BAUME & MERCIER PAYS TRIBUTE TO FOUNDER WITH THREE NEW WATCHES

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• Exclusive new designs honour the horological expertise of William Baume


• 178 years of watchmaking expertise by Baume & Mercier
  

The new William Baume Collection is a tribute to time and its measurement. Through three superb Haute Horlogerie models, it evokes the tradition of one of the ten oldest Swiss watch brands, Baume & Mercier, whose origins date back to 1830. This expertise was admirably embodied by William Baume, the mastermind behind the modern-day brand and its successful bid to earn the watch industry’s highest quality certification: the prestigious Poinçon de Genève, granted in 1921.
 
It was in 1830 that the “Frères Baume” watchmaking “comptoir” was founded in the Swiss Jura village of Les Bois. In 1918, the company became Baume & Mercier in Geneva under the leadership of William Baume, representing the third generation of a watch company that was one of the most important of its era. The Baume brand had indeed distinguished itself worldwide since 1830 by the excellence and innovation displayed in its timepieces. It won gold medals at the Universal Exhibitions in Paris, London, Philadelphia and Geneva with its complication watches – tourbillons, minute repeaters and perpetual calendars – and was repeatedly successful in what was then the most famous chronometry competition of them all: the one held by the Kew Teddington Observatory London. In 1892, Baume won the absolute precision record – that was to remain unbeaten for 10 years – for its keyless chronometer with tourbillon escapement. Such is the rich horological heritage that the William Baume Collection now celebrates by offering contemporary reinterpretations of Haute Horlogerie models that are an integral part of the Baume & Mercier heritage.
 
William A. Baume (1885-1956)
William Baume is the modern mastermind behind the Baume & Mercier brand. He ushered the “Frères Baume” company – founded in 1830 by his grandfather Louis Victor Baume and grand-uncle Pierre Joseph Célestin Baume – firmly into the 20^th century.
 
An exceptionally talented watchmaker driven by the innovative ideas characteristic of the early 20^th century, William Baume associated with watchmaker-jeweler Paul Mercier in 1918 to create the Baume & Mercier brand in Geneva. The new company successfully combined traditional and contemporary watchmaking, drawing inspiration from the latest technical and aesthetic trends that it interpreted in keeping with the noblest rules of watchmaking craftsmanship.
 
Loyal to his forerunners’ motto of “creating only watches of the highest quality”, William Baume was to perpetuate their know-how with passion and innovation.
 
In the midst of the “années folles”– a period of sweeping changes marked by spectacular technical break-throughs and unprecedented creative effervescence – William Baume and Paul Mercier defined a brand philosophy that is now more modern than ever: mastering Haute Horlogerie in order to dedicate it to the cause of timeless design and elegance. Such is the founding philosophy of
Baume & Mercier, now admirably illustrated in the William Baume Collection.
 
Renewing ties with the origins of Baume & Mercier, this collection pays homage to the horological craftsmanship and innovative spirit cultivated by William Baume.
 
The new William Baume Collection is composed exclusively of models crafted in the finest Haute Horlogerie tradition, equipped with complication movements made especially for Baume & Mercier.
 
The three models of the collection, issued in limited editions, evoke the brand’s origins through complications inseparably entwined with its historical heritage.
 
William Baume Ultra-thin
Ultra-thin watches have always been synonymous with superior elegance and extreme technical sophistication. From 1920 onwards, Baume & Mercier began to specialize in ultra-thin watches, and in 1965 the brand caused a sensation with the thinnest automatic watch of the era.
 
Mechanical hand-wound movement just 2 mm thick. 41 mm red gold case, dial with “vieux panier” guilloché motif, hand-sewn alligator leather strap. Limited, numbered edition of 178.
 
 
William Baume Retrorgrade
The retrograde seconds display divides time into two. Its large hand counts off 30 seconds over a graduated arc of a circle, before returning instantly to its starting point to measure the 30 following seconds. This model also displays a Large Date function appearing through a double window at 12 o’clock.
 
Mechanical self-winding movement visible through the transparent case-back. 41 mm red gold case, dial with “vieux panier” guilloché motif, hand-sewn alligator leather strap. Limited, numbered edition of 178.
 
William Baume Tourbillon
The tourbillon defies gravity. This most prestigious and trickiest to make of all watch complications features a rotating carriage designed to compensate for the effects of gravity on the precision of a watch. In 1892, Baume beat the absolute record for precision in the Kew Observatory chronometry competition with a tourbillon chronometer.
 
Mechanical hand-wound movement, tourbillon at 9 o’clock and small seconds at 6 o’clock. 43 mm red gold case, dial with “vieux panier” guilloché motif, hand-sewn alligator leather strap. Exceptional model issued in a limited, numbered edition of 10.
 



William Baume – ultra-thin
 
Collection:             William Baume, limited edition to 178 pieces
Reference:            M0A0 8794
Movement:            WB-T 001 manual, decorated and ultra-thin
Gold weight:          50 gr
Case:                    Shape: round
                            Size: XL (41mm), thickness 5.8mm
                            18K red gold case
                            18K red gold crown
Dial:                      Opaline silvered
                             « Vieux panier » guilloché décor
                            18K red gold indexes and hands
Water resistance:   30 m
Strap:                    Hand-stitched brown alligator strap, square scales and tone on tone stitching
Buckle:                 Pin, 18K red gold
 
William Baume – retrograde second
 
Collection:             William Baume, limited edition to 178 pieces
Reference:            M0A0 8795
Movement:            LP3533 Automatic, decorated
Gold weight:          60 gr
Functions:             Big date at 12 o’clock and retrograde second at 6 o’clock
Case:                    Shape: round            
                            Size: XL (41mm)
                            18K red gold case
                            18K red gold crown
                            Sapphire crystal case back
Dial:                      Opaline silvered
                            “Vieux panier” guilloché décor
                            18K red gold indexes and hands
Water resistance:   30 m
Strap:                    Hand-stitched brown alligator strap, square scales and tone on tone stitching
Buckle:                 Pin, 18K red gold


 
William Baume – tourbillon
 
Collection:             William Baume, limited edition to 10 pieces
Reference:            M0A0 8796
Movement:            WB-T 002, manual, decorated
Gold weight:          85 gr
Functions:             Tourbillon at 9 o’clock and small seconds counter at 6 o’clock
Case:                    Shape: round
                            Size: XXL (43mm)
                            18K red gold case
                            18K red gold crown
                            Sapphire crystal case back
Dial:                      Opaline silvered
                            “Vieux panier” guilloché décor
                            18K red gold indexes and hands
Water resistance:   30 m
Strap:                    Hand-stitched brown alligator strap, square scales and tone on tone stitching
Buckle:                 Pin, 18K red gold

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