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Baume & Mercier - From precision icon to style legend
Hailing from the village of Les Bois in the Swiss Jura Mountains, Baume & Mercier is a very high-quality Swiss watchmaking house with roots in the early 19th century, when watches were the highest level of craftsmanship. During that time, only those who made it through were those whose approach to the craftsmanship of watchmaking was uncompromising and in everything they tried to develop quality.
The history of Baume & Mercier begins in 1830, when the Baume watchmaking brothers founded their workshop in Les Bois. The brothers' horological ambition was enough to carry the brand's international growth, and by the end of the 19th century, the “Baume Brothers” watches were highly regarded in the British Empire, and for good reason. In 1892, Baume's chronometer with a tourbillon mechanism was awarded for its accuracy in a competition organized by Kew Observatory ten years in a row.
In 1918, Baume joined forces with Paul Mercier and the result was Baume & Mercier, which moved to Geneva - the heart of Swiss watchmaking. The following year, the clock house won the highest honor of its time, the Seal of Geneva, or Poinçon de Genève, which is awarded only to machinery manufacturers of the highest quality class.
Baume & Mercier with the nerve of time
Throughout its history, Baume & Mercier has been known for its precision and open-minded design.
In the 1920s, Baume & Mercier was involved in the transition of the Art Deco style period, listening closely to the changing times. Baume & Mercier designed numerous watches in which the art deco aesthetic was an important part. Baume & Mercier's collection carries echoes of this even today. For example, the design of the Hampton collection still strongly breathes art deco.
Paul Mercier sensed the liberation of women in time and the watch house was among the first to design elegant watches for women in the 1920s.
Baume & Mercier showed that women's watches are not the same as men's watches, but smaller, but should be approached from their own starting points. The thinking was rewarded, because the Marquise, released in the late 1940s, where the graceful mechanism was hidden in a bracelet, was one of Baume & Mercier's most popular models.
In the 1950s and 60s, Baume & Mercier focused on developing the traditional round wristwatch and introduced some of its most iconic models, the Promesso, Clifton, Classima and Capeland, which are still in production today. During that time, Baume & Mercier introduced more exotic complications in watches. For this reason, Baume & Mercier watches still have models with annual calendar and moon phase complications, which is rare for watches in this price range.
However, Baume & Mercier did not remain a manufacturer of completely round watches, but in the 70s again showed an open-mindedness with the legendary Galaxie and Stardust models, where the special design was borrowed from the soft shapes of the firmament.
Introduced in 1973, the 12-cornered Riviera was one of the first sports watches with steel bracelets of that time. Riviera has already progressed to its fifth edition. The Baume & Mercier Riviera has just received its latest update and continues to be one of Gaume & Mercier's most prestigious models.
Elegance of a bygone era and stylish dress watches
The Baume & Mercier collection lives on all the time. Although actual new model series are published less frequently, updates to both design and technology are regularly added to old collections.
Introduced already seventy years ago, the Clifton is a dress watch representing timeless style, which is available in yellow gold, red gold and steel case versions. Clifton also offers more exotic complications, such as a perpetual calendar and a day-date lunar calendar. The watches of the Clifton Club collection are understated sports watches that carry the same heritage, but with a distinctive design.
Baume & Mercier Classima is, as its name suggests, a dress watch that exudes classic elegance and is suitable for all occasions, and serves as a first step into the world of value watches for many. The Classima is available with both a steel and a leather strap, with several different mechanism options.
Breathing echoes of a bygone era, Baume & Mercier's Hampton is a collection whose sleek, straightforward shapes come from the roaring 20s and the design of the art deco movement. The collection offers plenty of models of different sizes, especially for women, but the size options also include watches suitable for men's wrists, which are guaranteed to attract attention.
The Baume & Mercier Riviera is the latest updated collection, with models available in several price ranges depending on the movement and complications. The Riviera is a full-blooded sports watch, which is available with a modern rubber strap or with a steel strap that respects the original. In keeping with the spirit of the times, the Riviera collection also has open-minded color options that can brighten up your personal style.
Baumatic and the new era of Baume & Mercier
Like the world's watch manufacturers, with the age of quartz watches, Baume & Mercier's mechanism manufacturing also went silent for a long time. After Kellotalo Cartier acquired Baume & Mercier as part of the Vendôme Group, from which the Richemont Group was later born, movement manufacturing revived. Baume & Mercier launched its first in-house machine, Baumatic, in collaboration with Richemont's ValFleurier machine factory in 2018.
Baumatic is a very impressive machine in terms of performance. The mechanism has a power reserve of 120 hours, is available COSC certified, has 1500 Gauss magnetic protection and a really impressive 7-year maintenance interval. Baumatic is considered to be the most significant machinery newcomer in recent years. It is available for most Baume & Mercier model series.
However, not all Baume & Mercier watches have a Baumatic movement. Depending on the watch model, Baume & Mercier also uses Sellita and ETA / Valjoux movements, which are thoroughly tested, as the watch house wants to stick to its vision of precision that it has had throughout its history. However, the model series in production are updated to Baumatic machinery at regular intervals.
Baume & Mercier is very competitive in price in relation to the quality of the watches, and if the company invests further in the development of in-house mechanisms, many more valuable brands may find themselves left at Baume & Mercier's feet.