Baume and Mercier Watches – Luxury and Affordability in 1

Baume and Mercier have been in business for nearly 200 years, earning a place in the most prestigious watch collections alongside brands like Cartier, A. Lange and Shone and Montblanc. And so today, we’re going to deliver you a detailed Baume and Mercier watch review.

Is a Baume and Mercier watch worth the money?

If you’re investing in a luxury watch, you’ll be wondering if Baume and Mercier watches are worth the money. Luckily, luxury can be affordable. And this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice functionality, either! Baume and Mercier watches are the perfect balance between high-end quality and function at a cost-accessible price. So yes, they are truly worth the money.

People who’ve bought Baume and Mercier watches comment that the make, materials, design and functionality run in competition with the more prestigious brands. You can easily compare a Baume and Mercier to a Cartier watch, which is many more times more expensive. 

Baume and Mercier watches tend to have automatic mechanical movements inside and vintage-looking designs. The brand’s mission is to push itself to develop contemporary timepieces continually.

What’s interesting is that the brand also puts more emphasis on its more basic mechanical and Quartz movement watches over the more sophisticated automatic offerings. The reason being, some wearers had issues with their automatic watches, and they learned from this that they should prioritise what they’re good at.

Nonetheless, Baume and Mercier are still compared to brands like TAG Heuer, Oris, Cartier and Swiss-made watches like Omega and Tissot.

Baume and Mercier prices

Regardless of how luxurious the watches are, don’t be fooled into thinking that the price tag will be out of your range. Baume and Mercier have been making stylish models for under $1,000 for some time, known as their ‘My Classima’ range. 

Baume and Mercier Watch Collections

Baume and Mercier sit in the category of brands that proudly produce their watches in-house, which means right from starting a design on paper to testing the final product for accuracy. All of this is centralised in Switzerland.

When it comes to the design and development of the watches, this happens in Geneva, at the brand’s HQ. Assembly and production happen in workshops spread across the Swiss Jura. The brand exclusively hires experts to ensure Swiss excellence prevails.

The watches have a unique movement, design, features, style, dial sizes bands and materials.

Let’s have a look at the Baume and Mercier collections.

Clifton Baumatic Collection

The Clifton Baumatic range is a popular collection as these timepieces contain the new Baumatic movement. It’s a self-winding movement with a power reserve ranging from 48 to 120 hours, depending on the model. The collection, as a whole, requires very little maintenance and the brand say once every 7 years will suffice. 

This collection is highly accurate. It has a traditional rounded face with either a gold or stainless steel case. There’s a sub-collection within the Clifton Baumatic range that comes with a blue dial and either an alligator leather or stainless steel strap. 

This collection is best suited as a dress watch for men; however, some models offer a sportier look with a modern design. They come in various bold colours such as orange and blue with matching accents. 

Inside you’ll find either a Quartz or automatic movement. You can choose from different sized dials, but the brand logo always appears at the 12 position. 

You can pick up a watch in this range for around $2,500.

Classima Collection

The Classima has a reputation for being extremely versatile. The best part is they cost under $1,000. They’re reliable Quartz watches, and these are the examples of lower-priced watches that rival high-end watches over three times the price. The Classima collection launched in 2016 and their designs have been making waves and adding diversity to the Baume and Mercier range.

Classima watches come in three models; a slender 31mm with either a bracelet or blue leather strap, a 36.5mm with the same strap options and a larger 40mm with bracelet or black strap.

They’re all made from stainless steel.

As we’ve covered, prices float around $1,000.

Promesse Watches

The Promesse range is for women who like a dainty aesthetic. Again, you’ll find automatic and Quartz movements inside these small to medium-sized dials.

What’s iconic about the brand is its famous oval bezel on a round dial. And the Promesse collection is a nod to this history, dating back to the 1970s. This is somehow one of the brand’s most modern designs with a vintage feel – not an easy balance to strike.  

You can find this range between $1,500 – $3,000.

Hampton Collection

Finally, we reach the Hampton collection. It is identifiable from its rectangular dial. It’s right to say this particular collection appeals greatly to those who like to collect vintage watches. The design has everything you’d want from a retro offering. 

Inside you’ll find either a self-winding mechanical or Quartz movement. There will be Arabic numerals on the dial, and the women’s versions come complete with diamonds. There’s variety in the strap offering, in either steel or leather. 

In particular, the Hamilton Collection design is clear and uncluttered, which gives these rectangular watches a classic look. 

Another fantastic range that you can easily find for well under $1,000. Typically around $850.

If you do like the vintage look, check out our article on the best rectangular watches for men in 2021, here.

Conclusion

Watch collectors see Baume and Mercier having a place within the top 25 luxury watch brands globally. This speaks volumes about the quality of their collections, including the design and mechanics. Considering there are countless brands in this area, reaching the top 25 is quite something. Almost 200 years of development has paid off.

If we compare Baume and Mercier to the likes of Hamilton, the two are directly comparable in terms of quality, but the former offers a much more accessible price range.

Baume and Merica’s range has so much diversity from vintage to modern designs, all offering different designs, materials and movements. They range from sporty looks to dress watches.

As buyers and collectors demand more value for their money, Baume and Mercier offer both a beautiful look and technically-impressive movements at a reasonable price level. Our final word in this Baume and Mercier Watch Review is that their watches are certainly a triple threat!

Why not check out our introduction to 10 Top Luxury Men’s Watch Brands?

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Last Updated on February 23, 2021

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