Baume & Mercier () is a Swiss

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watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their part ...

founded in 1830. It is a subsidiary of the Swiss luxury conglomerate

Richemont Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., commonly known as Richemont, is a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by South African businessman Johann Rupert. Through its various subsidiaries, Richemont produces and sells j ...

History

Baume & Mercier was founded as "Frères Baume" in 1830 by brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume, who opened the watch dealership in

Les Bois Les Bois () is a municipality in the district of Franches-Montagnes in the canton of Jura in Switzerland. History Les Bois is first mentioned in 1484 as ''Des Boix''. Geography Les Bois has an area of . Of this area, or 56.6% is used for ...

, a village in the

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. The Swiss watch manufacturer established a branch in

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in 1851 under the name "Baume Brothers", which led to expansion throughout the

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. By the late 19th century, the company had an international reputation, and its timepieces had set accuracy records and won a number of timekeeping competitions. In 1918, company director William Baume partnered with Paul Mercier to found "Baume & Mercier" in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

. The firm became specialized in manufacturing

wristwatch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

es, particularly models in unconventional shapes. In 1919, Baume & Mercier was awarded the

Geneva Seal The Geneva Seal (English), Poinçon de Genève (French), or Genfer Siegel (German) is the official seal of the City and Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. When a variation of the official seal is applied to wristwatch movements, the Geneva Seal is the ...

, the highest international distinction of the time for watchmaking excellence. During the

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, the brand embraced

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. In the 1940s, Baume & Mercier launched a number of modern watch collections, most notably the 2 Register

Chronograph A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successive ...

. Early examples of this model with the double-caseback are rare and highly sought after, often fetching more than double the price of a later model. In the 1970s, Baume & Mercier introduced shaped timepieces such as the

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and Stardust models. In 1973, Baume & Mercier presented the Riviera, one of the world's first steel sports watches.

Recent history

In 1988, the Swiss watchmaker joined the

group. Currently, the brand offers the Clifton, Classima and Hampton collections for both men and women, the Capeland collection for men, and the Linea and Promesse collections for women. In 2015, Baume & Mercier bolstered its sports watch offerings by entering into a partnership with the celebrated American race carmaker Carroll Shelby International. In 2016 the company sold "

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" models, named for the

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

, in its Capeland and Clifton collections.

Pricing

With an average selling price of between

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2,000 and US$7000, Baume & Mercier watches are in the lower-range

luxury watch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

market. In 2016, Baume & Mercier began to present more affordable offerings under US$1,000 with the launch of its "My Classima" models, a sub-collection of its Classima collection of classic dress watches.

References

External links

Baume & Mercier U.S.

Baume & Mercier UK
{{Authority control Richemont brands Luxury brands Swiss companies established in 1830 Manufacturing companies established in 1830 Swiss watch brands Watch manufacturing companies of Switzerland

History

Recent history

Pricing

See also

References

External links