subject: Baume & Mercier Shows its Classima [print this page] There is something deeply and satisfyingly reassuring about seeing a classic watch brand do what it does best. At 180-year old Baume & Mercier, which is to classic what Bill Haley is to rock 'n roll, by virtue of age alone almost the 'ur'-brand, the Classima Executive men's line is a constant reminder both of what got the brand this far, and how it retains its appeal.
Take the M0A08462 which manages to blend elegance and simplicity, old-world styling and modern technology, in a seamless mix that makes it an object lesson for those many less venerable brands striving for the same effect.
The 8462, among the most distinctive of some 40 Classima Executives in the current collection, comes with white face behind a sapphire crystal in a 42mm silver steel case. There are roman numerals at 3, 6, and 9, Baume & Mercier's logo at 12 o'clock and the date window at 3 o'clock.
If you're plotting a summer getaway from the sackcloth and ashes of a crisis-ridden UK, it also comes with a handy dual time display, so you can remind yourself any time you want on that golden beach just how good you have it and what you're not missing back home.
Appropriately enough, given the tenor of the time, this second time scale sees a red-tipped arrow ticking around a 24-hour display of red numbers ringed around the face, just inside the minute display.
Baume & Mercier knows exactly what it is doing here, witness its description of the Classima Executives as "rejuvenated classics". It might almost be a description of the brand, which was founded in the Swiss village of Les Bois by the Baume brothers, Louis Victor and Pierre-Joseph Celestin, in faraway 1830 and retains the family connection.
These days it is owned by Richemont and is clued-in enough that it has its own Facebook page with more than 3,000 followers extolling the virtues of classic watches like the Classima executive.
