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Baume & Mercier Hampton Classique 10628 35mm x 22mm Rose Gold
Ref. Light 8
The Hampton has always been Baume & Mercier's argument for Art Deco as a living language rather than a museum piece — the rectangular case, the concentric geometry on the dial, the domed crystal that references the rounded curves of that period. Ref. 10628 belongs to a group of four released together, each offering a different reading of that same brief, and this is the rose gold version: 18K pink gold on the outside, titanium at the back, wearing at under 7mm thick in a way that makes it read closer to jewellery than to a sports watch. The dial repays attention. An opaline silver ground with concentric rectangular graining creates a genuine sense of depth, and the sword-shaped gilt hands against rhodium-plated indexes give it contrast without noise. The red agate cabochon on the crown is not incidental — it picks up the warm tone of the red-orange calfskin strap and pulls the whole thing into a considered colour relationship that is easy to miss in photographs and obvious in person.
- Reference
- Light 8
- Brand
- Baume & Mercier
- Case size
- 35mm
- Case thickness
- 6.92mm
- Case material
- Titanium
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Quartz
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
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 6 collections
This watch appears in Watches Under 37mm (1,579), Leather Strap Watches (941), Silver Dial Watches (651), Dress Watches (468), Titanium Watches (145) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (100).
2-year Goldsmiths warranty
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 35mm suits most wrists
- 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 | Light 8 | R30233942 | 5132-S1S-52181 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,650 | £2,250 | £2,795 |
| Case size | 35mm | 35mm | 32mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Leather strap | 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.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths at £2,650, pre-owned. No UK retailer we track lists this reference new.
Is this available new?
Not from the UK retailers we track. This reference is listed as pre-owned only, at £2,650 from Goldsmiths. Goldsmiths test every pre-owned watch for authenticity, timekeeping and water resistance, and warrant it for 2 years — the same term they give on a new watch.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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