You might have noticed that lately I’ve been reviewing quite a few watches from Eastern Europe. That’s no coincidence. After conducting in-depth research on the Russian watch industry (driven by the fact that I used to be a passionate collector of USSR-made watches), I gradually expanded my interest to the broader development of watchmaking across Eastern Europe. By now, I already own watches from Belarus, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Croatia (although that one’s a bit of an outlier, as the watches are only designed and sold in Croatia, but made in Germany), Slovakia. So, it’s no surprise that today my focus shifts to Poland.
I came across two watch brands closely associated with Poland, both with strikingly similar names: Baltic and Balticus.
While Baltic is only partially tied to Poland through the heritage of its founder – with watches made in China and assembled in France – Balticus is a fully Polish company, producing timepieces marked “Made in Poland.” Naturally, I decided to go with Balticus.
The founder and owner of Balticus is Bartosz Knop, who comes from Władysławowo. Before entering the world of watchmaking, he spent many years abroad working in the food and beverage industry, where he gained valuable experience – and the capital needed for a new venture. Among other things, he was a co-founder of a fish processing company. During one of his travels, he encountered the Icelandic boutique watch brand JS Watch. These finely crafted timepieces from a small island at the edge of the world inspired Bartosz to follow his dream and create a new brand of exclusive watches: Balticus, which has been operating since 2015. The brand’s name is, of course, a tribute to the Baltic Sea.
As Bartosz Knop is not a watchmaker himself, he teamed up with the Ogrodowicz family of watchmakers from Gdynia. Most Balticus watches are now assembled there, and the family also takes part in the design and development process of new models.
The last important person behind the Balticus brand is Mateusz Przystal, who serves as the brand’s lead designer.
Over the past nine years, Balticus has been remarkably productive – the company now offers a wide variety of watches spread across ten collections. So choosing just one wasn’t easy.
In the end, I went for their most expensive model: a limited edition Stardust Chronograph in Damascus steel, limited to just 50 pieces. It’s worth noting that the Stardust Chronograph also exists in a standard stainless steel version, which is essentially identical to the Damascus model, with one key difference – the case material.
As a consequence of the different case material, another distinction becomes evident: the standard steel version comes with a steel bracelet and includes an additional leather strap, while the Damascus version is sold only on a leather strap. The reason is fairly obvious – a regular stainless steel bracelet wouldn’t visually match the Damascus case, and producing a matching Damascus bracelet would likely be prohibitively expensive. However, the Damascus model does include a leather strap with a Damascus steel buckle, which nicely complements the case.
Speaking of the leather strap – it originally comes in brown, with matching brown stitching. Since the dial is blue, brown isn’t a bad choice, but personally, I would have preferred a blue strap for better harmony. Luckily, the strap features quick-release lugs, so adding an additional blue strap would be a big advantage.
That said, the shape of the case and the way the strap integrates into it is another argument in favor of having a spare, custom-made strap. Standard straps don’t fit this case properly. So, if you’re someone who likes to switch straps often, this watch isn’t the easiest – it requires handmade or specially tailored straps.
I also have to criticize the finishing quality of the buckle. The inner edge surfaces were extremely sharp – so much so that the buckle actually scratched the skin on my wrist. I had to carefully smooth and brush those edges myself before I could wear the watch comfortably at all.
The case, on the other hand, is very precisely made, with smooth and well-finished edges throughout. One particularly interesting detail can be seen on the back side of the case, just above the serial number, where there’s a recessed cut into one of the layers – a small but eye-catching touch.
As the photos already reveal, the case features a sapphire see-through caseback, marked with a large "B" in the center, offering a clear view of the 7750 movement. Around the glass, only the most essential information is engraved: Balticus branding, reference number, serial number, and WR 10 ATM.
But let’s return to the front of the watch – easily the most intriguing part of the entire design. Aside from the case, the fixed bezel is also made of Damascus steel. Here too, you can see some “imperfections” resulting from the cutting and brushing of individual steel layers – for example, between 11 and 12 or between 5 and 6 o’clock. These natural irregularities ensure that every piece is unique, with a different pattern and texture. I'm not quite sure why the bezel is divided into just six segments, but visually it works well and gives the watch character.
