Tsao Baltimore Balti-Pilot Recon

I wanted a new watch. That’s how it always starts, isn’t it? My watch buying habits typically fall into one of two categories: I identify, research, and stalk a watch obsessively, pulling the trigger when I find the perfect deal or example, or I buy impulsively, usually due to finding a steal of a deal. This felt different - both impulsive and purposeful at the same time. For context, I recently had spine surgery for a herniated disc in my lower back,  and I was just beginning the excruciating process that is physical therapy. I wanted a watch to take with me through this journey, something to both motivate me and anchor me to the present moment. The problem, however, was that I had no idea what I wanted - except that it had to have an orange dial and it had to have killer lume. I posted across several subreddits and forums and got many great suggestions, but my white (Orange?) whale was elusive. I had the list narrowed down, but one name kept coming up and stuck out to me: Tsao Baltimore.

I moved around a lot growing up, but I was fortunate enough to spend formative years in cities that had very strong senses of identity - one of which was Baltimore. I’m going to make an assumption grounded in personal experience: if you’ve never lived in Baltimore, you most likely have the wrong impression of the city. It is a city with grit, character, and a lot of pride, especially in products produced locally. I spent some time growing up in Baltimore and later returned to the state for college. I drank more than my fair share of Natty Boh and somehow managed to graduate on time. I left the state and packed up those memories along with my belongings as I moved forward with my life; nursing school, fatherhood, the pandemic, all new chapters that had me only thinking forward. But I digress - back to the watch.

The watch that was repeatedly recommended to me was the Balti-Pilot Recon with the aptly named “Solar Flare” orange full lume dial. Tsao Baltimore aka Baltimore Watch Company releases many of their watches in limited batches, with only a specific number of each configuration available. The Balti-Pilot was no exception - only 50 models being made of each variation. As for models with the dial I was searching for, the only remaining stock was their blacked out DLC coated model. Ordinarily, I avoid DLC coated watches due to how they have a tendency to wear, but the Balti-Pilot's titanium case and bracelet are treated with a 1200HV coating. If I am being completely honest, I have no understanding of HV values and hardness coatings, but from what I have been told by strangers on the internet who know more than me about this topic, this makes the watch extremely scratch resistant. After a brief email exchange with the owner Alan Tsao, I pulled the trigger and the Balti-Pilot was on its way.

When the watch arrived, it really started to sink in how much this watch was a product of Baltimore as I began the unboxing process. Lifting the lid of the box, there was a card with the state flag of Maryland - a polarizing design to those in the vexillology circle but a familiar and welcoming sight to me. Lifting the card revealed the leather carrying case also embossed with the state flag. I unzipped the case and it hit me full force when it was opened. I saw the shade of orange on the dial of the Balti-Pilot against its black case and bracelet and the colors of the Baltimore Orioles immediately came to mind. Instantly, I was back at Camden Yards (best ballpark in the country) and could smell the grass, hear the crack of the bat, and feel the buzz of the crowd. With the O’s colors in the front, the red and black visible through the exhibition caseback also reminded me of the logo of the beer we would consume during the game. This was a watch full of subtle nods to its location of origin - all the colors of the state flag were featured on this watch somewhere. As I strapped the watch to my wrist, this intensely Baltimore creation brought back a flood of memories that I had neatly boxed away and stored. It was powerful stuff from a material object I had  just acquired, and an instant connection was formed. 

The Balti-Pilot derives its name from the Martin 187 Baltimore, a twin engined light attack bomber that was manufactured in Maryland and used by the allies in World War II. This was a fun bonus connection to the watch for me - when I lived in Baltimore I became obsessed with aviation of all sorts and spent many an hour at the Towson Library looking through copies of Jane’s aircraft reference manuals and comparing diagrams of airplanes.

I’ve slowly been teasing out the specs of the watch but just to get it all out there, the Balti-Pilot watch and bracelet are constructed from titanium which has been DLC coated and given a 1200HV hardness treatment. It has a width of 40mm, a lug to lug of 48mm, a lug width of 20mm. The Balti-Pilot is capped with an absolutely spectacular boxed dome sapphire crystal with an antireflective coating, which contributes slightly to its height of 13.6mm. There is an exhibition caseback revealing the regulated Miyota 9015 movement, along with a custom black rotor and red ring around the display sapphire that are both engraved with the Baltimore Watch Company logo. 

