Brand History: Baume & Mercier

This is not to say it is stuffy, simply that its extravagances are less about new departures than what they might add to the evolution of an established stye. The dodecagonal bezel of the Riviera is about as out there as B&M gets. It clearly feels most comfortable in what it has always done best, creating deceptively high-quality watches that will always look good.

It is an approach that worked pretty well for some time. The Swiss watchmaker started life in 1830, brothers Louis Victor and Pierr-Joseph Celestin Baume setting up in the village of Les Bois in the Jura mountains and establishing the firm as a leading name in Swiss watchmaking.

Almost a century later, in 1912, the Anglo-Russian Paul Tchereditchenko, aka Paul Mercier just to make life easier in his new Swiss home, joined the firm as business manager and by 1920, Baume had become Baume & Mercier.

The following decades cemented its status as a creator of elegant watches, often influenced by developments in art, design and architecture.

The wonderful 1948 “Marquise” bangle watch, now a collector’s item, was typical, and it says just about everything you need to know that B&M subsequently adopted the Greek letter Phi, symbol of Leonardo Da Vinci’s theory of proportion, as its logo.

It is still refining the landmark models that so many associate with this great marque, which is now part of the Richemont stable: the rectangular Hampton launched 15 years ago and the Classima Executive that debuted two years later.

They are updated versions of classic styles that combine retro appeal with contemporary styling. Consistent with the enduring appeal of Baume & Mercier’s watches, they are built to survive whatever buffeting life, or the vagaries of fashion, might throw at them.