Baume & Mercier new watches 2024 at Watches and Wonders

Introduction

Building on the Riviera‘s staggering success, the Baume & Mercier new watches 2024 include unexpected new models that aim to foster the momentum of this seventies-inspired luxury sports watch collection.

Each time a new collection breaks cover, its market success is measured from a consumer’s perspective by how quickly the brand extends the product offering. This is the only collection in the brand’s portfolio that has undergone such a development in the short term. The new Rivieras have beautiful complications, setting them apart from the competition. Nonetheless, it is not all about the Riviera. Please welcome two new Clifton Baumatic with moon phases, a Classima Chronograph and a small-sized Hampton.

The upcoming 2024 Riviera

We will go hands-on and in-depth with the new models after the fair. That said, it is hard to believe what the development team Baume & Mercier has done by looking at the new releases.

Riviera Mareographe Limited Edition

The brand has explored unexpected and somewhat forgotten complications. We thought the Riviera Baumatic Moon Phase was the landing point (perpetual calendar not included); when we see the new Mareographe edition, we admit it is as intriguing and in line with the collection’s foothold. The watch was not under embargo but was released a few months back to avoid any unwanted product overlap with another relevant new product.

Technically speaking, the Riviera Mareographe is a Moonphase’s sibling since it builds on the same modular technical base and has the exact size. The 43.06 mm wide and 12.34 mm thick case requires a larger-than-average wrist and will not be anybody’s cup of tea. There is nothing to worry about; there is a Riviera for any size and price.

Here is a muscular, nicely built and finished timepiece, whose display at six houses a tide indicator, adjustable via a pusher located at four.

A small, micro-sandblasted blue decorated with a colimaçon motif counter displays the complication. The Riviera Baumatic Mareographe is a top-of-the-range model produced in just 500 pieces, priced at 5,400 euros.

The tide indicator

Measuring the tides is a rare and unique feature that Baume & Mercier has introduced in their new watches. This complication, as romantic as it is hard to find on today’s mechanical watches, comes from the interaction between Earth, moon, and sun. It’s a testament to the brand’s commitment to innovation and pushing the boundaries of watchmaking.

The moon’s influence is predominant, and its revolution around the Earth affects the tide cycle, which lasts about 24 hours and 50 minutes.

It means the interval between two high (or low) tides is half the cycle. The disc at six o’clock is a mechanical gauge indicating high or low tide in its simplest form; i.e., it cannot measure how high or low a tide is. We should be provided with a moon phase indication to derive such information.

Hence, a day’s high tides have different amplitudes. The disc has a sector depicting the highest tide and an AM-PM indication. To adjust the Riviera Mareographe, simply refer to the tide table of your chosen location and place the arrow closer to the hour when you expect the higher tide. This sets the reference time for the tides’ evolution, making it a user-friendly and practical feature. The scale is half-an-hour based. It is, therefore, an approximate tide indicator.

Riviera Skeleton

Here is the brand’s hero at W&W 2024. Unexpectedly, the Riviera Skeleton is not Baumatic-powered but Sellita-powered, and engineers opted for a technical platform whose thickness has allowed the watch’s thickness to stop at 11.1 mm as opposed to some heftier Baumatic.

Designers turned the 42 mm entry-level case into a masterpiece. The skeletonization pattern is a contemporary, edgy design that transforms the bread-and-butter Riviera into a more refined, luxurious, and techy watch, with mechanical movement included.

Vertically brushed blackened finishes decorate each facet on the top of the dial and the back. The regulating organ feels like a tourbillon, and that is what they aimed to do when sketching this dial.

In between the bezel and case is a thin black anodized aluminium ring, matching the four hexagonal micro-sandblasted ADLC-treated steel screws. The Riviera Skeleton is powerful and sporty and one of the sleekest options.

The Sellita AMT2500 calibre ensures 38 hours of power reserve once it is fully wound. Given the skeletonization, the white Baume & Mercier sits atop the sapphire glass, thus adding to the watch’s 3D layout. The list price is 4,650 euros.

Riviera Steel and Titanium

A new steel and titanium model pops out. Baume & Mercier is familiar with material combinations, yet they pushed the boundaries to create a coloured Riviera in grey and blue.

The midsection is in blue PVD-treated micro-sandblasted steel, while the twelve-sided bezel and matching ring on the case back comes in grey PVD-treated micro-sandblasted titanium.

The case and bezel are fastened via a PVD-golden steel ring. Hands and applied indexes receive the same treatment, with a thin ring between the glass and the bezel. The rubber strap is as blue as the treated case. Under the smoked blue dial ticks a Baumatic movement.

The Baume & Mercier Riviera Steel and Titanium measures 42.0 mm across and 10.6 mm in thickness. It is not the most classic Riviera model on the shelf. However, it is yet another iteration proving how playful the collection is and how many options and materials any customer is offered. The new Steel and Titanium Riviera retails for €4,750.

Baume & Mercier Classima Chronograph

The Classima is the long-lasting B&M collection par excellence. It now welcomes three new chronographs with vibrant new coloured dials and contrasting chrono counters.

One comes with a lacquered blue dial, and another with a green and slate combo. Lastly, a sand dial with contrasting anthracite registers completes the offering.

We saw the latest version during a product preview. It is a classic three-counter chronograph whose winning formula is the counter arrangement and the contrasting chronograph minute and hour counters.

It measures 42.0 mm across and 13.2 mm in thickness and is waterproof up to 50 meters, operated by a Valjoux-based movement. Once fully wound, the watch runs for 48 hours.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Moon Phase

Two new editions of the lovely, classic Baumatic Moon Phase join the collection. Available in blue or grey, they feature lacquered smoked dials, a pattern familiar with most Clifton Baumatic timepieces. Case dimensions are as follows: 39.9mm x 12.2mm.

The Baumatic movement with a 120-hour power reserve is visible through the sapphire back, where you can appreciate the perlage, the main plate finished with a “colimaçon” decoration, and the winding mass with Côtes de Genève on top. The list price is €4,950.

Hampton 10760

Our 2024 overview ends with the reference 10760, an ultra-minimalist full black Hampton measuring 35 x 22 mm case, paired with a black calfskin strap.

It is undoubtedly a watch for her but leaves room for further developments. Check our Final Thoughts section for more.

Final thoughts

The Riviera is Baume & Mercier’s hero. Designers and engineers added another attractive complication and more colour to material combos. For example, the tide indicator is attractive and unseen elsewhere.

A Riviera Skeleton was also far expected. What a pity it is not Baumatic-based, and it has to do with cost savings, in our opinion. The Riviera collection starts at around 2,000 Euros and doubles with Baumatic-based complicated models. In most cases, the average selling price is close to 5,000 Euros.

The build quality and finish of the watches are excellent, a testament to the brand’s commitment to craftsmanship and durability. We would upgrade the strap and its butterfly clasp. The wearer still needs to cut the two rubber ends to fit it, which is a minor inconvenience but does not detract from the overall quality of the watch.

The new moon phase Clifton is the perfect mid-sized classic round watch. It encompasses all you expect from a Baumatic classic model, including an extended power reserve.

The Classima Chronograph is Baume & Mercier’s chronograph by definition. Well designed, Classima is synonymous with sleek lines and excellent proportions, but we would welcome a column wheel mechanism anytime soon. We hope a Baumatic chronograph is in the works.

Last, the full-black Hampton inspires us with a medium or large model housing a hand-winding movement. We are sure it will be a staggering market success.

(Photo credit: Horbiter®)

Giovanni Di Biase @Horbiter®