Let’s hear it for the gentleman sportsman

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Let’s hear it for the gentleman sportsman - Baume & Mercier
In 2017, Baume & Mercier will be accompanying gentlemen on all their sporting pursuits, whether on the asphalt, with the magnificent third generation of the Cobra, or on the courts, with a new range: the Clifton Club.

In the coming year, perhaps more than ever, watch enthusiasts will be paying close attention to three elements: product, price, and brand history. In this respect, 2017 could turn out rather well for Baume & Mercier. Since 1830 the Geneva maison has endeavoured to provide authentic and creative luxury at a reasonable price. The collections presented at the SIHH make this point robustly: no more mega-complications, a moratorium on excessive embellishment, and a return to the Genevan values of horological good sense and watches built to last. Baume & Mercier, never one to follow the currents of fashion, may find that the tide has turned in its favour.

Classima for a day, Classima forever

After a particularly feminine season that has seen the burgeoning of the Petite Promesse, Baume & Mercier is turning its attention back to men with a triptych of new arrivals. The first is part of the Classima collection, one of the company’s signature collections, often seen as a gateway into Swiss watchmaking. With a steel bracelet or blue or black leather strap, and matching blue or white dial, there is something for everyone here. The standard 40 mm case also has ladies’ counterparts in 36.5 mm and 31 mm.

Let’s hear it for the gentleman sportsman

Cobra 3: simply magnificent!

Thrill-seekers are sure to be bowled over by Baume & Mercier’s sportier offering. The new Clifton Cobra, the third edition to have come out of the watchmaker’s partnership with Shelby, is uncompromising. It marks a logical evolution in Baume & Mercier’s style: more daring, more sporty, but still elegant. Clearly, there’s still plenty left to say about the relationship between watches and cars, and Baume & Mercier says it with style.
The model is inspired by the legendary Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupé, the most iconic American racing car. The six original models, built in 1964, are still in existence, and are worth several million dollars. The 196 numbered “Clifton Club Shelby@ Cobra CSX2299” watches come in a 44 mm case with bold blue and white colouring, a central hand in the famous Cobra design, a case that mirrors the shape of the car’s legendary engine and a winding rotor designed to look like wheel rims. The spectacular result is fitted with an “All Road” blue calfskin strap with an embossed carbon fabric-type pattern. The only downside is that, once these 196 are gone, there won’t be any more!

Let’s hear it for the gentleman sportsman

Welcome to the Club

Finally, Baume & Mercier is inaugurating a new sport collection within the Clifton range: the Clifton Club. The watch has the elegance befitting the gentleman sportsman, with a restrained case size of 42 mm, 10 mm thick, housing an automatic movement with a 48-hour power reserve. The new Club watches are a judicious complement to the Capeland Chronos, which are positioned more as urban chronographs than as genuine sport pieces. Here, the sporty elements are unmistakeable: closed back, reinforced strap, crown protection and depth rating of 100 metres. The new collection has its own set of special signatures: the brand’s Phi logo at 12 o’clock, the “Club” crest on the back, and a new central orange hand with a SuperLuminova-filled triangular insert. The only drawback is that the first three models don’t have a chronograph, a complication intuitively (and logically) associated with the world of sport. Maybe in 2018?

Let’s hear it for the gentleman sportsman

 

 

 

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David Chaumet