====== Baume & Mercier ======
{{wst>menue|Baume_&_Mercier}}

{{wst>image_cr|Baume & Mercier|Riviera XXL Chrono Diver|Baume & Mercier Riviera XXL Chrono Diver|253px}}

**Baume & Mercier** is a Swiss watch manufacturer, currently one of the Specialist Watchmakers of [[Richemont]].

===== History =====
Baume & Mercier traces its history to the [[Les Bois]] watch shop opened in [[1830]] by brothers Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume. **Frères Baume** opened a branch in London in [[1851]] under the name, "Baume Brothers", and the company's sales grew in the English-speaking world. With sales across the British Empire, Baume also produced watches under the names, Waterloo, Diviko, and Sirdar.

In [[1918]], under the leadership of [[Baume, William|William Baume]], Frères Baume brought in the [[Geneva]] watchmaker [[Mercier, Paul|Paul Mercier]], son of a tsarist officer with the name Tchereditchenko. This partnership was agreed on November 26, 1918. Since [[1921]], the name of the company was **Baume & Mercier, Fabrication Genève**. William Baume and Paul Mercier retired from the company in [[1937]], leaving it to jeweler [[Constantin Gorski]]. Shortly thereafter, in [[1945]], watch manufacturing was moved to La Côte-aux-Fées.

Baume & Mercier established itself in the post-war years as a maker of upscale watches for men and ladies. Many of the former were complicated [[chronograph]] and [[calendar]] models, using [[Landeron]] and [[Valjoux]] [[ebauche]]s, but thinner dress watches were also produced. On the ladies side, the [[Baume & Mercier Marquise|Marquise]] was their leading model.

The [[Piaget]] family became involved in [[1963]] and had a clear ownership by [[1965]], forming PBM International. This gave them a mass-market brand below the exclusive Piaget. After this, the production was partially shifted to the United States. This was driven by Piaget's strong market there thanks to [[Grinberg, Gedalio|Gerry Grinberg]], who also represented [[Corum]]. Also in 1965, Baume & Mercier introduced the slimmest [[self-winding]] [[wristwatch]] with [[date display]], driven by Piaget and Grinberg's historic association with thin watches.

In the 1970s, Baume & Mercier increasingly focused on [[tuning fork]] and [[quartz watch]]es. Baume & Mercier's "Tronosonic" would use the [[ESA]] [[Mosaba]] movement. The [[1973]] [[Baume & Mercier Riviera|Riviera]] was overlooked at the time but now is seen as a historic model This steel sports model came on the heels of the famous [[Audemars Piguet Royal Oak]] and had a similar integrated design but with a 12-sided bezel. In the United States, the brand often appeared alongside others distributed by Grinberg's [[North American Watch]], [[Piaget]], [[Corum]], and [[Concord]] and was seen as an entry-level alternative at outlets like [[Tiffany's]].

By [[1982]], Baume & Mercier had introduced their [[Baume & Mercier Avant Garde|Avant Garde]] line. Similar to the fashionable sisters [[Concord Delirium]] and [[Piaget Polo]], these watches featured an integrated case and bracelet with lateral lines that ran across the bezel and dial. The company also brought back the Riviera line, with the [[1988]] [[Baume & Mercier Riviera Complication|Riviera Complication]] gaining attention with its complicated calendar and moon phase dial. In [[1988]] [[Cartier]] purchased 60% of Baume & Mercier along with a share of Piaget. [[Cartier Group]] would become the base for today's [[Richemont Group]], with Baume & Mercier serving as an entry-luxury brand.

The current model range is characterized by stylish, elegant watch ranges. The best known was the watch classic [[Baume & Mercier Riviera XXL Chrono Diver|Riviera]] with its 12-cornered [[bezel]]. Another successful model is the rectangular watch [[Baume & Mercier William Baume Collection Hampton Square Steel|Hampton]].

In [[2017]], Baume & Mercier introduced [[Baume & Mercier Clifton Manual 1830|Clifton Manual 1830]], becoming the first [[Richemont]] company to sell a [[silicon]] [[balance spring]]. Their next technical innovation came in [[2018]], with the [[Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic|Clifton Baumatic]]. This in-house automatic movement, [[BM12|Cal. BM12-1975M]], features the same silicon "[[Twinspir]]" balance spring as well as a silicon [[escapement|escape wheel and lever]] contributing to a [[5-day]] power reserve.

===== Address =====
**Baume & Mercier, Branch of Richemont International S.A.**\\ 

50, chemin de la Chênaie\\ CH--1293 Bellevue, [[Geneva]]

Tel. +41 022 / 999 51 51\\ Fax +41 022 / 999 50 50

===== Weblinks =====
  * [[http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/|Baume & Mercier]]
  * [[http://www.zeitgefuehl.de/bm_riviera.php|Baume & Mercier Riviera]] (ZEITGEFÜHL)


{{tag>Watch_brands Watch_brands_Switzerland Vendôme_Luxury_Group Richemont}}