When classicism meets contemporary: The Baume & Mercier Classima

James Robinson

Here’s a question for you: how do you modernise something as traditional as a time-only dress watch? Do you utilise new-age materials? Or maybe blow-out the proportions of the timepiece? It’s a conundrum that Baume & Mercier faced with their understated range of Baume & Mercier Classima wristwatches. Their solution was to give owners the chance to physically see their mechanical watch in action, by skeletonising a portion of the dial and exposing the beating heart of its movement, the escapement. It’s a novel idea that gives the Classima a thoroughly modern aesthetic, and, perhaps more importantly, wearers a greater appreciation of the complexity of a mechanical movement.

Speaking of the power source, the Classima utilises Sellita’s tried and true SW200 BV, which features self-winding, 38 hours of power, 26 jewels and an operating frequency of 4Hz. Shrouding the movement, the Classima’s traditional 40mm stainless steel case is quite slim, measuring just 8.95mm, and it’s also water resistant to 50 metres. The rest of the dial hosts all the standard accoutrements you’d expect of a dress watch such as this — Roman numerals, blued steel hands … it’s all present and accounted for. The conforming stainless steel bracelet features both polished and brushed elements, and bridges the gap between old world and new.

It may not suit everyone’s tastes, as invariably, people’s opinions about what constitutes a good dress watch will always differ. But for those looking for something unique in the space, the Classima presents as an eccentric option.

Made in partnership with Baume & Mercier. However, the opinions expressed in this article are our own in accordance with our Editorial Policy.