How can you put the racy spirit of a legendary car like the Cobra CSX2128 into a watch dial? Baume & Mercier, partner to Shelby® since 2015, set itself this very challenge: the Capeland Shelby® Cobra 1963 in tribute to the 12 Hours of Sebring race in 1963. The limited edition (1963 available, of course!) dial bears the racing car’s colours: sunburst satin-finish black with two horizontal strips at the base of the dial all shot through with yellow (chronograph seconds hand tip, minute and hour counter hands, tachymeter scale on chapter ring). Two luminescent hands in the centre glide over Breguet Arabic hour numerals and a minute track. The seconds tick down in a counter at 9 and the date stands at 4.30. The self-winding calibre in the 44mm steel case fuels the watch’s functions. Price: 3,900 CHF. Sharmila Bertin

The Baume brothers opened their workshop in the Jura in 1830 before joining forces with Paul Mercier in 1918 to found Baume & Mercier in Geneva. The Clifton collection, famous for its retro   watches based on 1950s archives, was selected to celebrate the brand’s 185^th anniversary. What’s it like? The Clifton 1830 model comes in a red gold 45mm case. The manual wind movement brings to life not only the time and date functions but also the power reserve which lasts approximately 192 hours (8 days). The silver white dial bears gold applied Arabic numerals and indices surrounded by a slim minute track with blue markers whose colour also features on the power reserve indicator’s hand between 8 and 9. Two gold spear-shape hour and minute hands burst from the centre whilst the seconds appear in a counter at 6 o’ clock. Price: 16,200 CHF. Sharmila Bertin

Warning: Sunglasses are highly recommended when gazing at the four new Linea models! The brightly coloured straps that wrap around your wrist are as invigorating and powerful as a vitamin-packed shot. They awaken the skin and dazzle the eyes. The scaly alligator leather strap comes in lemon yellow like the sun (Peppy Honey), bright jade like a freshly cut lawn (Fresh Green), warm purple like the setting sun (Graphic Violet) or eye-popping magenta like a tropical flower (Pop Pink). That’s enough to make you want to either jet off or extend your holiday! The 27mm polished steel case houses a bezel engraved with the hour rim leaving the dauphine-shape hour and minute hands and central seconds hand to dance around the silver-tone dial. The time functions are brought to life by a quartz movement. Price: 1,950 CHF

It’s always delicate choosing a ladies watch be it for yourself or for that special someone. It has to be subtle enough to be worn by day, sophisticated enough to dazzle at night and classic enough that you never tire of it… Add to that the fact that many women act on impulse and stay loyal to their decisions and you’ve got a real dilemma on your hands! That said, the Genevan brand has managed to pull off timelessness and sophistication to create the Classima; a steel watch delicately surrounded by diamonds. The opalescent mother-of-pearl dial has a sparkling sunburst centre and an hour rim with silver Roman numerals on a black minute track. The date display lies at 3 o’ clock. The leaf-shape hour and minute hands and central seconds hands are brought to life by the self-winding ETA 2892 calibre in the 36.5mm case. Price: 4,490 CHF

Stendhal said: “Beauty is nothing other than the promise of happiness.” Could the writer have been right? Could a beautiful and timeless watch be a seal of commitment between two people and the promise of happiness? When it comes to love, the imagination runs wild. Baume & Mercier radiate this sentimental sermon in an entire ladies collection. The timepiece comes in two diameters (30 or 34mm) with a self-winding or quartz movement wrapped in steel, plain, with diamonds or blended with rose gold. The simplicity of Promesse with its guilloché silver-tone or mother-of pearl dial means it’s love at first sight. True to the collection’s key features, four Roman numerals are surrounded by baton or diamond indices. Spear-shape hands glide above to track the hours and minutes with a slim seconds hand. What makes this timepiece so spellbinding? Not only may it dazzle with diamonds but the oval bezel plays with the case’s round curves. Price between 1,750 CHF to 6,500 CHF

They say that 20 is the best year of your life which is good for the Hampton model celebrating its two decades in existence. The rectangular polished and satin-finish steel case is generously sized (31x47mm) given how slim it is (10mm). Its slight curve delicately and comfortably hugs the wearer’s wrist. The silky white dial bears an hour track made up of 11 silver-tone Arab numerals (or gold-tone depending on the version) with rounded calligraphy. The sword-shaped hour and minute hands and central seconds hand in blue steel (or copper gold) glide over the dial. The black-on-white date display lies at 6 o’ clock. The time and date functions are brought to life by a self-winding movement inside the case which provides a 42 hour power reserve. Price: 2,350 CHF

The Clifton collection launched almost 2 years ago and is inspired by a timepiece from the 50s which is now preserved in the Baume&Mercier museum. The modern pieces in this new collection revive the classic curvy elegance with a hint of modern design and technical details. Its 43mm steel case flits between polished and satin-finish surfaces. A self-winding movement lies in the heart of the watch to provide the 42-hour power reserve and bring to life the time and date functions. The hours appear in the form of gilded indices and Arabic numerals, the black minute track has blue markings and three gold hands glide over the dial. A gold-rimmed dual date display stands at 12 o’ clock whilst the silver sunburst lower half of the dial is filled with the power reserve indicator and its little blue hand at 6 o’ clock. Price: 3,690 CHF

Prima facie, we may wonder what on earth a tourbillon is doing in the collections of a brand that is positioned in the “affordable luxury” segment. It doesn’t really fit in with the philosophy of any of the families of products. But is it illegitimate as such? Of course not. Baume&Mercier, one of the oldest Swiss watchmaking firms, needs no lessons from anyone on the subject. Besides, it was the creator of a famous tourbillon which won the precision contest organized by the Kew Observatory of London back in 1892. A watch (pocket) that was so well-tuned that it was never dethroned over the ten years that would ensue. Days of glory for the company that was established in Les Bois, in the middle of the Franches-Montagnes at that time. So we now understand why the watch presented this year at the SIHH – the Clifton 1982 Tourbillon, bears its name.
Today, Baume&Mercier no longer make their own movements. For its flying tourbillon, it worked hand-in-hand with ValFleurier, a Neuchâtel manufacturing firm which, like itself, is part of the Richemont Group. In this case, the calibre is a hand-wound one, set at 4 Hz (28,000 vibrations per hour), with a power reserve of 50 hours. It is housed in a red gold case that is relatively large as its diameter spans 45.5 mm. Yet having said this, its highly-classical, intensely refined style means that the object is not at all over-the-top. Quite the opposite actually… it echoes the timeless elegance that the brand has held so dear from the very beginning. This timepiece’s touch of originality comes from the position of the tourbillon carriage, set at 9 o’clock. A position that is relatively rare. The area located at 6 o’clock has been reserved for the small seconds counter.
This delightful work emulates the work performed on the three chronographs that are also part of the Clifton family, which is, apparently, Baume&Mercier’s flagship collection. “It’s successful throughout the world,” states Alain Zimmermann, the brand’s CEO. “And this is why we continue to develop it and to enhance it”. So, no surprise factor as regards these three timepieces equipped with the ETA-produced, wear-resistant Valjoux 7750 calibre, housed in a 433 mm diameter steel case. The counters are laid out in the time-honoured way, at 12 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock and the day and date aperture, quite logically, fills the only space left on the dial, at 3 o’clock. Ah, but here there’s something new… Baume&Mercier’s designers quested after absolute pureness of shape and understated elegance in the display of the various indicators. On one of the models, the hands are blued, on the two others, they are rhodium-plated gold. Perfect for ladies and gents who prefer classicism.