Baume & Mercier was inspired by its legacy pieces – among them a minute repeater pocket watch – to make the first pocket watch in the Clifton collection. A distinctive bridge built between the past and the present. In true Asian tradition, the Clifton 1830 masterpiece has come to be a priceless and symbolic memento. An heirloom pocket watch handed down the ages like a magical charm embodying Baume & Mercier's entire heritage and bequeathing it to future generations.
Amply sized at 50 mm in diameter to snugly fit into the palm of the hand, the 18K red gold case is further enhanced by its polished satin finish. Elegant design meets a highly complex mechanism. The opaline silver-colored domed dial features Arabic numerals and 18K red gold riveted markers. Its stylized hands are also made of red gold for a touch of modern inspiration and overall elegance. The back of the case is a relic of 19th century pocket watches from the company's legacy collections. Through the sapphire-crystal case-back, one can admire the skeleton manufacture movement designed by the Baume & Mercier Design Studio.
Activated by a trigger at 4 o'clock, the resonant chime sounds a low note on the hour and then a pair of low and high tones for each elapsed period of five minutes. More than just an on-demand chime, as the hours and minutes pass the Clifton 1830 five-minute repeater pocket watch rings out its distinctive melody like an actual musical instrument. With this in mind, the timepiece was inspired and designed much like a modern release of a Stradivarius. And like the grand timepieces of the early 20th century, it also features an "all or nothing" safety mechanism. This means the chime will not sound if the case's right trigger is not fully cocked, to avoid incorrect time indication.
The hand-wound movement on the Clifton 1830 five-minute repeater pocket watch runs at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5Hz) and has a 46-hour power reserve. Exclusively developed and designed by and for Baume & Mercier on the basis of a movement with an additional Dubois Dépraz (D73) module, this stunning skeletonized caliber meets all the time-honored standards of fine watchmaking: customized bridges and plates, unique end finishes, circular-graining on the plate, bridges with circular "Côtes de Genève" decor and blue steel screws, just as it should be. For full enjoyment of the sound quality of this uncommon watch and to intensify the subtle tones of the chimes, customers are offered an ultra-light JMC Lutherie resonance tray.
Harking back to 1830, the year the company was founded, the watch has been specially released for Watches & Wonders in a numbered limited series of 30.
