INTRODUCING: All white now – the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic Moon Phase lightens up

Zach Blass

When the time comes to add complications to your roster of wrist wear, Baume & Mercier is a great brand to turn to. Not only are their watches competitively priced, but they are also comparably well-built when considered alongside many of their more expensive peers. In this way, the Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic Moon Phase 10552 ticks a lot of boxes while also bringing their in-house manufacturing nous to the party. You’re buying more than just the brand name here, you’re also getting some serious tech.

The case

The stainless-steel case of this watch is 42mm in diameter and a slender 13.1mm thick. Like many well-finished cases, it includes harmonious satin and polished finishes – but with a fresh twist.

Normally satin dominates the surface area of the case, with hints of polish sparsely rendered throughout. In the case of the 10552, and other creations within the Clifton Baumatic line, you actually get more polished surfaces without deviating from a sporty-elegant aesthetic. All of the top front-facing facets are polished – the bezel, the lugs and their tapered bevelling. The satin aspects are introduced as the case band and the chamfer of the lug tapering. A sharp line breaks the contrasting surfaces that play really well under the light. The push-down crown has a raised Baume & Mercier logo against a satin-style backdrop.

The dial

The dial, while not enamel or porcelain in material, is a crisp and glossy white very reminiscent of true porcelain timepieces. The Baume & Mercier logo and name, the numerals indicating the minutes behind each applied hour index, as well as the date numerals and “Baumatic 5 Days” are sharply printed on the dial. It results in a very clean aesthetic that is hard to fault in its execution.

The riveted indexes, alpha hours and minutes hands, as well as the central seconds hand and date sub-hand are all rhodium-plated and complement the dial very well. The moon phase and date slot into a sub register position that nestles above the six-hour index. The date numerals are well spaced, making it easy to read at a quick glance. The cut into the dial to display the moon phase is smooth and seamless, the disc decorated with a constellation of stars and a metallic moon. Both the date and moon phase do not break up the larger dial aesthetic and help to maintain the overall balance and well-integrated symmetry.

The bracelet

The five-link, stainless-steel bracelet incorporates both satin and polished textures, with its broader links rendered in satin and thinner central links mirror polished. It integrates flush to the case and, as a result, creates a well-balanced pattern of finishes. If you were inclined to change the ratio of sportiness to elegance, Baume & Mercier has really looked out for buyers through the inclusion of a quick-release style tab on the underside of the bracelet where it meets the watch of the case. With a simple pull of the tab, the bracelet will detach from the watch with ease – and considering the leather straps they make have the same technology, it would be a breeze to swap in a sleek black leather strap for more formal occasions (or even a change of pace from the bracelet).

The movement

The Baumatic BM14-1975A C1 caliber inside is an in-house manufacture movement that utilises tech not typically found in entry-level wrist wear. For superb resistance to magnetism, the movement has a silicon Twinspir balance spring and silicon Powerscape escapement. It is also an extremely efficient caliber with an outstanding five days, or 120 hours, of power reserve. It has a modern beat rate of 28,000 vph and, while not chronometer-certified like the COSC automatic model, should still prove to be very accurate.

Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic Moon Phase 10552 price and availability:

The Baume & Mercier Clifton Baumatic Automatic Moon Phase 10552 is $4200 US, and is available now online and in-store. For more details, visit Baume & Mercier right here.