A Week on the Wrist with the Baltic HMS 003 – a watch this stylish shouldn’t cost so little

To betray my 30-something age and reference Zoolander, Baltic is ‘so hot right now’. 

Founded in 2016, Baltic Watches has exploded in popularity across recent years, offering slickly designed watches with solid movements, all at relatively affordable prices. While still a micro brand, Baltic is nevertheless a watchmaker to… watch, particularly with recent releases like the MR Roulette, Tricompax chronograph and a salmon dial HMS 003.

It’s the latter I’ll focus on, albeit the Silver Blue model released last year, as that’s a watch I bought and have been enjoying. The HMS range comprises two main models the HMS 002 and HMS 003, with a selection of dial, strap and bracelet–  beads of rice of flat-link versions –  options, and chronograph versions.

All the models look great to my eyes, but for a watch that’ll work on many occasions I opted for the aforementioned silver HMS 003 on a blue Italian leather strap.

Baltic HMS 003: The specs

Let’s talk specs and design. At 36.5mm in diameter and sporting a diminutive crown with an etched ‘B’, and topped with a domed hesalite crystal – giving it a 13mm thickness – the HMS 003 is in the realms of a dress watch without necessarily screaming it or being super-slim. A “step case” constructed of 316L steel with contrasting finishes, draws inspiration from art deco, creating a watch that feels both retro and modern at the same time. Just don’t expect to go swimming with it as it has a mere 50 metre water resistance, meaning it’s best to only expose the HMS to a slash of water then a deliberate dunk. 

Powering the three-hand, no-date watch is a Miyota 8315 calibre. This is a workhorse Japanese-made automatic movement offering accuracy of around minus 20 to plus 40 seconds a day, with a 60-hour power reserve. You can get a display case back for an extra €25, though I completely forgot to do that when ordering the HMS; I don’t feel I’m missing much from not seeing a functional if unremarkable movement. 

All in all, you get a pretty decent watch for €360, which is around £306 – thanks to Brexit, be prepared to pay 20% import tax taking the HMS 003 on leather to around £370. I still think that’s a good price, as I’m about to explain why this little Baltic watch is superb.

What is the Baltic HMS 003 like to wear?

The star of the show for the HMS 003 is its fantastic dial, with a level of finishing that I feel is almost ridiculous for its price. Baltic has used a combination of brushing, polishing and sandblasting to create a dial that’s flush with detail to drink in, yet is also unfussy with no extra complications.

At centre, you’ll find a crosshair segmenting part of the matte sandblasted dial, which I think would look great as it is. But applied on top of that is a brushed sector holding metallic blue polished indexes and numerals. Then beyond that is a brushed railway track sector indicating the minutes and seconds. The effect is an art deco-style sector dial with contrasting elements that draws the eye around and across it. Meanwhile, the polished applied indexes pop against the silver of the dial, adding to the contrast and playing with light wonderfully.

Speaking of which, the step case with its blend of horizontal and circular brushed elements and a polished bezel, can make light dance across it; in the rays of a setting sun, the HMS 003 is simply hypnotic to look at. And I say that as someone who’s impressed with the way my Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra handles light, and enjoys the ‘Lightcatcher’ case of the Christopher Ward C65 Dune; the fact that there's so much attention to detail from a watch that’s around the third of the price of the latter, let alone the Omega, is seriously impressive.

In terms of actually wearing the Baltic HMS 003, it’s 36.5mm diameter and more dressy design could make it a little inflexible to wear in a casual setting; not that I’m against one trying that, as a small Cartier Tank can look great when paired with a simple t-shirt and jeans. But the HMS 003 has an ace up its sleeve in that the lug-to-lug length is 46mm, giving the watch more wrist presence without necessarily being overly large.

As such, I find it looks great when worn with a tee, just as it does peeking out under the sleeve of a shirt or smart jacket. I like to wear the HMS 003 with a sharply cut Harrington jacket, plain tee and trousers, giving off a retro-modern vibe.

The combination of the case size, finish and protruding lugs simply makes the HMS 003 an interesting and very cool watch to wear in many situations, and one that belies its French roots – much like fashion brands like Dior and A.P.C blend sharp tailoring with an effortless style. It’s a throughline that goes across the rest of Baltic’s watches and makes it clear why the brand has got so much attention of late. 

However, the Baltic HMS 003 isn’t perfect. The movement is fine and keeps time well enough, but isn’t the most robust in my experience. And that hesalite crystal and the 50m water resistance means I baby the watch far more than I do with a £5,000 plus Aqua Terra. Some watches can look great with scuffs and scratches but I don’t think the HMS 003 is one of them; I have a scratch on the crystal, which could be buffed out with some polywatch, but I don’t recall it taking much to scratch in the first place. Also, the crystal has no anti-reflective coating, so under bright light it can be awash with reflections.

While the 20mm lug width is a great generic size for people who like swapping straps, I do feel the HMS 003 should live on a leather strap. I can’t see a Nato, rubber or sailcloth strap really suiting the watch.

At least mixing up the leather straps is easy enough with a quick release system. As you’ll see from the photos, I’ve worn the HMS 003 with a green strap, which – if you'll pardon the juxtaposition – I feel both compliments and contrasts against the watch’s silver and blue. Equally, the leather strap that came with the HMS 003 is rather lovely, featuring contrasting blue stitching and being supple to the touch.

Is the Baltic HMS 003 worth the money?

As an overall package, I really think you’d struggle to find a mechanical sector dial watch with this level of finish for the price Baltic is asking; the closest watch I’ve seen is the Longines Sector Dial from the brand’s Heritage Classic collection, and that comes in at £2,350 – you could get around eight HMS 003s for that price.

While I’d not be adverse to paying around £1,000 for an HMS 003 with a better movement and a screw-down crown, and perhaps a sapphire crystal, what Baltic currently offers still feels like a complete bargain.

In short, the Baltic HMS 003 offers a keenly priced watch steeped in style that'll subtly stand out for the crowd as you make your way from work to play.