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Baume & Mercier Hampton Automatic 43mm X 27.5mm Mens Watch
Ref. BM0A10522
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Stepping up in Baume & Mercier's range
The Hampton's rectangular case has been a constant in Baume & Mercier's catalogue since the 1990s, and this reference keeps the proportion that gives it its character: at 43mm along its length and only 27.5mm across, it is emphatically tall rather than wide, sitting narrow on the wrist in a way that reads immediately as a dress watch shaped by the proportions of an earlier era. The opaline and grained dial is doing more than most silver dials manage. The two textures work in opposite directions as the light shifts — the grained sections hold their tone while the opaline zones move — and the black ruthenium Arabic numerals and riveted indexes sit forward against that surface with enough contrast to read cleanly without looking sharp. At 9.95mm the case sits flat under a cuff without the ridge that deeper crowns create, and the alligator strap with its square scales and grey stitching is cut narrow to match the case width rather than bridging out to something broader. The ETA 2671 is a compact movement chosen for cases like this, where the geometry leaves little room to hide a larger calibre. The sapphire caseback makes it visible, and at 28,800vph the seconds hand sweeps rather than steps — a detail that costs the watch nothing to read but changes the feel of wearing it considerably.
- Reference
- BM0A10522
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Case size
- 43mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Rectangular
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- ETA 2671
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
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 5 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (3,465), Back in Stock (3,377), Automatic Watches (1,791), Leather Strap Watches (1,142) and Silver Dial Watches (792).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 43mm sits at the larger end
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
Baume & Mercier Hampton alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | BM0A10522 | 85237AA61.BVA31 | 128681 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,575 | £2,500 | £2,780 |
| Case size | 43mm | 42mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | — | 38 hours |
| This watch | Closely matched | Closely matched |
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.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 38 hours fully wound — so it will usually stop if you leave it off overnight.
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, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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