The dial is bright orange and glows yellow after a brief exposure to the sun or my UV flashlight. The Balti-Pilot has a sandwich dial with cutouts at the hour indices. These indices, as well as the hands, are lumed with a contrasting blue Swiss Superluminova. The handset is well lumed and in the iconic type A flieger style, outlined in black. There is also a thin black second hand with a small rectangle of lume at the end that interacts beautifully with the distortion at the edges of the boxed sapphire crystal. The lume on the dial does not have last-all-night staying power, but it maintains readability through the contrast of the lumed hands. The minute track and hour numerals are black and very legible against the “Solar Flare” orange, with the 12, 3, and 9 numerals being larger than the rest. There is a date cut out where the 6 would be, and the datewheel is colormatched to the dial, although it unfortunately is not lumed.

The crystal topping the Balti-Pilot is very impressive - I love the way it creates distortion around the edges of the dial. Its size and clarity gives it the feeling of there being a giant droplet of water atop the dial. The dial is so clear against the bright orange dial the only indicator there is something covering it is the distortion at the edges. The effect of the distortion is a nice feature to look at, and it in no way impairs readability. 

There is an oversized pilot style crown that screws down, giving the Balti-Pilot a water resistance of 200m. On the crown, there is a silhouette of the aircraft the watch is named for, lumed in blue and surrounded by an orange circle . On my watch, the plane emblem lines up perfectly when the crown is fully screwed in - a very nice indicator of attention to detail. The sides of the case reveal a gentle arch which curves from one lug to the other, underneath which are two horizontal lines running from edge to edge. I am not sure if this detail is meant to invoke anything aeronautical, but it helps to give the appearance of the watch curving into the wrist and makes the Balti-Pilot look like less of a slab than your typical flieger or pilot watch. 

The titanium bracelet is equipped with quick release spring bars and tapers from 20mm at the lugs to 18mm at the clasp, and the Balti-Pilot also comes with a very comfortable rubber/fabric strap with matching black hardware. I had an issue with some spots of uneven DLC coating on the bracelet - I emailed Tsao Baltimore and within an hour not only did Alan ask me to confirm my address to send me a replacement bracelet - he wanted to know how many links to remove so he could pre-size it for me. This is Alan Tsao, the owner, responding directly to a first-time customer. No jumping through AI chat bot hoops, no waiting on hold - direct communication and commendable customer service from owner to customer.

Titanium can be a polarizing material; its lightness can make it feel cheap when wearers are used to equating weight with quality. Many of my Helm watches are titanium, and in those watches the titanium offsets the massive heft of the watch head. The chunkiness of the bracelets visually balance the weight of the watch while the titanium keeps everything light, comfortable, and balanced. This is not at all the way Balti-Pilot approaches the use of titanium. Once the bracelet was sized and the fit was dialed in with the on the fly microadjust, the watch melted into my wrist. I’m not going to exaggerate and say the watch feels weightless - but if you have never worn a titanium watch, it warms up to your body temperature in a way steel does not, and in that sense it becomes less noticeable. The bracelet was snug, had no rattle, squeaks, or play - I am a fan of titanium and it is among the best I have handled. 

Overall, my impressions of the watch are great. I would say the watch wears true to size or maybe a smidge larger because of the large dial and small bezel, but the curved lugs and female endlinks on the bracelet keep the watch snug on the wrist and keep it from feeling cumbersome. In comparison to other pilot watches I own, it wears much smaller than my Laco Aachen 42mm, and feels shorter and a little bit wider than my Maratac 39mm Pilot but not by much - it is a very wearable watch of this style - if you are fine with a bright orange watch. Miyota automatic movements have a reputation for being a bit noisy and the Balti-Pilot is no exception. However, I love hearing the sound of the unidirectional rotor spin and I think it is especially fitting on a watch named after an aircraft powered by propellers.

I got exactly what I wanted from this watch, and a whole lot more. I got here because I wanted an orange dial - and that impulse, that craving led me to Tsao Baltimore and this watch. Honestly, all I wanted was a goddamn glow in the dark orange dial, and instead I got a watch that reconnected me with memories that I had been too busy living  life to think about. I’ve written in other reviews about how watches are often used to anchor a significant event to a material object - graduation, promotion, the list goes on. In these instances, it is us taking the watch through the significant event that connects the wearer and watch. In my case with the Balti-Pilot, we are both connected by our ties to the city.

While I didn’t carry the Balti-Pilot with me through my Baltimore years like I did with my Steinhart OVM during the pandemic, I feel like it is now a container for those memories. The older I get, the faster life seems to be moving; memories are fleeting things and especially now with children I am trying more than ever to live life in the present. It is wonderful for me to have this object I can strap to my wrist and instantly, I’m moving into my dorm room for the first time, I’m taking my now wife to the inner harbor and National Aquarium (best aquarium in the country). It wasn’t with me for those events, but this watch is so uniquely Baltimore that it channels those memories back to me and I cherish the chance to be reminded of them again.