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Baume & Mercier Classima 40mm Mens Watch Blue
Ref. BMM0A10879
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Stepping up in the same dial colour
The Classima line has always been Baume & Mercier's argument for the well-dressed automatic — Geneva understatement rather than complication — and this 40mm blue dial edition sits squarely in that tradition. The refreshed proportions keep everything that made the collection work while removing the fussiness that dated earlier versions. At 9mm thick, it is genuinely slim for a cased automatic, and that makes a practical difference: it disappears under a shirt cuff in a way that many dress watches claim to and few actually achieve. The blue sun-satin dial with its central barleycorn guilloché is the kind of surface that looks flat in a photograph and comes alive under a desk lamp — the texture shifts with the angle, the rhodium-plated Roman numerals and leaf hands reading clean against it. There is no lume on the dial or hands, which is an honest choice: this is a watch for rooms rather than dives, and the dial is better for the absence. The Sellita SW200 inside is a Swiss-made movement with a solid reputation for longevity and uncomplicated servicing, and the screwed exhibition caseback means you can inspect it without visiting a watchmaker. The alligator-patterned calfskin strap swaps without tools, which matters more than it sounds when a blue dial pairs this well with both navy and grey.
- Reference
- BMM0A10879
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Collection
- Classima
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 9mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- Sellita SW200
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 38 hours
- Origin
- Swiss made
- 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 7 collections
This watch appears in the Baume & Mercier Classima range (13), Back in Stock (4,868), Stainless Steel Watches (3,133), Automatic Watches (1,750), Leather Strap Watches (1,037), Blue Dial Watches (861) and Dress Watches (557).
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 9mm 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
- 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 | BMM0A10879 | R27056162 | 01 754 7798 4065-07 8 20 06 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,690 | £1,700 | £1,750 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Ceramic bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 38 hours | 80 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.
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, 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, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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