Watches And Wonders 2024: Baume & Mercier's Collections Enriched With New Complications And Designs
8 min read
Excellent everyday watches for everyman prices are no longer uncommon features in an industry resting on luxury offerings and ultra-suave price tags. While its story marks a genesis in 1830, Baume & Mercier has synthesized into a modern-day affordable Swiss Made deliverables entity through expansions and acquisitions. Now part of the Richemont Group, Baume & Mercier has established its contemporary chapter by revisiting heritage timepieces realized through a quintet of collections. At the Watches and Wonders 2024, the brand offers aesthetic reinventions for the Classima, Clifton, Hampton and the Riviera line-ups.
Baume & Mercier Classima: A Return of The Chronograph
Accessibility is a defining trait for Baume & Mercier Classima collection which has been a demonstration of the brand’s classic yet complicated horological works. The understanded aesthetics sure pack in dynamic details and the scope of sophistication is stretched to the max with the latest releases at the Watches and Wonders 2024. The brand introduces a trio of Classima Chronographs in colored dial variants. These expansions to the Classima collection mark a return of the chronograph complication in the line-up and reimagine the minimalist codes which stand as hallmarks of the collection.
The chronograph complication has been a differentiator for Baume & Mercier since the beginning of its history and the three new chronographs pose as suitable heirs to a credible legacy for the brand. The variants, defined by the references M0A10784, M0A10782 and M0A10783 are made available in satin-finished lacquered blue dial, sun-satin sand-colored dial and sun-satin green dial colors respectively. All three variants feature three snailed sub-registers, with the 12 and 6 o’clock counters devoted for chronograph readings. Two apertures at 3 o’clock reveal the day and date. The cases measure 42mm in diameter and seamlessly extrude two push-pieces at 2 and 4 o’clock to operate the chronograph function.
The Classima Chronographs are powered by an automatic movement, operating at a frequency of 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations per hour), ensuring precision timekeeping. It boasts 48-hours of power reserve, guaranteeing reliable performance over a period of two days. Additionally, this timepiece is designed to withstand water pressure up to 50 meters, making it suitable for light rain or splashes.
Baume & Mercier Clifton: A Duo of Moon Phases for the Celestially Inclined
The complicated moon phase goodness paired with a hefty five-day power reserve and a calendar-style date indicator might teleport you to the opulent landmarks of ultra haute horlogerie inceptions. It is to the credit of Baume & Mercier Clifton Moon Phases that the fantasy is made realizable within an accessible echelon of the segment. There’s nothing to dislike within the best everyday wear moon phase timepieces from Baume & Mercier which get an aesthetic makeover at the Watches and Wonders 2024. The Clifton M0A10756 and Clifton M0A10758 have been crafted respectively in graduated blue lacquer and graduated gray lacquer dials for an eye-catching styling makeover.
The 39mm timepieces are driven by an efficient Baumatic manufacture movement, revealed through the sapphire crystal back. This movement epitomizes technical sophistication hallmarked by a magnetic field resistance of up to 1,500 Gauss, a relentless precision of -4/+6 seconds per day and the remarkable autonomy of a five-day or 120-hour power reserve. Significant aesthetic refinement for the caliber is realized with meticulous finishing executed as circular-grained bridges, a sand-blasted and snailed baseplate and an open worked rotor adorned with Côtes de Genève striping.
Baume & Mercier Hampton: A Poetic Art Deco Wonder in Black
The forward-looking era of 1920s is where Baume & Mercier derives inspiration for the latest iteration of its Hampton timepiece. At Watches and Wonders 2024, the brand extends the dressy collection with a quartz addition, an all-black Hampton with a lacquered dial. Subtle and iconic nuances such as the rectangular steel case, a black cabochon on the crown and a wonderful black strap serve to be epitome expression of French-style elegance and an honest homage to the Art Deco movement.
