Baltic has released the Rally Timer Tour Auto 2026, a limited set of two mechanical dashboard instruments created for classic car rallying. The set combines a flyback stopwatch and a hand-wound clock, both with light blue dials, stainless steel cases and a mounting plaque for dashboard installation.
A mechanical alternative in a digital rally world
Modern rally timing is now largely handled by digital tripmasters, which offer more precision and broader functionality than traditional instruments. Still, mechanical dashboard timers remain closely associated with historic rallying, where appearance, period-correct equipment and the driving experience matter as much as raw function.
These dash-mounted sets were once common in rally cars and were made by names such as Heuer and Minerva. Today, very few brands continue to produce this kind of equipment. Hanhart is one of the remaining specialists, and it also supplies the movement used in Baltic’s new stopwatch.
Built around two dashboard instruments
The Baltic Rally Timer Tour Auto 2026 set includes two separate mechanical devices: a stopwatch for timing stages or laps, and a clock for keeping track of the current time during rally events.
The stopwatch uses a hand-wound Hanhart Calibre 122 movement with a flyback function and a six-hour power reserve. The flyback allows the user to reset and restart timing in one action, which is especially useful when timing consecutive stages or sessions.
It can measure up to 30 minutes, using a central seconds hand and a minute sub-dial with coloured markings. The dial is matte light blue, matched with a large luminous blue central hand.
A matching hand-wound clock
The second instrument is a mechanical dashboard clock, also finished with a matte light blue dial. It has large luminous hour and minute hands, plus a small seconds display at 6 o’clock.
This clock is powered by the Enloong 6497, a Chinese-made version of the Unitas 6497. The hand-wound movement provides 42 hours of power reserve. In rally use, a clock remains important because crews often need to arrive at the start of a special stage at a precise scheduled time.
Case design and dashboard mounting
Both instruments are housed in brushed and polished stainless steel cases. Each measures 60mm in diameter and 18mm thick, with the dials protected by domed Hesalite crystals.
Baltic includes a brushed steel plaque with the set, allowing the two instruments to be fixed to the dashboard of a classic car. The same setup could also appeal to collectors who want a motorsport-themed mechanical display off the road.
Tour Auto connection and availability
Baltic is the Official Timekeeper of the Tour Auto for the fourth consecutive year. The event is the historic continuation of the Tour de France Automobile, which was created in 1899 by the Automobile Club de France.
The brand has previously created Tour Auto-related pieces, including the Tricompax Tour Auto 2024 paired with a rally timer and the Scalegraph for the Tour Auto 2025. For 2026, the Rally Timer is presented as a dedicated stand-alone collaboration.
The Baltic Rally Timer Tour Auto 2026 is limited to 300 sets and will not be reproduced. Pricing is EUR 825 excluding taxes, or EUR 990 including taxes.