Baltic and SpaceOne just made one of the most unexpected watches of 2026

Two of France’s most distinctive watchmakers have made a watch together. Baltic and SpaceOne, brands that really have no business collaborating, have done exactly that, and the result is the Seconde Majeure.

The two brands couldn’t be more different. Baltic does vintage-inspired, heritage-soaked watches, while SpaceOne makes things that look like they fell off a spacecraft. Yet the collaboration exists because of friendship (how sweet).

Baltic’s Etienne Malec and SpaceOne’s Théo Auffret and Guillaume Laidet met in 2021, and five years later that bond has produced a watch.

And what a watch. The Seconde Majeure ditches traditional hands entirely, replacing them with sapphire discs.

Hours appear at 12 o’clock, minutes at 6, both guided by arrow-tipped crosshairs. A large seconds hand sweeps above the whole arrangement. I love it.

The real technical story is the jumping-hour complication, developed by Auffret himself. A central control wheel completes one rotation every 60 minutes, engaging a 12-toothed star wheel that snaps the hour disc forward.

A visible jumper spring provides the tension for that satisfying mechanical jump.

The whole mechanism is exposed and readable through the dial – cut from a single piece of maillechort, which acts as both decoration and structural support. It’s genuinely clever engineering.

The case is new ground for both brands. At 38.5mm in 904L stainless steel, it takes cues from independent watchmaking with a polished concave bezel and low-hanging arched lugs that sit naturally on the wrist.

A beige Alcantara strap from Delugs finishes the package.

There are two dial options are available. The brushed version is clean and graphic, while the Charbonné finish, applied entirely by hand in Auffret’s atelier, gives each piece a uniquely smoky, textured character. I’d take the Charbonné every time.

The Seconde Majeure opens for pre-order on 12th May and closes on 17th May. Production is limited to whatever orders are placed in those six days.

Prices start at €2500 (approx. US$3000 / £2100) for the brushed version and €3500 (approx. US$4100 / £3000) for the Charbonné. Shipping is expected to begin in November 2026.

Liked this? Swatch x Audemars Piguet Royal Pop: here’s everything we know so far

Spencer Hart Buying Guide Editor

About

As Buying Guide Editor, Spencer is responsible for all e-commerce content on Stuff, overseeing buying guides as well as covering deals and new product launches. Spencer has been writing about consumer tech for over eight years. He has worked on some of the biggest publications in the UK, where he covered everything from the emergence of smartwatches to the arrival of self-driving cars. During this time, Spencer has become a seasoned traveller, racking up air miles while travelling around the world reviewing cars, attending product launches, and covering every trade show known to man, from Baselworld and Geneva Motor Show to CES and MWC. While tech remains one of his biggest passions, Spencer also enjoys getting hands-on with the latest luxury watches, trying out new grooming kit, and road-testing all kinds of vehicles, from electric scooters to supercars.

Areas of expertise

Watches, travel, grooming, transport, tech