u/Firstruleofthisclub

Baltany S4106 Champagne Dial

Baltany S4106 Champagne Dial

Just kidding! Sorry... It's actually the silver dial.

But I caught a glimpse of what could have been in the low warm lighting and had to take a photo!

u/Firstruleofthisclub — 20 hours ago
▲ 39 r/VintageWatches+1 crossposts

[Zenith] Pie Pan + Crosshair + Date at 6

Cal 2542 PC

The dial and crystal has seen better days in the last 6 decades but still oozes vintage charm!

Apparently it's a "Stellina" which is just a nickname (Little Star) given by collectors for this line of watches. But I'd love to know more if someone can help point me in the right direction!

What surprised me about this watch is the date at the 6 position. We tend to view the symmetrical placement as a modern aesthetic but clearly it was done way back then. Does anybody else have vintage watches with a date at 6?

u/Firstruleofthisclub — 3 days ago

Baltany is emptying my wallet!

They just teased this on their Instagram today.

I'm actually hoping that the dial is ugly or the size is too big. Otherwise, my entire watch budget is going to Baltany this year...

If this is a Polerouter homage...

u/Firstruleofthisclub — 7 days ago

A Collage of Watches of Different Sizes for Comparison

I've been wearing my Baltany S4106 for the last 2 weeks and I'm surprised by how large it wears despite its diminutive 36mm sizing. Some bigger wristed users commented that they wish it were 38mm instead. But it actually wears like a 38mm so I took some photos to show it.

Above are photos taken at basically the same distance, zoom, and angle on my 6.25 inch wrist.

From left to right, top to bottom:

  1. San Martin SN0021 (37mm)
  2. Escapement Time King Seiko homage (35mm)
  3. Militado ML18 (36mm)
  4. Militado ML14 (36mm)
  5. Baltany S4106 (36mm)
  6. IXDAO JDX-06S (36.8mm)
  7. Watchdives WD003D (37mm)
  8. San Martin SN0140W (38mm)
  9. Thorn T023 V2 (40mm)
u/Firstruleofthisclub — 8 days ago
▲ 246 r/Baltanywatches+1 crossposts

Baltany is the king of vintage design homages. Their first run at the Omega pie-pan homage (S4090) was 38.5mm and had rounded dog leg lugs. They also had a crosshair dial with the S4092. Both releases were great but both felt like a few aspects kept it from being perfect. I'd argue that they learned from both S4090 and S4092 and released perhaps the most cohesive design to date.

I've worn it a week straight and here are some of my thoughts:

  1. The pie pan dial is a classic for a reason. The light play between the center dodecagon and the outer brushed ring makes this watch glow in all lighting. Picture 5 was taken in very very low lighting to highlight how it almost glows in the dark.
  2. The AR is incredibly good. Only a handful of other watches perhaps match it in clarity. Baltany is still the best in having consistently great AR on crystals across their entire lineup.
  3. The crosshair does not pass through the "Baltany" like it did on the S4092! I know that there are examples of watches where the crosshair does indeed pass through the texts on the dial, but it always makes me question if it was just an oversight or laziness to correct such an overlap on a dial. For me, the way the crosshair was done is a definite improvement and shows an intentional design decision.
  4. That super low rehaut just screams premium!
  5. In my opinion, 36mm is still ideal for vintage designs. This watch is all dial with its thin bezel and wears bigger than my other 36mm watches. If you truly have huge wrists, the S4090 might be more preferable for you at 38.5mm.
  6. The faceted dog leg lugs complete the look for this watch and complements the pie-pan and the 10 sided crown. For me, this is an improvement over the rounded dog legs on the S4090.
  7. The date window at 3 o'clock has a faceted frame! Some would have preferred that Baltany broke from the original and placed it at the 6 o'clock. I wouldn't have minded it at the 6, but this watch just gives off such an old-timey feel that I think the traditional placement at the 3 is more appropriate.
  8. The date wheel is not color matched to the dials! This would have bothered me had I not gone with the silver dial which matches very nicely. If a white date window bothers you on a gold, salmon, or black dial, maybe go with the silver dial.
  9. The Miyota 9015 is way quieter than my other watches with the same movement such as the Lorier Astra and Falcon. Can others chime in on the rotor noise from their S4106? Did I just get a lucky one?
  10. The custom rotor is cool. It wouldn't have moved the needle for me either way, but I definitely don't mind having it.
  11. Legibility is fine at most angles as the light reflects differently between the polished and faceted hands and the brushed sunburst dial. But note that there are definitely angles where the dial is shining so brightly that the hands are hard to make out.
  12. The hardened steel treatment places Baltany as 1 of 2 brands that even offers this feature. Bravo!

(Last two shots are mirror shots with one being flipped for clarity)

u/Firstruleofthisclub — 16 days ago