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Baume & Mercier Classima 40mm Mens Watch Silver
Ref. BMM0A10857
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The Classima line has long been Baume & Mercier's argument that a dress watch need not be complicated to be considered — that restraint, correctly applied, is its own kind of rigour. This reference makes that case with a 4N yellow gold PVD case over polished steel, a combination that gives the warmth of gold at a fraction of the weight, while the crown and solid caseback remain bare steel, a deliberate understatement that keeps the watch from tipping into ornament. At 6.05mm thick, it disappears beneath a formal shirt cuff in a way that most 40mm watches simply do not, and the silvery opaline dial — barleycorn-patterned beneath a sun-satin finish — rewards the moments it is visible: the texture shifts with the angle of light, and the gold-tone leaf hands and Roman numerals read cleanly against it. No lume is applied, which is the correct choice for a watch of this intent; the dial stays uncluttered. The alligator-patterned calfskin strap changes without tools, which proves useful over a four-year battery cycle during which you may well want to vary how it wears.
- Reference
- BMM0A10857
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Collection
- Classima
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 6.05mm
- Case material
- Gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- ETA F06
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Strap
- Interchangeable
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 the Baume & Mercier Classima range (9), Leather Strap Watches (1,100), Silver Dial Watches (762), Dress Watches (558) and Solid Gold Watches (163).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 6.05mm is unusually slim for a 40mm case
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- 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 | BMM0A10857 | FC-270N4P6B | 5485-ST-50001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,050 | £995 | £950 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 60m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| 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.
Will the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Does it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £1,050. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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