The Hampton collection has long stood as an accessible option for the seekers of rectangular watches, providing a compelling alternative to the staple designs of the industry: JLC Reverso and the Cartier Tank. The latest iteration of the model, the new Hampton M0A10760 features a polished stainless steel case exhibiting harmonious dimensions of 35 x 22.2 mm for 6.9 mm of thickness. This Hampton novelty entails French-style elegance and poses as a couture piece which derives power from a premium quartz caliber. Channeling a design language of a century-old era, the new all-black Hamton perfectly exhibits the contemporary design codes of Baume & Mercier distilled into a rectangular-cased watch.
Baume & Mercier Riviera: Savoir-Flair Abundance with Six New Pieces
French Riviera, the iconic coastline is an epitome of life lived at a relaxed pace. Baume & Mercier’s Riviera collection attempts to capture the myriad facets of the coastline and evoke its many features. An original aesthetic from 1973, the Riviera collection celebrated its 50th birthday last year with eight new releases at Watches and Wonders. This year, the spectrum gets even more diverse and dynamic as Baume & Mercier translates the French Riviera’s dolce vita into horological splendor by releasing six new variants at the Watches and Wonders 2024.
- The Riviera Squelette: M0A10721
The Riviera Squelette is inspired by the Raiviera’s opulent villas. The skeleton movement is a hallmark of the timepiece and offers uninterrupted appreciation of the intricate workings of its Baumatic manufacture caliber. The open-worked mechanism is housed in a 42mm diameter case which offers 100 meters of water resistance. The watch is paired with a sporty black rubber strap which gets a canvas pattern.
- The Riviera Maréographe: M0A10761
The nautical essence shines bright in the Riviera Maréographe which celebrates the passion for the open sea. Its oceanic spirit is brought to life with a unique tide-measurement complication. A limited edition of 500 pieces, this 42mm watch gets a dedicated pusher at 4 o’clock to make adjustments possible for the tide disc at 6 o’clock position. The watch packs in a hefty 5-day power reserve from its self-winding Baumatic manufacture movement. The watch is rated safe to a depth of 100 meters.
- The Riviera Acier-Titane: M0A10769
The iconic azure hues of the French Riviera are transposed harmoniously on the Riviera Acier-Titane, a 42mm timepiece with a steel case and a gray PVD coated titanium bezel. The watch face is a smoky blue sapphire translucent disc which showcases a subtle wave decor. This iteration gets a mix of gold tone baton and roman numeral indexes featuring generous luminescent coating. The timepiece retains the five-day power reserve in-house caliber for a reliable operation.
- The Riviera Gold: M0A10787
Chic is redefined with the new Riviera Gold introduced at Watches and Wonders 2024. The rose gold construction feels undeniably opulent as the contrast of gold and black set a perfect stage for embracing the heritage of the iconic coastline on the wrist. This 39mm timepiece gets a smoked gray sapphire dial finished with a transparent wave pattern decoration.
- The Riviera Diamants: M0A10765
Precious stone embellishments are emblematic of a higher lifestyle. With the Riviera Diamants, you realize a transitional shift to a status of higher living. The sparkling splendor of the timepiece signifies the dazzling starry skies cast over the French Riviera and make the timepiece a suitable fit for a woman endowed with an eclectic passion for life in the Riviera. A total of 44 brilliant-cut diamonds adorn the geometric bezel of the Riviera Diamants atop the 33mm stainless steel case. The watch is quartz caliber driven and water resistant up to 50 meters.
- The Riviera Calendrier Perpétuel: M0A10786
Saving the best for last, the 2024 releases of the Baume & Mercier Riviera collection peak in the Riviera Calendrier Perpétuel. An example of high complication inception, the Riviera collection gets a manufacture perpetual calendar mechanism capable of tracking day, month, year, leap year and the moon’s phases atop the regular display of hours, minutes and seconds. The 40mm watch is limited to just 50 pieces and demonstrates an all-out high-horology assault on the flagship-worthy Riviera iteration.
Pertinent Creativity and Consistent Inspiration
Baume & Mercier releases at Watches and Wonders 2024 cement a legacy repute for the brand. The tradition of reliable and durable horology executions continues to inspire novel iterations of its faithful collections. With its reliance on Baumatic manufacture movements, a much respectable and surely envied benefit of a total of eight years of warranty coverage marks a stand-out in a rigid industry and hints of brighter days ahead for the brand.
