This timepiece is the Baume & Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calendar, the last in a row from a collection that originally started off as a three-hands-watch to then become a GMT-watch, then the Clifton Club, the size of its case slowly increased and it eventually reached a diameter of 45mm, was made of gold and guaranteed up to 8 days of power reserve too. We have now reached the year 2016 and this timepiece’s new version shows us an automatic Clifton featuring two complications; the chronograph and the complete calendar, two features that are not easily found together inside the same case.
The calendar is a complete calendar rather than a perpetual one but I would not be surprised at all if Baume et Mercier were currently thinking of crafting a best-in-class chronograph with a perpetual calendar featuring the best quality-retail price ratio in the market. This is the actual Baume & Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calendar‘s best-kept secret; its case is well-balanced, it is simple but it is also easily recognizable, three adjectives that have made the Clifton collection the brand’s most interesting one. In this specific case, the success is due to this timepiece’s outstanding retail price-style ratio that totals 4.800 euro.
Inside the case sits a Valjoux 7751 caliber that is the technical evolution of one of the most-popular calibers used in the Swiss watch-manufacturing industry. The caliber is decorated with a “Côtes de Genève” motif, blued screws, perlage decorations of bridges and plates and it guarantees up to 48 hours of power reserve.
This is neither an in-house-built caliber nor a La Joux Perret caliber that is usually used inside the Capeland Flyback, however its mechanical features are pretty reliable, they require a minimum amount of maintenance and they also provide the user with all the necessary information that a traditional sporty complicated timepiece is supposed to have.
Among these are the day-and-night-indication that is located at 9 o’clock, the moon-phase-indication located at 6 o’clock, the day-and-month-indication located at 12 o’clock and also the day-indication that consists of a central hand sporting an arrow-shaped tip. On the champagne-colour dial, the three blue chronograph counters – the central counter is used for the chronograph seconds – visually and logically separate the chronograph from the calendar.
These two complications are perfectly integrated with each other on the three available versions of this timepiece; one version sports a gold bezel (5450€) while reference 10278 stands out from the crowd for its steel-made case measuring 43mm and its alligator strap with triple-folding buckle. If you are looking for a best-buy watch for the beginning of the year 2016 and also for an item that you won’t get bored of for decades, you should definitely tick the square saying Baume & Mercier Clifton Chronograph Complete Calendar and place it at the very top of your bucket list!
(Photo credit: Horbiter®’s proprietary photo-shooting)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
@Gaetano Cimmino
