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Baume & Mercier Classima 40mm Mens Watch Silver
Ref. BMM0A10883
The Classima collection is Baume & Mercier's argument for the dress watch done without compromise: clean geometry, classical typography, a dial that earns attention through surface quality rather than complication. This reference follows that brief closely, and the case thickness tells you why it works — at 6.05mm, it disappears under a shirt cuff in a way that a fuller case simply cannot. The silvery dial is where the craft sits. An opaline sun-satin ground carries a stamped barleycorn pattern that shifts in raking light, giving the surface a texture invisible at a glance but apparent the moment the wrist turns. Black Roman numerals and ruthenium-finished leaf hands sit against it with enough contrast to read clearly without fighting the dial's quieter details. The ETA F06.115 beneath is a sensible choice here — Swiss-made, precise, and running to a four-year battery cycle, which means the watch spends almost no time out of service. The five-row integrated bracelet, polished throughout, closes with a triple folding clasp whose twin push-pieces resist accidental release; on a dress watch worn through formal occasions, that reliability matters more than it might elsewhere.
- Reference
- BMM0A10883
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 6.05mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- ETA F06
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Silver
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- 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 3 collections
This watch appears in Stainless Steel Watches (2,516), Back in Stock (1,193) and Silver Dial Watches (558).
What the specifications mean
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
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | BMM0A10883 | FC-270N4P6B | 5485-ST-00359 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,150 | £995 | £950 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 39mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 60m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| This watch |
|
|
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 £1,150. There is nothing to compare it against today.
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