Baume et Mercier Watches

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Baume & Mercier, or Baume et Mercier as it’s called in its native Switzerland, has roots reaching all the way back to 1830. That’s when two brothers, Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume, began manufacturing pocket watches in the village of Les Bois,...
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Baume & Mercier, or Baume et Mercier as it’s called in its native Switzerland, has roots reaching all the way back to 1830. That’s when two brothers, Louis-Victor and Célestin Baume, began manufacturing pocket watches in the village of Les Bois, which is nestled in the Jura Mountains very near the watchmaking mecca of La Chaux-de-Fonds. The reputation of Baume Brothers grew quickly, and by the 1850s, it boasted a branch in London. Throughout the rest of the 19th century, Baume Brothers would do well in the U.K. and other countries with its chronographs and grand complication watches, winning Grand Prix and gold medals at numerous international competitions. In 1892, this record of watchmaking excellence would culminate at London’s Kew Observatory, where a Baume Brothers chronometer pocket watch with a tourbillon movement, which counteracted the effect of gravity on the escapement, achieved a level of precision that would stand for a full decade. In 1918, after World War I, Baume & Mercier was established when William Baume, the grandson of Louis-Victor, joined forces with a Geneva jeweler named Paul Mercier. Baume made the movements while Mercier made the cases and dials. Just a few years later, in 1921, a Baume & Mercier watch was awarded a prestigious Poinçon de Genève, a true honor for the young partnership. Vintage Baume & Mercier watches from these early years are considered highly collectible today. Throughout the 1920s, Baume & Mercier grew by leaps and bounds. One reason for its success was its decision to make wristwatches for women that were more than mere slimmed-down versions of the wristwatches the company manufactured for its male customers. This decision was definitely in keeping with the times, as women in the United States and, later, United Kingdom were finally granted voting rights equal to men. Accordingly, Baume & Mercier’s wristwatches for women were modern and sophisticated. After World War II, Baume & Mercier launched yet...
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