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Baume & Mercier Classima 40mm Mens Watch White
Ref. BMM0A10874
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Stepping up in Baume & Mercier's range
The Classima collection has always positioned itself at the dressier end of Baume & Mercier's range — unhurried, traditionally proportioned, built for the office and the dinner table rather than anything more demanding. This 40mm example follows that brief closely: at 8.9mm thick it sits flat against the wrist and disappears beneath a cuff without protest, which is exactly what a watch of this kind should do. The silvery-white opaline dial rewards attention in changing light, the Roman numerals and dark ruthenium leaf hands giving it a quietly formal character without tipping into the fussy. The Sellita SW200 inside is a sound Swiss automatic — not a movement with a story to tell, but one that runs accurately, services readily and carries a 38-hour reserve, which is enough to see through a weekend without winding. The alligator-patterned calfskin strap changes without tools, a small convenience that becomes useful when rotating straps across seasons.
- Reference
- BMM0A10874
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Collection
- Classima
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 8.9mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- White
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW200
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Black
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- 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 6 collections
This watch appears in the Baume & Mercier Classima range (9), Stainless Steel Watches (3,398), Back in Stock (2,765), Automatic Watches (1,752), Chronograph Watches (1,390) and Leather Strap Watches (1,100).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 8.9mm is unusually slim for a 40mm case
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
- 38-hour reserve means winding it after a day off
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 | BMM0A10874 | 01 754 7798 4068-07 8 20 06 | FC-303MC5B4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,450 | £1,400 | £1,295 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 41 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.
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 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, 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 £1,450. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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