The Baume & Mercier Classima Lady watches hands-on

07 May 2021 | Baume & Mercier , Women's watches

Summer is rapidly approaching, and I usually begin to change my style and include brighter colors whatever the scenario, whether I adopt an elegant, sporty, chic, or professional outfit: what is relevant is to add a touch of color.

As a lady, my total look includes a long list of accessories whose relevance is primary, especially when I'm wearing the so-called essentials. Among the accessories, the right-matching wristwatch is sitting atop the list. I usually opt for sleek lines that discreetly stand out: here is the case of a Classima or a Hampton that the brand entirely overhauled in 2020.

The new Classima for her comes in at 31 mm across, which is perfect for my small wrist, and the dial is in white mother of pearl. The Roman numerals applied at three, six, and twelve enhance elegance, while more and rhodium-plated subtle baton indexes complete the dialìs design. Some models are pairing standard baton indexes with diamonds. Elegant rhodium-plated leaf hands are used for hours, minutes, and the central second's hand. I can't get rid of the date window; you'll find it placed at three o'clock, as usual.

On some options, the bezel with brilliant-cut diamonds on top is a gem. The Classima Lady comes with two choices of calibers, a quartz movement or a self-winding one; you can enjoy through the see-through case back. Let's get straight to the point and talk pricing; the quartz Classima starts at under a thousand euros to go up to as much as 1,600 euros in the most prestigious variant with diamonds.

It jumps to 2,850 euros when paired with a diamond-embellished bezel. The price is higher on those Classima Lady adopting with a self-winding mechanical movement: top-down and like for like, the option with a diamond bezel starts at 3,850 euros; you'll pay 2,600 euros if you're looking for diamonds on the dial only, down to 2,500 euros on a leather strap.

The headline news is the fast-change bracelet that helps you swap from blue to a red alligator strap, for example, at the touch of your fingertips. I love how the no-frills and uncluttered design contrasts with the fancy and colored straps. It caught my attention; you can genuinely make any Classima Lady yours and change the "look and feel" by just replacing a strap.

In addition to traditional color palettes like black, green, turquoise, or ocean blue, Baume & Mercier has introduced some new ones like a coral reef, lemon green, orchid, mauve, passion, poppy, and mango. For those women looking for something more distinctive, please look at the double-wrapping strap also available; it comes in light brown with cream-colored stitching. I'd pick the turquoise strap as a first option; it reminds the coral reefs, but I won't dismiss the mauve-color strap that I'd love to test.

Finally, I also believe that Baume & Mercier's choice to equip the most recent new Classima for women (31 mm) with an additional calfskin strap is a winner. In total, you can choose among eleven color options and, thanks to the quick-release system, swap between straps in a blink of an eye.