glossy black, forgoes a date and relies on Super-LumiNova BGW9. The automatic Miyota 9039 movement offers 42 hours of power reserve and a hacking seconds function. Three versions, including one in black PVD, and several straps round out the offering.
Movement
The Dual-Crown relies on the Miyota 9039 calibre, a Japanese automatic winding movement with no date window, allowing for a perfectly symmetrical dial. It offers a 42-hour power reserve, enough to last a night off the wrist, or even a short weekend. The hacking seconds function allows for precise time setting down to the second, useful for synchronising the watch before a dive. This proven, widely used base has the advantage of simple maintenance and contained servicing costs.
Diameter and materials
The case measures 39 mm in diameter with an 11.9 mm thickness and a 47 mm lug-to-lug, contained dimensions that explain this model's praised comfort. It is cut from 316L stainless steel, available bare or with black PVD depending on the version. The single-dome sapphire crystal receives an internal anti-reflective treatment. The dial comes in sunray blue or glossy black, with no date, and the fixed bezel sports a radial brushed tourbillon finish that contrasts with the polished chamfers.
Water resistance
The watch offers 200 m (20 ATM) water resistance, a level consistent with recreational diving and more than enough for swimming and water sports. The winding crown at 4 o'clock is screw-down, while the crown at 2 o'clock, which operates the bezel, is not, so it remains adjustable underwater without compromising pressure resistance. The internal bidirectional bezel graduated over 60 minutes allows tracking of dive time, and Super-LumiNova® BGW9 ensures legibility in darkness.
Accessories
Three straps feature in the catalogue for this model: the Rubber Sport in vulcanised rubber (FKM), offered in black or blue, and two metal options, the rice grain and the flat link, reserved for the steel versions. The PVD variant is offered only on rubber. The standard 20 mm lug width makes the watch compatible with the brand's entire strap range and makes it easy to switch styles depending on use. Baltic does not detail the box contents on the product page.
Warranty
Baltic covers its watches with a 24-month warranty, counted from the shipping date. It covers defects found under normal use and excludes damage resulting from abnormal use, lack of care, negligence, accidents or failure to follow the brand's instructions. The company also applies a 14-day window for returns and exchanges, provided the watch is returned unused in its original packaging, with its tags.
Baltic Aquascaphe Dual-Crown The pros
and cons
- Two-crown compressor case
- Compact 39 mm format
- 200 metres water resistance
- Three versions including one PVD
- Assembled in France
- Bidirectional bezel, less secure for diving
- Entry-level Japanese movement
- Power reserve limited to 42 hours
- Steel bracelets cost extra
Discover all the brand's models!
Prices and technical specifications are subject to change. Content and photos are not contractual.
