Alan Tsao of Tsao Baltimore loves that place like only a true Baltimorean can. I also like Charm City, but only in the bemused manner of an outsider who married into a Baltimore family. Still, I have learned enough to recognize its denizens in the wild. I know that when they ask you what school you went to, they mean high school, not college, and your answer speaks volumes. I know they distinguish between real Maryland crab cakes (lump meat, little filler, broiled) and crab cakes made anywhere else in the world (violent hissing). I know they compulsively shout the “OH” in the national anthem, even when they are not at an Orioles baseball game. Baltimoreans are good people, and Alan has brought their spirit into models like the Torsk-Diver, the Constellation Chronograph, and the Legacy. His most recent creation rounds out the collection with the descriptively named Balt-Pilot Worldtimer.
The Balt-Pilot is named for the Martin 187 Baltimore, or the A-30 bomber, known to the men who flew it in WW2 as “The Balt.” With that namesake, the watch had to be, first and foremost, a rugged tool. As such, it has a titanium case, 200m water resistance rating, large crowns, sapphire crystals front and rear, and abundant lume. To keep that brushed metal looking good, Tsao treats it with a 1200Hv hardening coating.
This is not a small watch. The specs list it as 40mm wide, and while that is true, it is also 15mm thick. Blunt, squared lugs, Tsao’s signature grooves in the case sides, and a tall box crystal add to its imposing profile. A bit of polish on the outer edges of the fixed bezel and case breaks it up a bit, but the overall impression is that of a large, not mid-sized, watch.
And yet, it doesn’t feel like a brute. Titanium construction goes a long way in that department, keeping the Balt-Pilot surprisingly lightweight for all its visual heft. Its lugs turn sharply downward, limiting the length and providing a manageable 48mm while providing a more natural contour. It looked just fine on my 6.75″ wrist, exhibiting a burly presence without being overwhelming.
This is a twin-crown watch, so let’s take the time to examine them. Both screw-down. The one at 10 o’clock is the taller of the two. It controls the internal world time bezel and is decorated with a stylized detail from the Maryland state flag.
At 3 o’clock, we have the primary crown. It is flatter than the bezel crown and broader. Of this, I highly approve. Tool and dive watches generally have big crowns; however, pilot’s watch crowns can be borderline enormous. This was necessary back in the days of unpressurized airplane cabins and massive flight gloves, far less so in the post-war period, and I’d venture not at all today. Even if you are piloting a Piper Cub, you are not relying on your watch for navigation. All of which is to say that crowns can stand to be a little more sensibly sized, even on pilot’s watches. As such, I like Tsao’s approach, giving us a crown that is plenty big yet low enough to be comfortable and, to my eye, far more attractive. It also has a nifty engraving of the A-30.
Inside, the Balt-Pilot beats a Seiko NH34 automatic, the movement that launched a thousand mechanical GMTs under $1,000. Ok, maybe not a thousand exactly, but many. It’s an excellent choice. I love the trusty NH architecture in a tool watch. It’s reliable, inexpensive, and can be regulated to a high degree of accuracy. What it is not is highly decorated, although Tsao livens it up with a nicely engraved custom rotor.
The Balt-Pilot’s dial is an absolute treat. I saw the whole range, including Raven (purple), Polar White, Stealth Black, Dark Emerald, and Meteorite. They are all gorgeous, but this Crimson Red? Damn, it’s pretty! It strikes me as a candy-apple color, particularly with that lustrous sun-ray effect. Orange accents on the GMT hand and model name made me wonder a bit at first, but they look pretty fabulous.
You may have noticed the new (applied) logo that features those state flag elements. Rest assured, Tsao Baltimore is not rebranding. It is just something special for this collection.
We East Coast urbanites of the United States tend to think that we are the center of the world, so it is only natural that an Eastern American city tops the bill on the world time bezel. What city should represent the coveted GMT -5 position? Perhaps our largest city, New York, or the seat of power that is Washington, D.C.? Nope. Not if you are from Baltimore.
Tsao Baltimore Balt-Pilot Worldtimer crown detail
When the lights go down, the Bat-Pilot’s lume goes to work. Tsao lit up nearly everything. Those fat pilot hands are brimming with Swiss T-CX1 Super-LumiNova, as is the second hand. All of the markers for the 12- and 24-hour indexes light up along with every hatch mark in between. Are the cities lumed? You bet they are, although this is more for fun than for practical use because fine print that glows is still fine print. My middle-aged eyes had difficulty reading it after the initial burst wore off. Even the crowns— both of them — get a dose of the glowy stuff. The primary crown even gets it in two tones. It looks fantastic. Oddly, though, the orange GMT hand does not share the orange lume that rings the crown, so it stays dark.
Tsao Baltimore has never made a bad bracelet, and their winning streak continues unabated with this 20mm three-link titanium piece. The endlinks are tight, razor-sharp, and fitted with quick-release pins for easy removal. Of course, it is finished and hardened, just like the case.
The stainless steel clasp features a push-button micro-adjustment mechanism. This is the third one I’ve seen in three reviews, and I’d be pretty happy for it to be the new industry standard as it makes for an attractive, low-profile clasp with unmatched convenience.
The clasp is also impressive on the outside, displaying crisp engraving and polished chamfers. As you can see in the photo below, it is neatly proportioned and overpowers neither the links nor the watch head.
Alan does not do anything in half measures. That ethos is crystal-clear in the Balt-Pilot. You get the impression that every element was studied and reimagined to be the best it could possibly be for this particular watch. As a result, the Balt-Pilot is solid, handsome, and as exciting as the last two minutes of a Ravens game.
The Tsao Baltimore Balt-Pilot Worldtimer is $750, and if you snap one up this Black Friday, you’ll get it on sale with a free canvas/rubber hybrid strap to boot.
For more information or to order your own, visit tsaobaltimore.com.
