Baume & Mercier
Baume & Mercier, Switzerland’s seventh oldest watchmaking company, celebrated its 190th anniversary. The brand has come a long way over the years and has gone from strength to strength gaining international renown for its superb renditions of cases and movements, all at a reasonable price.
Attracting much attention in recent years is the brand’s Baumatic automatic movement which, if fully wound, keeps on working for an incredible five (!) days, each one with chronometric precision.
Attracting much attention in recent years is the brand’s Baumatic automatic movement which, if fully wound, keeps on working for an incredible five (!) days, each one with chronometric precision.
Quality
The watches undergo stringent quality controls and numerous tests under extremely demanding conditions. The excellence of the in-house movements place them among the very best on the market.
As a rule, before a new collection is released onto the market, Baume & Mercier employees will first wear the watches testing them until the movement and its functions run flawlessly. An important part of the brand’s portfolio is the COSC accuracy certificate attesting to the quality of the mechanical movement which must originate in Switzerland and which must not be more than four seconds slow or more than six seconds fast per day.
Elegance
Men and women who need an elegant watch to go with their impeccable business attire have more than plenty to choose from at Baume & Mercier. The watches’ simple and traditional design lends them a timeless appearance coupled with innate chic...
Watches carrying the BM initials have no ambition to shock through their look. On the contrary, their appeal rests with their pure, clean design and extremely reliable movements. Over recent years, both the men’s and women’s collections have seen the range extended with timepieces featuring a blue dial. Sporting a swanky blue strap and a solid steel case, these watches are exquisite to behold.
Tradition
Nearly two hundred years since the founding of this traditional brand makes it a monument to watchmaking. But the art is also linked to innovation and precision craftsmanship - reincarnated in the brand's modern leader, the Baumatic movement.
Few are aware that the brand is nearing its second centenary. Over the many years it has followed a long and winding path starting with treasured pocket tourbillons and chronographs, through innovative bracelet-shaped ladies watches in the 1940s to today’s super modern Clifton watches featuring the in-house Baumatic movement.
Service
There is no need to worry if something inadvertent happens to your watch – the brand has spare parts for all its watches, even for models that are twenty year’s old.
We have similarly good news for owners of vintage Baume & Mercier timepieces. Since time immemorial, the brand has kept to its principle of producing, meticulously cataloguing and storing spare parts. Therefore, if you decide to leave a watch to your children as a token, there is no need to worry that at some point in the future they will not be able to get it repaired so it is up and running again.
Balanced portfolio
Nor are women’s watches being neglected. Quite the opposite, they make up a significant portion of the brand’s production and their timeless elegance and sophistication give them an appeal that passes through generations.
Woman’s watches are no mere supplement to the men’s collections. They form a key component of the brand’s image. You can expect classic shapes (round and rectangular) and a variety of case sizes and strap colours. These impeccable timepieces are kept running with either automatic mechanical movements or battery-operated quartz movements.
Importer to the Czech Republic
We import the brand to the Czech Republic and then distribute it to our partner stores. Wholesale representation brings a number of advantages...
You can order limited editions and special pieces from us. Ask about models that are not in stock and we will inform you when they will be available.
More about Baume & Mercier
The Baume & Mercier logo includes the Greek letter Phi which is also the symbol for equilibrium. In turn, equilibrium is synonymous with the timepiece’s ideal proportions which have been part and parcel of the brand’s philosophy for many years. A Baume & Mercier watch is a harmonious interplay of lines and shapes and wearing it allows you too to feel balanced and confident. It is precisely these clean lines and flawless manufacture that are an inherent constituent of the brand’s DNA. Fitting in perfectly to this philosophy is the in-house Baumatic movement. Featuring a five-day power reserve, it also guarantees the highest quality from the technical perspective.It is said that watches carrying the BM initials should remain in the family to be passed down the generations as an heirloom. Supporting this tradition is the simple crown featured in nearly half of the brand’s models. It offers space for engraving names, dates of important anniversaries, company logos or the coat of arms of the university you graduated from.
The brand’s history
The brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume launched their watchmaking business way back in 1830. It would not take long before these proficient businessmen expanded outside Switzerland. True to their motto “Accept only perfection; only manufacture watches of the highest quality” they managed to establish branches as far away as Britain and America. Operating under the name Baume Brothers the British business was so successful that by the end of the 19th century it had branched out across the entire British Empire.During that period the brand was best known for its chronographs and grand complications such as tourbillons, which earned it prestigious awards at international competitions. In 1892 it brought out a chronometer pocket watch featuring a tourbillon. Its accuracy remained unmatched for more than a decade.
Another important milestone was 1918. In that year William Baume, representing the Baume family’s third generation in the firm, headed to Geneva where, along with his good friend Paul Mercier – who was a former marketing manager at the Haas Neveux & Cie watch company – he founded Baume & Mercier. William supervised the watchmakers and was in charge of production while Paul took care of the day-to-day running of the firm and sales. They were a match made in horological heaven, perfectly complementing one another. It was this symbiosis that was what made them so successful. In 1919 William Baume obtained the Geneva Seal certificate, a very prestigious accolade that entitles watchmakers who receive it to mark their watches with this special quality guarantee. Watches sporting the Geneva Seal are considered by experts to be technically and aesthetically flawless.
The company prospered during the twenties and even during the Great Depression. By the end of the 1940s it launched one its most famous models – the Marquise. The elegant design of the bracelet on this ladies’ watch turned it into jewellery with a practical aspect. The brand never stopped seeking quality and accurate timekeeping. In the 1970s it was famed for the modern, futuristic shaped designs of its Galaxie and Stardust models. In 1973 it introduced the all-steel Riviera sport watch. The brand was bought in 1988 by Vendôme – today the Richemont Group – to which maison Baume & Mercier belongs to this day.