Baltany D12 S2025 Retro Automatic Watch

Baltany D12 S2025 Retro Automatic Watch

The Baltany D12 S2025 is a 36mm vintage automatic watch powered by the Seagull ST1701 movement, presenting polished cathedral hands with two-colour Swiss Super-LumiNova fill, a double-dome sapphire crystal and a sub-seconds display at 6 o’clock. It is available in black dial and apricot dial across a range of strap options — fabric, leather and nylon — giving it one of the widest configuration selections in the Baltany range.

At 43mm lug-to-lug, 12.8mm total thickness and 70g, the D12 S2025 is a compact and light vintage dress-casual automatic suited to wrists from 6 to 7.5 inches. Water resistance is rated to 100m.

Key Specifications

Variants — Strap and Dial Options

The S2025 is available in eight strap configurations across two dial colours:

Black dial variants:

• Black leather strap
• Black fabric (NATO) strap
• Black fabric / long strap (extended length for larger wrists)
• Black leather / black hardware

Apricot dial variants:

• Apricot fabric / black hardware
• Apricot fabric / brown leather combo
• Brown leather strap
• Black leather strap

The apricot dial is a warm sandy-cream tone — closer to ivory than orange — that pairs naturally with the warm cream secondary lume colour on the cathedral hands. The fabric (NATO) strap variants give the watch a more casual, military-inflected character; the leather variants read as more traditionally dressed.

The 18mm lug width also accepts a wide range of standard aftermarket straps not listed above — the NATO variants in particular are widely available and easily swapped at home.

The Double-Dome Sapphire Crystal

The S2025 uses a double-dome sapphire crystal — a crystal that is curved on both the upper (external) and lower (internal) surface, rather than domed only on the outside. The double-dome construction creates a more pronounced magnifying effect over the dial compared to a single-dome crystal, and produces a more visible lens-like visual distortion around the dial edges that is characteristic of vintage watches from the 1950s and 1960s.

In practice the double-dome also creates more refractive visual effects as the viewing angle changes — the dial appears to shift slightly in depth and colour as the wrist moves, which is part of the aesthetic appeal of this crystal type. The AR coating on the inner surface reduces glare while preserving the vintage visual character of the dome.

This is a crystal specification more commonly found on watches at higher price points — at 36mm it is particularly well-proportioned and visually prominent.

Two-Colour Super-LumiNova on Cathedral Hands

The two-colour luminous application is the most technically distinctive feature of the S2025. The cathedral hands carry Swiss Super-LumiNova in two different tones — typically a warm cream-yellow on the main hand body and a cooler green on a secondary section, or two contrasting application areas. This creates a dual-layer lume effect that serves both aesthetic and practical purposes:

In ambient light, the two-colour application gives the hands a layered, vintage-instrument quality — the cream and green areas read as distinct zones on each hand. In darkness, the two lume colours charge and emit at slightly different rates and intensities, which makes the hand orientation more immediately readable — the contrast between the two colours on a single hand tells you at a glance which end is the tip and which is the tail.

This is a feature typically associated with watches at considerably higher price points. On the S2025 it is combined with polished cathedral hands — the broad profile maximises the visible lume surface area on both colours simultaneously.

Cathedral Hands & Sub-Seconds

The cathedral hand shape — broad, stepped body with pointed tip — fills the dial proportionally on a 36mm case. Polished on all upper surfaces, the hands catch light at different angles as the wrist moves, creating a dynamic interaction between the hand profile and the ambient light source.

The sub-seconds register at 6 o’clock is powered by the ST1701 movement’s separate seconds gear train, which drives a dedicated small seconds hand around the 6 o’clock sub-dial independently from the main time display. This two-register layout is the classic approach to seconds display on formal and vintage dress watches — it keeps the central dial area clean and gives the overall layout a deliberate, considered structure.

Movement — Seagull ST1701

The Seagull ST1701 is an automatic movement manufactured by the Tianjin Seagull Watch Group. It is notable for its sub-seconds complication — a small seconds hand at 6 o’clock driven off a separate gear train, which is what enables the two-register dial design of the S2025. The movement is self-winding with bidirectional rotor and also supports hand-winding via the crown.

The ST1701 is the correct movement choice for a vintage dress watch at this price: the sub-seconds feature is rare in affordable automatics, and the Seagull manufacture gives the watch a Chinese heritage movement story that buyers interested in the brand will appreciate.

Who Is the Baltany D12 S2025 For?

The S2025 is built for:

• Buyers who want two-colour lume as a specific feature — uncommon at this price level
• Anyone who prefers the double-dome sapphire visual character over a flat or single-dome crystal
• Collectors who want a 36mm automatic with sub-seconds and cathedral hands as a versatile dress-casual piece
• Those who want maximum strap variety from a single watch — 8 configurations is the widest selection in the Baltany range

If you want the same Seagull ST1701 movement and sub-seconds layout in a cushion case with MOP dial options, the Baltany S4036 is the direct alternative — different case shape, same movement family.

For a 36mm automatic with a fluted bezel and jubilee bracelet instead of leather or NATO strap, the Baltany S4084 uses NH35 and covers the bracelet-watch buyer.

How It Compares

vs. Baltany S4036 — The S4036 shares the ST1701 movement and sub-seconds at 36mm in a cushion case. The S2025 is round with the double-dome crystal and two-colour lume as its differentiators; the S4036 has the cushion case and heat-blued cathedral hands.

vs. Baltany S4101 — The S4101 is larger at 38.5mm with a choice of manual or automatic ST17-series movements and IP gold case option. The S2025 is the more compact and strap-flexible of the two.

vs. Baltany UK 1926 — The UK 1926 uses Miyota 9015 at 36mm with a mother-of-pearl dial option and 200m water resistance. The S2025 wins on lume character and double-dome crystal; the 1926 wins on movement quality and water resistance.

vs. Hanboro Chime 9015 — The Hanboro Chime uses a Miyota 9015 in a different case aesthetic. The S2025 has the two-colour lume and sub-seconds as features the Hanboro does not; the Hanboro has the higher-beat movement.

vs. Seestern S382 Ultrathin — The Seestern S382 prioritises case slimness. The S2025 is thicker at 12.8mm but offers considerably more dial character and strap variety.

More from Jewelry Addicts

Exploring vintage automatics, sub-seconds watches and multi-strap pieces:

• Baltany Watches — Full Collection — all Baltany models at Jewelry Addicts
• Baltany Vintage & Military Guide 2026 — choosing between Baltany vintage and dress models
• Hanboro Watches — dress and formal automatics at a comparable price
• Best Automatic Watches Under $200 — full roundup including vintage, dress and sub-seconds automatics

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