Baume & Mercier held down the sub-$5,000 choices for Watches & Wonders 2020, and so they did it rattling nicely. Utilizing its in-house five-day energy reserve Baumatic motion to supply the brand new Clifton Day-Date Moon Section and Moon Section Date watches, Baume & Mercier delivered what many people requested for when first seeing final 12 months’s Perpetual Calendar (that got here in a gold case with a ~$25,000 price ticket). Whereas the Day-Date Moon Section in metal is the standout piece from the model for 2020, the easier Moon Section Date brings a special temper to the desk, with a white dial that has a porcelain impact. This has been utilized in earlier fashions, however I don’t consider it has been the backdrop for a moon section.
I do know, we didn’t get the Perpetual Calendar in metal but, however I can’t think about even that being lower than five-figures.
SPECIFICATIONS
Model: Baume & Mercier
Mannequin: Clifton Baumatic Day-Date Moon Section
Dimensions: 42mm-wide, 13.2mm-thick in metal (12.95mm-thick in pink gold)
Water Resistance: 50M
Case Materials: metal or pink gold
Crystal/Lens: sapphire
Motion: in-house Baumatic BM14 1975 AC2
Energy Reserve: 5 Days (120 hours)
Strap/Bracelet: blue alligator leather-based
Worth & Availability: four,000 CHF in metal; 13,800 CHF in pink gold
Model: Baume & Mercier
Mannequin: Clifton Baumatic Moon-Section Date
Dimensions: 42mm-wide, 13.2mm-thick
Water Resistance: 50M
Case Materials: Metal
Crystal/Lens: Sapphire
Motion: In-house Baumatic BM14 1975 AC1
Energy Reserve: 5 Days (120 hours)
Strap/Bracelet: blue alligator leather-based or metal bracelet
Worth & Availability: three,650 CHF on strap; three,800 CHF on bracelet
Executed with a gradient grey lacquered dial, the Day-Date Moon Section finds a novel technique to obtain symmetry by having the brand at 9 o’clock and the Baumatic 5 Days textual content at three o’clock. I do know it’ll hassle individuals who assume “any textual content=litter,” however the total design works so nicely that I can’t linger on a picked nit for lengthy. The typography is distinct to Baume & Mercier, and the 12 o’clock/6 o’clock format of the problems is the perfect format.
As for the Moon Section Date mannequin, issues get cleaned up as a result of much less elaborate complication, however we nonetheless have the identical design language. This contains these alpha hour and minute fingers which might be the suitable size, which is, sadly, a function that must be referred to as out when executed correctly. And as I mentioned earlier than, I feel the white dial that evokes a porcelain look may very well be stunning with the moon section. Once more, can’t make the ultimate judgment till seeing it in particular person.
The open-worked rotor completed with Geneva stripes seen from the exhibition caseback is a pleasant further contact. There may be appreciable perlage aka round graining work carried out on each these variants of the Baumatic BM14. Talking for myself, it verges on “an excessive amount of of a great factor” however luckily, there’s additionally snailing on the sandblasted plate so as to add selection.
Baume & Mercier is Richemont’s most entry-level model, and these new items launched for Watches & Wonders 2020 look to be extremely promising, particularly the metal variants. I stay up for going hands-on with each of them. Once more, the Baume & Mercier Baumatic Clifton Moon Section Date is priced at three,650 CHF on strap and three,800 CHF on bracelet, and the Baumatic Clifton Day-Date Moon Section is priced at four,000 CHF in metal and 13,800 CHF in pink gold. You may study extra at baume-et-mercier.com.
