Earlier this year, at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), Baume & Mercier announced some pretty incredible news: the brand was unveiling a high-tech in-house movement called Baumatic(TM). Now, the watches housing the incredible new caliber are in stores — and any watch lover and seeker of precision is going to want to check them out. The new Clifton Baumatic(TM) watches house the BM12- 1975A caliber that not only offers an impressive five days (120 hours) of power reserve and an accuracy of -4/+6 seconds per day, but also is created using antimagnetic materials that make it 25 times more antimagnetic than most watches on the market. Additionally, thanks to the high-tech components, no service is needed on the mechanical watch for five years, and it comes with an extended warranty.
This is big news. When we first wrote about the Baumatic movement here in January, we stated that this was going to be a game-changer in the watch world. We meant it. The newest Clifton Baumatic watches are basically about five times more accurate than a standard automatic watch, has three times the power reserve and has a magnetic resistance to 1,500 Gauss — 25 times the ISO norm. Additionally they are made using unique new oils that will not dry out as quickly as standard oils — giving it a five-year lifecycle before needing servicing. In short, the new technology introduced in the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic™ watch is designed to offer today’s customers a better product that can combat issues with timekeeping accuracy incurred during every day wear and tear.
While some of these benefits may be found in other haute horology watches, you won’t find them all together under any one case — especially at prices under $3,500 — anywhere else in the watch world. The movement was five years in the making and the result now, the Clifton Baumatic (TM) watches, were worth the wait. In addition to housing the Richemont Group’s first silicon hairspring with Twinspir (TM) technology (with one silicon bridge for the mainspring barrel and winding wheels and another bridge for the going train), the caliber is also fitted with a silicon escapement, and a Nivaflex Plus spring.
The benefits package, however, does not stop with the incredible caliber, but also extends to the generous look of the first five Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic watches. Each timepiece measures 40mm in diameter –making them the perfect size for men or women. The opening price point version, at $2,750, is crafted in stainless steel and features either a white dial with porcelain finish (with blue alligator strap), or a black dial and black alligator strap. There is also a version crafted in steel and offered with a five-row link bracelet with polished and satin links and a white dial with a porcelain finish ($2,950). Holding the highest retail price, at $3,500, is an alluring white dial (with porcelain finish) version crafted in stainless steel with a gold bezel and crown. It is finished with a brown alligator strap — giving it a truly classic appeal. Additionally, there is one model that is a COSC-certified chronometer (white dial, black strap), that retails for $2,990. While all of the watches could carry COSC certification, Baume & Mercier opted to only certify one model due to the excessive amount of time it takes for each watch to be certified.
In addition to the crisp, clean dial with elongated trapezoid-shaped indexes, the watch also offers an enlarged date indication at 3:00, and features a domed anti-glare scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. It is water resistant to 50 meters and features a sapphire caseback for viewing of the beautifully finished, highly unique caliber. Oh, and one last bonus: buyers get an extra year of warranty coverage when they register their watch with Baume & Mercier.