The dial is equally fascinating and visually striking. It’s made of mineral blue aventurine, whose shimmering inclusions create a convincing starry-sky effect. Under the right lighting conditions, this sparkle becomes especially attractive. Thankfully, the chronograph sub-dials, day/date window, and applied hour markers keep the overall composition balanced, preventing the shimmer from becoming overwhelming.
The dial layout itself is clean and thoughtfully executed. There’s no unnecessary text – just the Balticus logo above the day/date window and a very subtle “Made in Poland” at the bottom. I particularly appreciate the minimalist design of the hour markers, each accompanied by a tiny luminous dot just above it.
The tachymeter scale is placed on an inner ring surrounding the dial. This ring isn’t made of aventurine, but its color has been matched to the dial, maintaining overall visual coherence.
The hands are exceptionally well-designed and highly legible. The chronograph seconds hand is especially discreet – which means you’ll never confuse it with the minute hand, as can sometimes happen with other chronographs. This dial is a rare combination: attractive, clean, and highly functional.
I also appreciate the design of the chronograph pushers, which are made of Damascus steel as well. They aren’t aggressive or bulky – they don’t stick out, but instead follow the natural contour of the case. The crown is also well-proportioned and nicely signed.
The Luminova is quite good overall. My only remark would be that I’d personally skip it on the chronograph hands – but perhaps some users do need to use the chronograph function in the dark as well.
As already mentioned, the watch is powered by the ETA 7750, so there’s no need for a deep dive into precision here. I can simply confirm that it performs well and stays within the expected parameters for this movement.
With a case diameter of 42 mm, a height of 15 mm, and a lug-to-lug (L2L) length of 51 mm, the watch wears quite prominently on wrists over 19 cm – as you can clearly see in the photos below. Despite its presence, it remains very comfortable on the wrist. The strap is of good quality and feels solid in daily use.
However, I must again point out the poor finishing on the buckle. In the last photo, you can clearly see the sharp edge that constantly irritates the skin. I have no idea whether the remaining 49 watches suffer from the same issue – maybe I was just unlucky – but it’s definitely something worth checking.
That said, you can also see how well the brown strap complements the blue aventurine dial. It’s a surprisingly harmonious combination.
The watch arrived in a fairly standard presentation box. Inside it, the watch was placed in a leather pouch – a kind of travel case – which is said to be handmade, although I can’t personally confirm that.
What surprised me, however, was the complete absence of any documentation. No manual, no warranty card, nothing. I purchased the watch from Julian Kampmann at the Poljot24.de webshop, which has only recently become an official Balticus dealer. Naturally, I received his invoice. In disbelief, I contacted him regarding the missing papers, and he confirmed that he had not received any documents from Balticus for their watches.
According to Balticus' official website, a Polish-language instruction manual should be included, so my guess is that the brand simply doesn’t provide it outside Poland. Just before publishing this review, Mr. Kampmann informed me that he had finally received warranty cards from Balticus, and that mine is now on its way. Better late than never, I suppose…
Now let’s talk about the price.
Uff. €3,400 for the Damascus version, and €2,900 for the standard steel model. That’s a lot – especially for a relatively unknown brand from Poland. These prices are on par with some very established Swiss heritage brands, and there are quite a few reputable companies offering ETA 7750-powered watches for significantly less.
I’m not sure whether the use of Damascus steel justifies such a price premium – especially when you consider that the standard version comes with both a steel bracelet and a leather strap. Each potential buyer will have to decide for themselves whether the Damascus case offers enough added value. I can say that I’ve received a lot of positive feedback about the unique Damascus look, but technically, the watch is no better than the standard version.
A quick search on Chrono24 seems to confirm that something is off with the official retail price. Even authorized Balticus dealers from Poland (not grey-market sellers) are offering both versions for considerably lower prices.
P.S. UPDATE
I have now received the warranty card. It’s clear that Balticus is still primarily focused on the Polish market, as the card is written entirely in Polish.
Mr. Kampmann also took my feedback seriously and is now offering a free original blue strap to his customers. This blue strap comes with an original buckle as well, but it’s made of standard steel rather than Damascus steel. Interestingly, this buckle is much more comfortable than the Damascus one.
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Balticus is made in China. Made in Poland its a fake dial print. All watches overpriced.