Baume & Mercier has always had a special place in women’s hearts. It all began in 1869 when Louis-Victor Baume gave his daughter Mélina a gold fob watch decorated with floral motifs. This was a very unusual and forward-thinking gift for those times, when women’s watches were rare and did not particularly differ from those designed for men. In the early 20th century, fob watches began to make way for wristwatches, while jewellers began creating watches for women that resembled pieces of jewellery. Baume & Mercier, which has always been at the forefront of trends, brought out smaller wristwatches and more unusual designs, such as the iconic “baignoire” or oval shape.
In the mid-1940s, women’s watches became slimmer, and Baume & Mercier unveiled the Marquise, a timepiece with a slender rectangular case mounted on a cuff bracelet. The Marquise remained one of the watchmaker’s best-sellers until the early 1960s. The Classima collection is inspired by a watch from 1965, which is kept in the brand's archives and represents 189 years of Swiss watchmaking tradition, as well as Baume & Mercier’s heritage of timepieces for women.
At SIHH 2019, Baume & Mercier adds eight steel ladies watches to its Classima Lady line, which is defined by its elegant simplicity. With new dials and sizes, and with quartz and automatic movements, the collection has been designed to offer every woman her ideal timepiece. 27mm and 34mm diameter versions are joining the existing 31mm models.
Each one features the classic hours and minutes functions as well as a date display at 3 o’clock on the dial. Attention to detail in the design gives each timepiece a unique identity. The automatic watches are recognisable with their Roman numerals at 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock. They also feature a transparent sapphire case back through which the movement can be admired. These feminine models feature a silver-plated dial and refined circular-grained minute track, while models featuring a mother-of-pearl dial have diamond hour-markers.
The diamond-set Classima Lady comes in a 31 mm case, available in a quartz or automatic version, with a radiant dial in white mother-of-pearl enhanced by a diamond-set bezel. The automatic model features an elegant minute track that complements the dial.
All are mounted on a five-row stainless steel bracelet featuring a triple folding clasp with security push-pieces.
