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Baume & Mercier Riviera 42mm Mens Watch Black
Ref. BM0A10717
Sits in Baume & Mercier’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Baume & Mercier watches we list, which start at £850.
Price range £850 to £18,000 across 34 Baume & Mercier watches in stock.The Riviera's twelve-sided case dates to 1973, when Baume & Mercier used the dodecagonal form to distinguish it from the wave of integrated-bracelet sport watches arriving from Geneva and the Vallée de Joux at the same time. This reference updates that silhouette with serious diving credentials and a movement that goes well beyond what the price bracket typically demands. The BM13-1975A is the Baumatic calibre — developed in close architectural relationship with movements used by IWC, within the broader Richemont group — and it delivers a five-day power reserve alongside 1,500 Gauss of magnetic resistance, the kind of specification that makes it genuinely useful rather than decoratively automatic. At 11.97mm thick, the case sits closer to the wrist than most watches rated to 300 metres, and the integrated three-row bracelet keeps the proportions flush and uninterrupted from lug to clasp. The dial is the detail that separates this from the standard Riviera family: the semi-transparent smoky-grey sapphire lets the movement show through without committing to full skeleton territory, so the depth of the dial shifts with the light rather than reading the same way all day. The unidirectional bezel marks only the first fifteen minutes of elapsed time in black lacquer — a considered choice for a watch that is meant to be worn rather than collected. The bracelet uses Baume & Mercier's toolless Fast Strap system, which means changing to a rubber strap for the water and back again is a matter of seconds, not a trip to a watchmaker.
- Reference
- BM0A10717
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Collection
- Riviera
- Case size
- 42.1mm
- Case thickness
- 11.97mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Octagonal
- Dial
- Grey
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Bezel
- Unidirectional rotating
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- BM13-1975A
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 300m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 120 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 6 collections
This watch appears in the Baume & Mercier Riviera range (14), Stainless Steel Watches (2,624), Automatic Watches (1,472), Sports Watches (676), Dive Watches (481) and Grey Dial Watches (217).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch built to be worn hard and got wet.
Strengths
- 300m water resistance, rated for actual diving
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- 120-hour reserve survives a weekend off the wrist
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Baume & Mercier's more premium watches
Baume & Mercier Riviera alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | BM0A10717 | 782 | R32148162 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,100 | £3,860 | £4,150 |
| Case size | 42.1mm | 42mm | 43mm |
| Water resistance | 300m | 300m | 300m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Ceramic bracelet |
| Power reserve | 120 hours | 42 hours | 80 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?
Yes. At 300m it is rated for swimming, snorkelling and recreational diving.
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 120 hours fully wound — enough to sit off the wrist over a weekend and still be running.
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 £4,100. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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