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Baume & Mercier Classima 42mm Mens Watch
Ref. BM0A10332
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Stepping up in Baume & Mercier's range
The Classima has been Baume & Mercier's argument for the dressed automatic since the line was formalised in the 1990s — a case for Geneva-rooted restraint at a size that reads as contemporary rather than antique. This 42mm iteration sits at the larger end of the range, yet at under 9mm thick it disappears beneath a shirt cuff in a way that most watches at this diameter simply cannot manage. The dial earns its keep through considered detail rather than decoration: Roman numerals at the quarters sit alongside baton indices for the remaining hours, and rhodium-plated leaf hands give the white ground a quiet metallic contrast that shifts noticeably as the light changes angle. The seconds track running at the outer edge is the kind of thing you notice only once you start looking, and then keep noticing. The SW200-1 underneath is Sellita's workhorse automatic — robust, well-supported, and entirely at home in a watch worn daily to an office.
- Reference
- BM0A10332
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Case size
- 42mm
- Case thickness
- 8.93mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Fixed
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- SW200-1
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 48 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
- Warranty
- 2 years
Learn more about Baume & Mercier
The Baume brothers opened a watchmaking business in Les Bois in the Swiss Jura in 1830, and built a substantial export operation through a London office. The company won significant honours at nineteenth-century observatory trials, including a record for a chronograph tourbillon at Kew that stood for years.
The modern company dates from 1918, when William Baume partnered with Paul Mercier in Geneva. Mercier brought design sensibility, and the house's Art Deco pieces of the 1920s — shaped cases, jewelled dials, and the Phi emblem representing the golden ratio — established a decorative direction it has largely kept.
Baume & Mercier was among the founding members of the Geneva Seal system and produced complications including minute repeaters and perpetual calendars in its earlier decades.
Its modern position is deliberately accessible: classical Swiss watchmaking at prices below the group's luxury tier, with the Clifton, Riviera, and Hampton collections covering round dress watches, integrated-bracelet sports watches, and rectangular Art Deco shapes respectively. The Riviera, introduced in 1973, was among the first steel luxury sports watches with an integrated bracelet, arriving a year after the Royal Oak.
The house has been part of Richemont since the group's formation, and produces around two hundred thousand watches annually.
- 1830
- The Baume brothers begin watchmaking in Les Bois.
- 1892
- A Kew observatory record is set with a chronograph tourbillon.
- 1918
- William Baume and Paul Mercier partner in Geneva.
- 1973
- The twelve-sided Riviera launches.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,398), Back in Stock (2,765), Automatic Watches (1,752) and Leather Strap Watches (1,100).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 8.93mm is unusually slim for a 42mm case
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Sits in the lower half of Baume & Mercier's range as we list it
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Baume & Mercier Classima alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | BM0A10332 | H32705140 | FC-303MC5B4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,295 | £1,065 | £1,295 |
| Case size | 42mm | 42mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 48 hours | 80 hours | — |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
How long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 48 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £1,295. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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