Baume & Mercier is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1830. It is a subsidiary of the Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont.
History
Baume & Mercier was founded in 1830 by the brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume under the name “Frères Baume”. They opened the watch company in Les Bois, a village in the Swiss Jura. In the course of its international expansion, the Swiss watch manufacturer founded a branch in London under the name “Baume Brothers” in 1921, which laid the foundation for its distribution throughout the British Empire. By the end of the 19th century, the company already had a good international reputation. His watches set accuracy records and won several time attendance competitions.
In 1918, the then CEO William Baume, together with Paul Mercier, founded the company “Baume & Mercier” in Geneva. The company specialized in the production of wristwatches and in particular in idiosyncratic models that did not have the traditional round shape. In 1919, Baume & Mercier received the Geneva Seal, the highest international award for exceptional performance in the watch manufacture at that time.
During the “Golden Twenties”, the brand campaigned for women’s emancipation. In the 1940s, Baume & Mercier launched a number of modern watch collections for women, the most famous being the “marquise”.
In the 1970s, Baume & Mercier presented exceptionally shaped watches such as the Galaxie and Stardust models. In 1973 Baume & Mercier introduced the Riviera, one of the world’s first steel sports watches. In 1988, the Swiss watch manufacturer joined the Richemont group.
The brand currently offers the Clifton, Classima and Hampton collections as women’s and men’s models, as well as the Capeland men’s collection and the Linea and Promesse women’s collections. In 2015, the Baume & Mercier brand expanded its range of sporty wristwatches through a partnership with the famous American racing car manufacturer Carroll Shelby International. In its Capeland and Clifton collections, the company offers a limited edition model “Shelby Cobra” named after the classic sports car.
Representatives
Prominent Baume & Mercier customers include Gwyneth Paltrow, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Andy Garcia, Gary Sinise, Ashton Kutcher, David Duchovny, Teri Hatcher, Kim Basinger, Evangeline Lily, and Kiefer Sutherland. With the celebrity sponsorship campaign “Baume & Mercier & Me”, donations were raised for charity.
In December 2015, the Chinese actor, singer and model Chen Kun became a brand ambassador for Baume & Mercier. During the launch campaign and wore a wristwatch from the Clifton collection.
Actual collection
The current models of the Baume & Mercier collection:
- Hampton – the collection of rectangular vintage models based on the Baume & Mercier watches from the 1940s in the style of Art Deco
- Capeland – vintage chronograph collection
- Classima – a minimalist collection of classic watch models
- Linea – women’s collections with changeable bracelet
- Clifton – Vintage collection based on Baume & Mercier models from the 1950s
- Promesse – An elegant women’s collection in the style of the 1970s with a round dial framed by an oval bezel